“EnviroCare” was the third edition in Ayaadi’s CSR Talk series, aimed at generating public dialogue on issues of interest to the entire community. Held in a panel discussion format, the conclusions from the forum are used for campaigns supporting the causes discussed on the forum. The “EnviroCare” forum brought together leading experts and specialists in the area of environmental management and sustainable business practices. The eminent panel of speakers included Ahmed Detta, Managing Partner Middle East, Industry RE Sustainability, a leading sustainability management consultancy in the Middle East; Annelies Hodge, CSR Manager at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi, the event’s keynote speaker Head of CSR for Majid Al Futtaim Properties. Other prominent panelists included Nicolas Delaunay, Director, Business Development & Marketing at EWS-WWF; Sabrin Rahman, Head of Corporate Sustainability for the UAE at HSBC Bank Middle East; and Stuart Fleming, Founding Partner and CEO of EnviroServe and leading environmental thought leader within the UAE.

The panelists used the forum to discuss key issues regarding environmental challenges in the UAE and also suggested solutions that could be adopted by members of the community and those in business to mitigate the impact of environmental damage arising from day-to-day human and industrial activity.

Dr. Sulaiman Al Jassim Vice President of Zayed University said, “EnvoCare” Forum highlights the concerns of educational institutes and corporate organizations in raising environmental awareness to the new generations. There has been great progress in the understanding of environmental concepts among students and expert faculty. Also, the views has evolved in terms of dealing with the environment and its diverse elements.

Al Jassim added, “The forum is a new addition to attract national and regional parties to collaborate to achieve one goal which is to reduce “human impact on the environment” and “wrong practices toward the environment.” He also, stressed on the importance of working together to reduce the environmental impacts.

“The EnviroCare CSR Talk forum was conceived in response to the growing environmental consciousness in the UAE,” said Amal Alkoos, Ayaadi’s Director. “Already, the UAE is home to some of the largest sustainability initiatives in the world, including Masdar and the World Future Energy Forum. This has only been possible due to the pioneering approach of the government towards environmental management and sustainability. Yet, there remains much under-awareness in several sections of the community, especially youth regarding the importance of these issues and the contribution that each member of the community can make. With this forum, I believe we have been able to share some great ideas for integrating environmentally-friendly practices into our daily lives and appreciate national and global efforts for greater environmental sustainability.”

The contract has been awarded to HKT by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as represented by the Government Chief Information Officer. It covers the design, development and operations of Wi-Fi service, installation of Wi-Fi access points and provision of maintenance support, as well as customer hotline and end-user support. HKT will progressively implement Wi-Fi facilities at designated Government premises in the next 18 months.

The contract work primarily involves the implementation of Wi-Fi facilities with more than 2,300 Wi-Fi access points and the latest wireless network technology 802.11n which will provide better signal coverage, enable faster data transfer and reduce signal interference.

As the Internet is in transition to IPv6, the new Programme will support both IPv4 and IPv6, enabling the public to access services delivered through both standards.

Apart from the speed and technology revamp, the Government Wi-Fi Programme also expands its scale to cover approximately 440 Government premises, including Tamar Park next to the new Government Headquarters and other Government offices, major parks and tourist spots, public libraries, as well as cultural and recreation centers.

The new Programme will continue to support 802.1x secure access. In addition to providing encrypted Wi-Fi access, the network is protected by Internet firewall, IDS (Intrusion Detection System) and IPS (Intrusion Protection System) to minimize the risk of hacking or IT attacks. Content filtering system is also implemented to protect users from unintentionally accessing websites with inappropriate contents like pornography.

Mr. Tom Chan, HKT’s Managing Director of Commercial Group, said, “We are honored to participate again in this Government initiative to further establish Hong Kong as a superb Wi-Fi city. With our strong track record in designing, building, and operating wireless networks in high-density urban areas, we have crafted a well-conceived wireless network solution which will provide a faster and better Internet experience for the public.”

Mr. Daniel Lai, Government Chief Information Officer, said, “The contract was awarded through an open, fair and rigorous tendering process. I look forward to working closely with HKT to continue the provision of high quality public Wi-Fi service.”

Around 200 science and social projects from over 30 institutions of higher education were displayed across a variety of categories including poetry, short stories, play script, arts (paintings, sculpting, drawings and photography), media artwork and design, journalism, volunteerism and community work. The forum was the first of its kind and showcased the limitless pool of creativity and talent available in academic institutions across the Sultanate.

Nawras Sales Champions engaged with the youth of Oman by introducing them to the company’s quality products and service offerings that range from business and home solutions to mobile and Wi-Fi internet access options.

Bushra Al Balushi, Sponsorship Manager, said, “The objectives of the Students Creative Forum match those of the Nawras training philosophy to develop our young people in telecommunications. More broadly, we are also committed to the youth of Oman and regularly invest in youth-related projects and activities to foster out of the box thinking and unlock their full potential. We believe in promoting independence while nurturing creativity to create an environment of innovation.”

She continued, “Students in Oman have embraced the exhibition with a lot of enthusiasm and ambition along with a fair competitive spirit. This experience will hopefully inspire further investment in programmes that encourage academic creativity and youth participation.”

For the past seven years, Nawras has played an active role in communicating with youth through a number of hallmark initiatives. These include Shababiah, a youth focused mobile service, Muscat Youth Summit and Outbound Oman. The company is also Ideas Partner for TEDx Muscat which aims to motivate the Sultanate’s future generation with ‘ideas worth spreading’.

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“We invested around JOD90 million in 2011 and some JOD70 million in 2010,” Ahmad Al Hanandeh said.

The firm has about 250,000 wireless broadband subscribers and aims to increase that number, he told Dow Jones Newswires.

Click here to find out more!Zain Jordan is the largest mobile operator in Jordan with around 3 million mobile subscribers.

Batelco General Manager Enterprise Division Adel Daylami, Senior Sales Manager Enterprise Yusuf Ahmed and Manager Datacoms Products and Services Hani Askar are in Chicago to attend the prestigious event and meet with strategic partners in order to enhance existing partnerships and build key alliances with prospective new partners. Establishing and developing strategic relationships with industry experts is a key focal point for Batelco’s Enterprise Division and forms an integral part of their forward thinking business agenda.

International Telecoms Week is a key meeting point for the global wholesale telecommunications community – at which over 5,300 delegates from nearly 1,700 companies representing 150+ countries meet to buy and sell both voice and data products and services. ITW is an event for the entire industry with participants from all areas of the wholesale industry: Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 carriers, mobile / wireless operators, ISPs, VoIP providers and technology partners from the voice, data, satellite, sub-sea and fixed line markets.

Mr. Daylami said that events such as the ITW were invaluable for Batelco as they provided excellent opportunities to meet with business partners and members of the telecoms industry to exchange knowledge and introduce Batelco’s latest products and services to them.

“Batelco is committed to maintaining its leadership position in Middle East’s  telecoms market. With the rapid advancements in telecoms technology, it is very important for Batelco to be present at such events as this,” he said.

Etisalat will host a 91-meter stand at the event to demonstrate its full spectrum of e-Hospitality services, Etisalat’s bundled solution for the hospitality sector customers. The products and service scheduled to be showcased at the event include the latest Voice, Internet, and TV services to meet Hospitality segment requirements. Etisalat is also sponsoring the Best Technology Integration Award at the Middle East Hotel Awards, which will be held on May 15 at Mina’a Salam, Dubai.

According to UAE-based Alpen Capital, there are currently over AED 21 billion worth of hotel projects, mainly in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The UAE and Saudi Arabia remain the two largest markets accounting for nearly 89 per cent of hospitality demand regionally. According to the February 2012 STR Global Construction Pipeline Report, more than 498 hotels, totaling 134,893 hotel rooms are forecast for completion in the region by the end of 2012, a clear indication of the market potential.

“At Etisalat, we have strategically aligned our ICT service propositions for vertical industry segments to offer the most advanced and relevant ICT Solutions to businesses,” said Abdulla Al Ahmed, Acting Senior Vice President – Business at Etisalat. “The e-Hospitality solution provides our customers in the hospitality sector with a strong value proposition and in-depth sector expertise. Since launching our e-Hospitality services last October, we have consistently expanded our customer base that now consists of leading hotel properties in the UAE.

“Etisalat’s eHospitality services provide hotels in the UAE the winning advantage of high-speed Internet, high definition voice and content-rich TV services for a unique guest experience. Moreover, our customer-centric services help streamline service delivery mechanism for hotels and provide higher operational and cost efficiencies. We are keen to showcase these services and its benefits to the key hospitality brands in the country and The Hotel Show is the most appropriate platform in the is regard,” he added.

A contemporary bundle, Etisalat’s e-Hospitality solution is available in three distinct packages: Silver, Gold and Platinum – offering voice channels, up to 1GB of dedicated Internet access and a selection of more than 300 TV channels – for hotels to choose from, depending on their unique business requirements.  The e-Hospitality solution is made available through Etisalat’s IP network, providing greater reliability, higher speed and unmatched convenience through a single vendor touch-point.

Organised by dmg Events, The Hotel Show now in its 13th year is the largest hospitality supplies event for the MENA region. The event will see over 400 leading suppliers and consultants from more than 45 countries.

Younis Abdul Aziz Al Nimr, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Etisalat encouraged young Emiratis to visit the Etisalat stand at the Fujairah Career Fair and meet human resources experts to explore the available vacancies in the telecom sector as well as training programs provided by Etisalat.

“We have equipped our stand with a number of computers to facilitate online CV submission for visitors. This will also enable the Corporation to review these data easily and regularly to benefit from their skills whenever a new vacancy occurs. As the telecom sector in the UAE transitions into the next era of technology, Etisalat continues to invest in national employees by training and qualifying them,” Al Nimr said.

Al Nimr assured that Etisalat has always committed to undertake its national responsibility as a leading national corporation and made all efforts to support nationals whom it considers the main factor in any work that aims to achieve sustainable development.

Etisalat’s CHRO added that the great efforts made by Etisalat in terms of nationalization has had excellent results as nationalization percentage in the corporation increased to 40 per cent of Etisalat’s workforce. National employees’ number in Etisalat reached nearly 3000 with the percentage of nationals in top management reaching nearly 90 per cent.

Al Nimr said that the increase in nationalization percentage is due to the adoption of the new business model based on the idea of outsourcing some of Etisalat’s work to companies specializing in telecommunications and information technology sector. He also mentioned that Etisalat incorporated new ideas into the nationalization concept locally and regionally as it assigned 70 young Emiratis to lead its subsidiaries in 17 countries where it operates.

“Etisalat has a unique approach towards nationalization as it believes in balanced nationalization which means that nationals are employed in all levels and functions, including financial, engineering, technical and marketing fields,” Al Nimr said.

The Corporation regularly studies the local market needs for skill shortages, especially technical and management skills and organizes training courses that qualify young Emiratis to take up available vacancies in different sectors.

In the area of management, Etisalat has developed special training programs for middle management employees including Middle Management Development Program targeting supervisors and newly hired managers; the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Program targeting human resources and development managers; and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Program.

In the area of technical administration and engineering, Etisalat supports new graduates with training programs that enable them to join its technical service teams. The Corporation developed a qualifying program for graduates of the Higher Colleges of Technology through which Etisalat successfully increased the national technical employees’ percentage to 25 per cent of the total technical workforce in the corporation.

Spanning more than 140 countries, Thuraya’s sophisticated satellite communications network guarantees reliable, secure and affordable communications within the world’s largest country, especially in remote and rural locations typically underserved by terrestrial networks. Thuraya’s portfolio of products includes high-speed data, voice and maritime offerings that are tailored for the vertical markets.
Through its partnership with GTNT, Thuraya will provide uninterrupted satellite communications services to federal, departmental and corporate users in energy, petrochemical, construction, logistics, forestry, relief and media sectors. GTNT is Thuraya’s sole Service Partner in Russia authorized to distribute Company products, solutions and services across the country.

“Russia with its countless energy, defence, media and maritime enterprises is an exciting prospect for Thuraya. Our superior satellite network provides seamless, border-to-border coverage within the country, and our impeccable yet affordable services will enable people in the prominent Russian market to communicate instantly regardless of their location.” said Thuraya’s CEO, Mr. Samer Halawi.

Mr. Halawi further added, “We have joined forces with our trusted partner GTNT to expand our distribution network and reach out to our vertical industry consumers wherever they may choose to operate in Russia.”

“Our company GTNT has already completed the deployment of Thuraya’s network in the Russian segment of the system. We are ready to deliver mobile satellite telephony, data transmission and broadband internet access to all federal, departmental and corporate users as well as geologists, builders, transport, forestry and rescue workers, primarily those working in areas not covered by conventional communication systems. We hope to bring all corners of our big country closer and within reach through satellite-based mobile communications,” said Alexey Ostapchuk, GTNT General Director.

In addition to the most advanced satellite-based voice and data services, Thuraya will offer GSM consumers satellite roaming facilities, effectively ensuring universal coverage all across Russia. By simply inserting their GSM SIM cards into a Thuraya handset, GSM consumers can instantly roam on Thuraya’s network and make and receive calls.

Covering more than an eighth of the earth’s inhabited land area, Russia extends across the whole of northern Asia and across 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones. It has the world’s largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the second largest oil producer and second largest natural gas producer globally. Communities in remote corners of Russia can rely on Thuraya for instant access to modern data and voice telecommunications facilities. More prominently, Thuraya is poised to serve the Russian maritime market with a special focus on the fisheries and the cargo sectors.

Batelco Staff Centre was transformed into an international Break Dancing arena for the Red Bull BC One Bahrain Cypher. Under the watchful eyes of three top international judges and a packed house of very enthusiastic supporters, the top 16 B-Boys in Bahrain battled it out to be selected as the National Champion, winning a spot to represent Bahrain at Egypt’s regional qualifier in September.

B-Boy Zilla had the audience on its feet with an energetic performance that won him the coveted title of best in Bahrain judged on technique, innovation and dance flow. Performing to the upbeat tunes of the renowned DJ Mr. Tee, B-Boy Zilla‘s freestyle routine replete with a clean execution of footwork and immaculate coordination wowed the crowd and quickly won over breaking maestros, judges B-Boy Cico, B-Boy Lamine and B-Boy Lil G.

In the regional final in Egypt, B-Boy Zilla will compete against B-Boys from 15 other countries in the Middle East & Africa region where the most talented B-Boy will then head to Rio de Janeiro where his breaking skills will be put to the ultimate test at the global finals.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Hamad Al Sharqi visited du’s stand at Fujairah Career Fair on 15May. He was received by du representatives Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Human Resources and Shared Services Officer; Saleem Albalooshi,Executive Vice President,Customer Operations; Yasser Obaid, Senior Vice President, Human Resources,  and Ahmad Aburahima Vice President,Government Relations,among other members of du’s executive management. During his visit, Sheikh Maktoum was briefed on the telecom’s efforts toward providing Emiratis in Fujairah and the northern emirates immersive career  opportunities, following an announcement that du is running a major recruitment drive to employ an additional 60 UAE Nationals.
Photo Caption: Sheikh Maktoum bin Hamad Al Sharqi at du’s stand during the first day of the Fujairah Career Fair.