ORASCOM LAUNCHES TEXT DONATION FOR FLOOD RELIEF

KARACHI (November 25, 2010) : The deadly flood waters in the Sindh Province of Pakistan have receded, but the devastating impact on life there will continue for months to come. Orascom Telecom Holding SAE (OTH), the parent company of Mobilink (the largest GSM operator in Pakistan) and Transworld (Pakistan’s first and only privately owned submarine fiber optic cable operator) and Obopay, the mobile money solutions pioneer, have partnered to establish a text-to-donate relief effort in the United States to provide continuing funds to the region in order to rebuild both the infrastructure and the lives of those affected by the disaster.

Where text-to-donate programmes following the disaster in Haiti typically took 90 to 180 days to reach the right resources in the country, this new offering can provide much more rapid funding to the cause. Obopay's text-to-donate service has technology similar to that, which was used to spur donations to the Haitian earthquake relief last year.

One key difference, however, is that by making the credit or debit card and the bank account the source of funding for the text rather than the telecom bill, Obopay's text-to-donate enables donors to contribute much larger amounts, as opposed to the $5 and $10 limits allowed through telecommunications companies. The money can also be put to use by relief organizations quickly.

Modified From: www.brecorder.com

2011 TO BE THE YEAR OF THE TABLET

TORONTO - With the BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) launching the PlayBook early next year, the tablet is set to become the next big device in the new year.
With the roaring success of Apple’s iPad which has sold in millions since its launch in April, the BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) has joined major players in the electronics industry to rush into the market with their versions of the tablet.

In 2011, consumers will have multiple choices - from Apple’s iPad, to Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, Dell’s Streak, Hewlett Packard’s Slate 500, Toshiba’s Folio 100 to Android tablets.

Apart from RIM, laptop maker Acer, PC maker Asus and Toshiba and cell phone makers Nokia and LG too are set to enter the tablet market.

Because of their easy portability, the tablet market is set to shoot over 19.5 million units this year itself and cross 54 million next year and 208 million in 2014, according to Forbes.

”Tablets fill the void between smart phones and laptops,” Forbes quotes Jason Oxman of the Consumer Electronics Association as saying.

”This could easily be called the year of the tablet. Apple kicked off the craze in January when it unveiled its iPad. By the time the iPad went on sale in April, the device had racked up so much buzz (and pre-sales) it was clear Apple had produced another hit.

”The electronics industry took notice. With the holidays approaching, everyone from PC makers to cellphone manufacturers, monitor suppliers and booksellers is racing to release some version of a portable, touch-screen computer,” Forbes says.

The tablets vary in their prices, weight, size and operating systems. At the lower end, France’s Archos tablets will cost from $100 to $300, while HP’s Slate 500 is priced at $799 as it is aimed at business people.

Pocket-sized Archos tablets are also the smallest in size, varying from 2.8 inches to five inches. In comparison, Toshiba’s Folio 100 will almost be a giant with its display size of 10.1 inches and weight of more than 1.5 pounds. Apple’s iPad is 9.7 inches in size and weighs 1.5 pounds.

BlackBerry’s PlayBook is seven inches in size and weigh much less than the iPad. To distinguish the PlayBook from other tablets, the BlackBerry maker has developed a new operating system for it. Most of the other tablets will run the Android operating system.

By: IANS
Source: www.khaleejtimes.com

BANGLADESH TO LAUNCH 3G NETWORK IN 3 MONTHS

Telecommunication Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju said that Bangladesh will launch 3G mobile phone networks in three months, the Daily Star reports. Teletalk, the state-owned mobile operator, will roll out the 3G services, followed by private operators. This 3G network will be developed with Chinese assistance and users will get services at prices lower than India, Raju said at a press conference at the Press Information Department marking Bangladesh's winning the membership of International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Telephone Shilpa Sangstha (TSS), the state-run telephone equipment manufacturer, is working on producing low-cost laptops in a span of six months. The prices of laptops would range from BDT 10,000 to BDT 15,000. The minister dwelt on a wide range of issues such as digitalisation, 3G network, e-service, telephone and internet density, VoIP and communication satellite. It is a new application service and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is now formulating a guideline on 3G services, the minister said. The minister said the government is now in talks with the Chinese government to borrow USD 211 million to develop the capacity of Teletalk.

Source: www.telecompaper.com/news/bangladesh-to-launch-3g-network-in-3-months

ORASCOM TELCOM Q3 PROFIT BOOSTED BY MOBINIL GAIN

Orascom Telecom said its net profit for the third quarter ending 30 September jumped 130 percent from a year earlier to USD 951 million, helped by USD 822 million in gains from its new shareholders agreement at Mobinil. Excluding the gain, third-quarter net profit from continuing operations was USD 112 million, with Mobinil now accounted for through the equity method, rather than fully consolidated.

Orascom Telecom's subscriber base increased 16 percent over the same period last year, to reach more than 103.3 million customers, versus 99.1 million in June. Revenues for the first nine months of the year reached USD 3.1 billion, up 1.6 percent over the same period of 2009 as a result of strong growth in most GSM operations.

Modified From: www.telecompaper.com

Emergency Broadband to Flooded Pakistan

UN Telecom Body Brings Emergency Broadband to Flooded Pakistan

New York, Nov 2 2010 5:10PM One hundred new broadband satellite terminals have been installed in remote, flood-ravaged regions of Pakistan to restore vital communications and support medical treatment of local people in grave need, the United Nations agency for communications technology said today.

“At this time, it is critical to reach aid to the survivors, especially those living in remote, difficult-to-access areas, Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

The broadband satellite terminals deployed by ITU will help communications with the outside world as well as provide telemedicine capabilities,” Dr Touré added.

The satellite terminals, installed by an ITU emergency communications team that worked closely with the Pakistani government, also enabled medical aid workers in the field to communicate with referral centres, the agency said

The technology will allow diagnostic support and real-time consultation with medical specialists in far-off hospitals anywhere in the world, it added.

With vast tracts of fertile agricultural land inundated and nearly 20 million people affected by Pakistan’s worst floods in living memory, water-borne diseases and malnutrition remain serious concerns and authorities and aid workers struggle to provide regular medical attention to displaced populations.

Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau said that the satellite terminals would be especially helpful in communicating with the far-flung mountainous areas of the upper Indus Valley, where the need for medical attention is becoming even more acute with the onset of winter.

Wednesday, 3 November 2010, United Nations Press Release
Source: www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1011/S00051/emergency-broadband-to-flooded-pakistan.htm