Astellia, a leading provider of monitoring solutions for the optimization of mobile network QoS and performance announces a major contract for its VIP Care solution with Wataniya Telecom, the leading mobile operator in Kuwait.

Wataniya, forming part of the highly successful Qtel group, has around 40% of the market share in Kuwait, operating on GSM, EDGE and HSPA+ technologies.

Using Astellia’s VIP Care solution, Wataniya monitors the network performances of its most valuable customers and ensures the delivery of an exceptional quality of service across its 2G and 3G networks. These customers including corporate fleets and subscribers with a high ARPU tend to have significant expectations in terms of service access speed, service availability and seamless coverage. VIP Care measures these KPIs through individual subscriber reports. This enables Wataniya to build competitive advantage and develop packages dedicated to VIPs.

Wataniya also uses VIP Care for troubleshooting purposes to identify the root cause of problems and resolve quality threatening events before they affect user experience.

New Android-Based Computing Device Uses Cisco Collaboration Architecture and Virtual Desktop Integration to Deliver Mobile Computing, Collaboration and Communication Services

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today unveiled Cisco Cius, a first-of-its-kind mobile collaboration business tablet that delivers virtual desktop integration with anywhere, anytime access to the full range of Cisco collaboration and communication applications, including HD video.

Cisco Cius is an ultra-portable device weighing just 1.15lbs (0.52kg) that extends the productivity benefits of Cisco collaboration applications to a highly secure mobile platform. In addition to full telepresence interoperability, Cisco Cius offers HD video streaming and real-time video, multi-party conferencing, email, messaging, browsing, and the ability to produce, edit and share content stored locally or centrally in the cloud.

Based on the Android operating system, Cisco Cius is an open platform for communication and collaboration whose form factor and applications are designed to more securely connect employees on-the-go with the right people in real-time, and to provide those workers with the ability to access and share the content they need from any place on the network.

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced the renewal of the Overall Agreement with Office National Ducroire Delcredere (ONDD), the Belgian Export Credit Agency. This agreement, initially signed one year ago, aims at supporting the export business of Alcatel-Lucent worldwide.

Under this agreement ONDD will provide insurance for third party financing for the purchase of Alcatel-Lucent telecommunications equipment by service providers worldwide.

This agreement is a powerful element in Alcatel-Lucent’s broader activities to support its customers in securing financing to expand their networks and better address the booming demand for communications and broadband internet services.

Move industry closer to realizing the potential of Digital Dividend spectrum

Nokia Siemens Networks and Nokia have jointly conducted the world’s first end-to-end LTE data call with Nokia Siemens Networks’ commercial equipment on the 800 MHz frequency band. This spectrum is popularly known as the Digital Dividend, becoming available as terrestrial TV moves from analog to digital broadcasting.* The successful interoperability tests mark a decisive step forward in the commercialization of LTE on this band, particularly hastening deployment in rural areas.

Due to its inherently attractive propagation capabilities, the Digital Dividend spectrum is ideal to provide rapid and cost efficient mobile broadband services. With the frequency band being freed up by regulators and assigned for LTE usage, the timing of these tests is most opportune, as it helps Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks deliver upon their commitment to bring commercial LTE 800 to operators’ networks as soon as possible.

The tests, conducted at Nokia Siemens Networks’ LTE Center of Competence in Espoo, Finland, follow the company’s commencement of production of LTE-ready Flexi Multiradio Base Stations for the 800 MHz band in April this year, and complement earlier tests with Nokia on the 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz bands.

As of 1st July, Thuraya has launched an enhanced Thuraya ECO. Customers are now able to enjoy one year validity for SIM cards and more pre-loaded credit if they acquire a Thuraya ECO SIM pack. Users of Thuraya ECO, which is a unique service available in 83 countries providing 50 percent cheaper call charges will now be able to access one year of service from the date of their first call.

“We have upgraded our Thuraya ECO offerings to improve customer experience of the service. In the 83 calling locations across Europe, Africa and Asia Thuraya ECO customers will now have a much longer validity of their SIM card eliminating the need for subscribers to track their top-up dates to determine when their SIM card is expiring,” said Thuraya’s Chief Strategy Officer, Mr. Sultan Al Ghafli.

Even with these enhancements the Thuraya ECO SIM pack continues to be an affordable solution for communications especially in areas where there is limited access to terrestrial networks.

Arabcom Telecom Summit , now in its 12th year will examine the state of network technology   adoption in the Arab world, to identify the urgent needs for mobile data growth.

Arabcom Telecom Summit will also look at how Mobile WiMax, UMTS/HSPA and FTTH are boosting that growth, and whether strategic decisions by alternative mobile operators and fixed line  operators could accelerate 4G uptake.

'Broadband convergence will enable new services and applications that will make mobile broadband the main revenue growth driver in the Arab world due to three main catalysts'.

The first catalyst will be the use of common platforms, which will allow operators in the region to access greater economies of scale when deploying their network.

Second, the potential arrival of Mobile WiMax systems are raising the intensity of the overall battle for mobile broadband adoption.