We're no longer in the telco business, rather becoming multimedia company; Saudi Telecom CEO

Understanding customer behaviour is key for telecoms operators to maintain revenue in the face of competition from over-the-top content and services providers, Saudi Arabia's STC said on Thursday.

″It is really hurting us as telecoms operators that we are not reaping the benefits from the pipes,″ Saad Al Qahtani, STC group CEO, said during a presentation at Broadband World Forum.

This is no longer a telecoms business; we are becoming multimedia companies, he added.

″Today, broadband subscribers are not just looking for fast Internet,″ Al Qahtani said. Rather, they want applications and services that make their lives easier.

″Work on scope, rather than scale,″ he advised the telecoms operators in the room.

According to Al Qahtani, IPTV and gaming will drive demand for high-speed broadband connections in Saudi Arabia. STC calculates that the most basic service bundle comprising TV and multimedia services will require a 19-Mbps connection; a top-tier bundle will come with a 60-Mbps link.

By 2014 10% of broadband connections in the Middle East and North Africa will come with IPTV, he predicted. ″We have almost 20,000 customers for IPTV,″ he said.

″[Telcos] have to understand their customers, their behaviour, their needs,″ Al Qahtani insisted. ″Telcos will have to develop additional revenue streams,″ beyond access.


(C) Total Telecom

Telecom Job Vacancies for Ericsson expereinced 2G/3G RF Engineers

Required for various Ericsson roles based across the globe.

Please send your CV to aosborne@firstpointgroup.com

Telecom Job Vacancies for IPBB Engineers required for Saudi Arabia

Candidates having atleast 4-5 years of relevant experience with Cisco Systems as well as NSN equipment are required.


Please send CVs to s.hashmi@eurosearch.net

Telecom Job Vacancies for Implementation Managers || USA

Needed in Nashville, New Orleans, and Charlotte for 6+ Month Project
Several openings in Nashville, TN, New Orleans,LA, and Charlotte, NC.

Implementation Managers with WCDMA Transport Network experience.
Requires:
Experience with WCDMA Access Transport Network systems, IP, ATM transport
Equipment experience of RBS, RNC3810, RNC3820

Please send resumes to: rduncan@roseint.com

Despite allegations of corruption, ZTE won major contracts in Africa

Despite mounting allegations of corruption and criticism of illegally bringing Chinese foreign nationals to work on its telecom projects in Africa, China's ZTE has been awarded contracts to build nationwide fiber networks in South Africa and Burundi.

In South Africa, Africa's second largest telecom market by investment and subscription after Nigeria, ZTE will build a 12,0000 kilometer (7,458 miles) fiber network by FibreCo Telecommunications, a joint venture between mobile operators Cell C, Convergence Partners and Internet Solutions. In Burundi, ZTE has been retained by Burundi Backbone Systems Company (BBS) to roll out a national backbone.

In Zambia, Uganda and Kenya, Chinese telecom companies are facing similar allegations of illegal entry of Chinese nationals and corruption in the acquisition of supply contracts.

But despite allegations, Chinese companies have continued to be awarded telecom projects by operators and governments in the region. As in South Africa, the Burundi project is a joint venture between five telecom operators and the World Bank that has invested in the backbone.

The 13,000 km Burundi network will cover most of the country and will also link Burundi with Central and East African countries including Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The network will further be connected to the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSY) under the Indian Ocean.

Competition in Africa's broadband market has been rife since last year, following the arrival of several undersea cables now servicing the region. The cable companies are competing for a share of Africa's lucrative broadband market, which has resulted in cheaper bandwidth.

African governments are, however, still pushing for further reductions in connectivity prices as a result of cheaper bandwidth in order to allow more people Internet access.

Burundi is among the African countries that have benefited from the World Bank's over $424 million in loans for the rolling out of broadband projects so that African governments can implement e-governance systems.

ZTE offices have twice been raided by South Africa's ministry of Home Affairs, which have led to several arrests of illegal Chinese workers using forged documents. As in many countries in Africa including Zambia, Namibia and Malawi, South Africa is grappling with Chinese nationals illegally entering the country for telecom jobs.

(C) Computer World

Nokia closes manufacturing plant in Romania

On Thursday the company announced the cutting of 3,500 jobs at its device manufacturing plant in Cluj, Romania.

The move is somewhat controversial as the Romanian plant, opened in 2008, was the cheaper replacement for Nokia’s expensive German manufacturing operation in Bochum. Nokia was dragged over the coals in the Bochum debacle, which saw 2,300 workers axed from its plant.

The factory will be closed by year end, as Nokia chief Stephen Elop admitted that Nokia’s high-volume Asian factories provide greater scale and proximity benefits.

The company plans to concentrate its Location & Commerce development efforts in Berlin, Boston and Chicago, and plans to close its operations in Bonn, Germany and Malvern, US.

“We are seeing solid progress against our strategy, and with these planned changes we will emerge as a more dynamic, nimble and efficient challenger,” said Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. “We must take painful, yet necessary, steps to align our workforce and operations with our path forward.”

(C) Telecoms

New Executive Chairman of the Board of Nokia Siemens Networks

The news comes after Nokia and Siemens AG (SI) said Thursday they would each inject EUR500 million into their telecommunications equipment joint venture and appoint Jesper Ovesen as the company's new Executive Chairman of the Board of Nokia Siemens Networks.

Mr Ovesen assumes a full-time role with a special emphasis on strengthening its position as a leader in the industry and become a more independent entity. He will work closely with Nokia Siemens Networks CEO, Mr Rajeev Suri, and his management team in that capacity, a release from Siemens AG said.

Mr Ovesen was till recently the Chief Financial Officer in the Danish telecommunications group TDC during its restructuring process and Initial Public Offering.

Mr Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, who was Non-Executive Chairman, decided to step down as serving in a full time capacity was not possible, said Mr Stephen Elop, Chief Executive Officer, Nokia, and Mr Joe Kaeser, Chief Financial Officer, Siemens.

 

IPO Is Option For Nokia Siemens Networks

A public listing of mobile network vendor Nokia Siemens Networks is an option, a spokesman for Nokia Corp. (NOK) told Dow Jones Newswires on Thursday.

The news comes after Nokia and Siemens AG (SI) said Thursday they would each inject EUR500 million into their telecommunications equipment joint venture and appoint Jesper Ovesen as the company's new Executive Chairman of the Board of Nokia Siemens Networks.

(C) The Wall Street Journal

Ericsoon to open R&D unit in Finland

In cooperation with its partners, Ericsson - the Swedish provider of telecommunications equipment and related services to mobile and fixed network operators - plans to set up a research and product development unit in the area of radio technology in the City of Oulu in Northern Finland, according to information gathered by Helsingin Sanomat.

The aim is to launch the unit, which will employ more thant 200 people, early next year. Hiring employees will begin in the course of the autumn.
Radio technology in this context means the transfer of information from one location to another by using radio waves.

On Wednesday, Ericsson was unwilling to comment on the matter, but promised to release news on Thursday. 

Nokia Siemens Networks, a rival of Ericsson, has a R&D centre and a base station factory in Oulu, which each employ about 1,000 people.


© HELSINGIN SANOMAT

Telecom Job Vacancy for PS Core Expert || NSN || Pakistan & Afghanistan

Country Location: Afghanistan and Pakistan
Number of position in each country is one (1)
Start Date:     1st October 2011
End Date:       3 months and extendable

• First level technical support for customer queries.
• SW maintenance activities: installation & test of technical/change notes /change deliveries. 
• SW upgrades and technical audits on site. 
• On-site support at customers premises participating network operation service, when applicable.
• Plan and run a subproject (like SW upgrade, SW change planning, Tailored technical support)
• Installation and/or commissioning and/or integration activities. 
• Network expansion activities. 
• Technical/customer acceptance testing. 
• Implement parametering in the network elements’ subsystems (understands KPI and the impact on the performance of the system). 
• Participate multivendor and 3rd party activities (installation, integration, interface troubleshooting) 

NSN to provide 
Accom/local Transport/ Security (for Afghanistan only) and Visa

Please send CVs to raquel.debache@tanint.com

Telecom Job Vacancy: Packet Core Service Engineer || Middle East

Start date: ASAP 
End date: 3 months (extendable) 

Job description: 
• Provide technical service in Packet Core area to new and existing customer networks 
• Plan, integrate, troubleshoot and resolve problems in order to stabilize and optimize customer networks 
• Travel within RMEA if required by project and work in different cultural environments 

Requirements: 
• Hands on experience on Ericsson SGSN,GGSN, SAPC link configuration & integration 
• Hands on experience on configuration of APN: Internet WAP MMS GPRS national and international roaming configurations 
• Excellent understanding of SS7 network ,GPRS call flow 
• A Bachelor's degree in Telecom Engineering or equivalent, plus at 3-5 years of telecommunications experience 
• PS Core Network architecture & evolution 
• IP Backbone Network architecture & evolution 
• Traffic dimensioning and performance 
• Packet switching 
• Packet over FR, ATM & IP 
• DNS server 
• GGSN 
• GPRS install server (GIS) 
• SGSN 
• Good written and spoken English

Please email your CV to gudhey@firstpointgroup.com

Telecom Job Vacancy: GGSN & SGSN (GPRS) Auditor || Middle East

Start date: ASAP 
End date: 3 months 

Job description: 
• Expert in GGSN & SGSN (GPRS) 
• Will be assigned for an audit on those nodes

Please email your CV to gudhey@firstpointgroup.com

Vacancy: Front Office Transmission Support Engineer || Reading, UK

Start date: ASAP 
End date: 6 months (extendable) 

Must be UK national or permit holder to be eligible 

Responsibilities: 
• Day to day operation of the Transmission Network, ensuring that 
• faults are identified, raised, investigated and resolved within agreed SLA's 
• Monitor network’s performance, ensuring all SLA’s and KPI’s are met 
• Take ownership of network faults and planned/unplanned service interruptions, managing them through to resolution or escalating where required 
• Ensure all faults and service interruptions are captured in the trouble ticketing systems, providing regular and accurate updates 
• Support and/or implement work orders which involve and/or impact the transmission network 
• Follow all processes and procedures, identifying and informing the Transmission Team Leader of any improvements required. Provide support to all Vendors and assistance to other keys areas of Operations/Business with regards to Transmission related issues 
• Interface with and provide assistance to other teams in the ARC to ensure all SLA’s and KPI’s are met 
• Share information and knowledge with other team members to improve technical and operational effectiveness. Raise Root Cause Analysis (RCA) trouble tickets for all resolved faults where the root cause is not clear or unknown 

Requirements: 
• At least 2 years experience within a NMC Environment of a telecommunications service provider 
• Proved experience with transmission equipment and technology – MW, PDH, SDH and ATM 
• Understanding of telecommunications practices and standards 
• Exposure to mission critical environments 
• Knowledge of mobile systems (GSM / UMTS) 
• Strong team player, attention to detail 
• Willingness to take ownership and drive activities end-to-end 
• Good communication skills 
• Logical, analytical and concise approach, willingness to pursue network excellence


Please email your CV to knowark@firstpointgroup.com

Telecom Job Vacancy: Quality Assurance / Quality Control (Qa/Qc) Team Lead || Middle East

Start date: ASAP 
End date: 12 months (extendable) 

Job description: 
• 10+ years experience in QA/QC role, in telecom industry and 3+ years team lead role 
• Manage the team in charge of QA/QC in the program 
• Note that program solution nodes include BSCS, Siebel, Tibco, NTS Wincash PoS, MBC, EMM and EMA 
• Evaluating solution specifications and examining them with customer requirements 
• Setting quality assurance compliance objectives to achieve the targets 
• Defining quality measures in conjunction with working staff 
• Understanding, evaluating, and executing the tests and procedures properly and investigating the software modifications 
• Directing team members engaged in testing, tabulating the data relating product quality, materials 
• Maintaining and setting up documentation and control procedures 
• Supervising technical team in carrying out checks and tests 
• Monitoring performance by collecting relevant information and preparing statistical reports 
• Collating and analyzing performance charts and data against defined parameters 
• Writing management and technical systems reports 
• Collating the staff of various disciplines and driving them to plan, develop and agree broad quality procedures 
• Organizing, planning, and problem-solving skills 
• Good interpersonal and communication skills 
• Ability to work as a part of a team 
• Good statistical and numerical ability

Please email your CV to gudhey@firstpointgroup.com

Telecom Job Vacancy: 2G/3G RAN Engineer || Middle East

Start date: ASAP 
End date: 6 months (extendable)

Job requirements: 
• O&M support engineer with NSN RAN flexi experience 
• Kowledge for 2G&3G 
• Flexi BSCs 
• RNC 2600s 
• Flexi BTSs 
• Flexi NodeBs Functions 
• Network Surveillance 
• Planned works management 
• Advanced trouble management 
• Configuration management 
• Quality and performance management 
• Russian speaker preferred but not mandatory

Please email your CV to rogunwumiju@firstpointgroup.com

Telecom Job Vacancy for PS Core Expert || Ericsson || Netherlands

Currently seeking Packet Core Data Engineers for a rolling contract based in the Netherlands.

The ideal candidate should have the following experience:
• Working knowledge of Ericsson SGSN equipment. 
• Working knowledge of Starent GGSN equipment. 
• Working knowledge of Openet PCRF equipment. 
• Working knowledge of MSP equipment.

If interested please provide your updated CV for further information to danielle.collins@tanint.com

Telecom Job Vacancy for NSN PS Core Engineer – Pakistan / Afghanistan

Client a multinational telecommunication company is urgently seeking PS Core Engineers to compliment their existing team. You will be required to carry out operations & maintenance, upgrades, installation of patches and care tasks on NSN Flexi ISN and SGSN.

To be considered for these PS Core Engineer positions you must have solid knowledge and experience of 1st level technical support for customer queries, software  maintenance activities, upgrades and technical audits on site, on-site customer support, installation and/or commissioning and/or integration, network expansion activities, technical/customer acceptance testing, implementation of the network elements subsystems and participate multivendor and 3rd party activities (installation, integration, interface troubleshooting).

If you are interested please send me your updated CV to Stanley.budu@connect44.com

Apple opens its Online Store in UAE

Apple users across the UAE whooped with joy yesterday as the company finally launched its much-awaited online store in the country, allowing customers to finally buy their favourite products directly from the mother ship rather than resellers.

One can visit Apple Online Store at any time and compare all the iPhones. You can also call to 8000 444 0396.

Users can now purchase their favourite iPad 2, the iPod touch and one day soon, even the iPhone 5 without having to pay retailers the marked up prices.

One-click ordering, free delivery on a range of products, and discounts for students and teachers are just some of the perks that customers can enjoy.

But, perhaps, what’s got the most of the people excited is the online store throwing open doors to allow for the customization of Macs before buying and for the free engraving of iPads, iPhones and iPods prior to shipping.

While social media was abuzz with people displaying enthusiasm to finally have the liberty to make purchases, it was the pricing structure that had many excited.

Said 29-year-old Marcus Copher: “I have been in the market for an iPad 2 for a month, but the prices offered by retailers here have been nothing less than Dh2,400. If you purchase it from a dodgy reseller, with no warranty, then you might strike lucky with a price of Dh2,180.

“So it’s a boon to not only be able to purchase the original directly from apple online store, but to see the prices with the iPad 2 starting at Dh2,099 and with free shipping.”

The launch of the store, coinciding with launches in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, brings Apple's total tally of country-specific online stores to 38.