Under the patronage of HE Eng. Bassem Al Rousan, Jordan’s Minister of ICT, the Fifth Annual Media and Telecommunications Convergence Conference, set to take place in Amman on the 2nd and 3rd of June, comes as the Arab World’s telecommunications and broadcast entertainment markets continue to experience strong growth in telecom subscribers and more competition, according to regional research house and conference organizer Arab Advisors Group, a member of the Arab Jordan Investment Bank Group.

By end of 2007, fixed line broadband penetration as a percent of total population ranged from 8% in Qatar to a mere 0.02% in Sudan in the Arab World. Qatar, UAE and Bahrain lead with 8%, 7.8% and 7% respectively. They are followed by Saudi Arabia (2.4%), Jordan (1.6%), Palestine (1.5%), Morocco (1.5%), Tunisia (1.1%), Lebanon (1%), Algeria (0.9%), Oman (0.7%), Egypt (0.6%), Mauritania (around 0.1%), Yemen (0.05%), Syria (0.04%) and Sudan (0.02%).

“While absolute broadband penetration in the Arab World may seem low by industrial countries standards, the effective household broadband penetration is much higher. This is related to higher number of people per household as well as line sharing. For example, a new Arab Advisors survey in Egypt revealed that 63.4% of Egyptian households that use the ADSL service, share their ADSL connection with neighbors. A massive 81.9% of households that use shared ADSL lines share them with more than three neighboring households.” Jawad J. Abbassi, Founder and General Manager of Arab Advisors Group noted. “Based on the survey results, the average number of households sharing one ADSL connection is 2.98. Multiplying the reported number of lines by this figure yields an estimate for households with ADSL connections in Egypt of 956,000 households by end of 2007, much higher than the number of accounts. While ADSL sharing is illegal in many countries and does negatively affect quality, the Arab Advisors Group believes that the practice is widespread in the Arab World. The silver lining is that more households are connected to broadband Internet services which would positively affect adoption of Internet-based services such as e-commerce, multimedia, user generated content and e-government services.” Mr. Abbassi added.

The Arab World’s Telecom and broadcast media boom will re-define the traditional boundaries that separated media and telecom companies and enable convergent services as operators chase revenues in non-traditional areas. Speakers and delegates at Arab Advisors’ Media and Telecommunications Convergence Conference 2008 will deliberate threats and opportunities inherent in this landscape change.

The Zain Group is the Main Sponsor of the Arab Advisors’ Fifth Annual Media and Telecommunications Convergence Conference 2008. Zain (formerly known as MTC) is the pioneer of mobile telecommunications in the Middle East and now a major player on the African continent. Today, the Zain Group is a leading wireless services provider and the 4th largest telecommunications company in the world in terms of geographic presence with a footprint in 7 Middle Eastern and 14 sub-Saharan countries, providing mobile voice and data services to over 45.7 million active individual and business customers. The company’s mobile telecommunications operations in Ghana will begin later in 2008.

The annual conference also received the support and sponsorship from Jawwal (Palestine), ESKADENIA Software (Jordan), GLOBITEL (Jordan), QUALCOMM, SIGNAL Communications - PRIMUSTEL (Jordan), Ericsson, Orange (Jordan), Greenpacket Networks (Bahrain) and Optimiza.

38 visionary executives and industry leaders will address the conference. Close to 400 delegates from 86 different companies already confirmed their attendance. As part of its vision to advance the knowledge and technology industries in the Arab World, the Arab Advisors Group has waived the delegate fees for telecom and broadcast operators. As for paying delegates, they receive their choice of Arab Advisors Group reports for the same value of the registration fees.

The Fifth Annual Media and Telecommunications Convergence Conference 2008 will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman on June 2&3 2008 with the backing of 10 global and regional operators and companies. Furthermore, 16 global and regional companies will also be exhibiting at the conference.

For more details and Online Registration please visit the conference web site.

The Gulf, a new international weekly business magazine covering the six countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), made its debut on 10th of May.
 
Published by the international division of the Bahrain-based Al Hilal Group, The Gulf aims to fill a gap in the market for authoritative reporting and commentary on the Gulf region, focusing on business, financial and economic developments.  “We will be providing high-quality analysis, insight, opinion and data on the core markets of the Middle East,” editor Digby Lidstone said. “We are combining a weekly magazine with online news and information resources. The Gulf is an essential source of business intelligence for anyone with an interest in this dynamic region.” Lidstone was formerly the features editor of the London-based weekly Middle East Economic Digest (MEED).

The magazine has contributors in Asia, the Far East, Europe and North America. “We have also recruited an experienced international editorial team from around the world who are based in Bahrain giving the magazine a solid and professional base of reporting and analysis,” commented Abdullah Jonathan Wallace, The Gulf’s publishing director. “Given Al Hilal’s 30-year history as a pan-Arab publishing house based in Bahrain, we are drawing on our core competencies and contacts to provide insight and analysis on the booming markets of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait in particular, which have been traditionally under-reported elsewhere,” he said.

Wallace, who was the owner and editor-in-chief of MEED for 30 years, has put together a controlled circulation base of over 11,000, two-thirds in the GCC.  “We have drawn on Al Hilal’s huge databank of executives in all areas of industry, government, finance and commerce throughout the region. We shall be circulating copies in a rotating pattern, offering free copies for a month and then soliciting paid subscriptions.  Advertisers are guaranteed a weekly circulation of well over 5,500 copies,” Wallace added.

The Gulf will also be available on bookstalls throughout the GCC and in key cities elsewhere such as London, Paris, New York, Singapore, Beijing and Hong Kong.  However, only subscribers will have privileged access to the magazine’s online news portal: www.thegulfonline.com.

The first, 52-page, issue majors on the reality of the Gulf’s nuclear ambitions.  Other leading stories include the rise of Abu Dhabi, the creeping threat of inflation and growing speculation in the property market.

The Gulf is the latest magazine in a stable of titles that includes: the daily Akhbar Al Khaleej and the Gulf Daily News; Gulf Weekly; Oil & Gas News; Arabian Knight; Arabian Lady; Clientele; Gulf Construction; Gulf Industry; Middle East Medical, Oil & Gas News and Travel & Tourism News.

“Our portal tradearabia.com is now regarded as one of the region’s best for business news and information and is the repository of Al Hilal Group’s editorial knowledge going back to the year 2000,” said Ronnie Middleton, Al Hilal’s Managing Director. “Adding The Gulf to our output will strengthen and develop both tradearabia.com and all our other titles.”

Over the last 30 years, Al Hilal Group has expanded and diversified into a range of ancillary activities.  These include Hilal Computers (an IT solutions provider); Hilal Conferences & Exhibitions.

Left to right: Dinesh Lalvani, Yousef Tuqan Tuqan, Mohammad Itani and Martin Diessner.

Flip Holding Ltd is delighted to announce the promotion of Yousef Tuqan Tuqan and Mohammad Itani as CEOs for Flip Media and Neo Digital.

Yousef Tuqan Tuqan has been promoted to CEO of Flip Media, with overall responsibility for the development and growth of the largest interactive agency in the Middle East.

An industry veteran with over 11 years of regional experience, Yousef has served as Account Director at Flip Media since 2005, and has been responsible for business development and client servicing for the agency.

“Yousef has been one of our most vocal ambassadors, and has played a leading role in growing our agency into a global network of 150 dedicated Internet professionals.

His passion and experience have been invaluable in maintaining our leadership position, and this promotion is a vote of confidence in his ability to lead Flip Media into its next phase of growth,” said Managing Partner Dinesh Lalvani, Flip’s cofounder.

Mohammad Itani has been promoted to CEO of Neo Digital, Flip’s sister agency and the first dedicated online media agency in the Middle East. Mohammad has served as Head of Media since 2005, and has been instrumental in the growth of the agency and its reach beyond Dubai.

He has also been involved in the development of Neo Digital’s Search Engine Marketing team, which boasts 4 full-time specialists and one of the largest booking volumes in the region.

According to Flip Holdings’ Group CEO Martin Diessner, “Mohammad has shown great leadership in times of ongoing change in the industry, and has earned the respect and admiration of his clients, his team and his partners across the online media landscape.

I am confident that Neo Digital can continue to maintain its position as the fastest-growing and most innovative independent online media agency in the region.”

Managing Partners Dinesh Lalvani and Martin Diessner will continue their daily involvement in the group’s operation from Dubai, with a greater focus on the development of Brand Central, the most powerful enterprise-class advertising management and serving solution in the Middle East; and Chameleon, Flip Media’s complete website content management solution.

According to Dinesh “these key promotions represent a vote of confidence in Yousef and Mohammad to continue to lead their agencies into their next stage of development.

Both have been the faces of Flip Media and Neo Digital since their appointment in 2005, and we are proud to work alongside them as we continue to offer the best and most comprehensive digital marketing solutions in the region.”

Khaleej Times, the UAE's first English language newspaper, has launched a unique traveling exhibition that showcases three decades of journalism excellence, during a period that also saw Dubai's transformation from a small trading port to an international destination.

The exhibition titled 'Marking Moments in Time' is part of celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of Khaleej Times. The exhibition was inaugurated at the Observatory in BurJuman by Mr. Majid Saif Al Ghurair, President of BurJuman in the presence of Mr. Saad Abdul Razak, Managing Director of Investment Corporation of Dubai and Mr. Adel Abdul Aziz Al Shirawi, Chairman, Khaleej Times.

The exhibition will be held at BurJuman till May 9 before it makes its way to other popular shopping malls in the UAE. From May 11 to May 18, it will be held at the Boulevard, Emirates Towers and from May 20 to May 26 at Sharjah City Centre. The exhibition will again return to Dubai on June 1 when it will be held at Deira City Centre, for one week. From June 9 to June 15, it will be held at Mall of the Emirates before concluding its journey at Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi from June 18 to June 24.

On display are over 60 rare photographs captured by Khaleej Times lens men and wire agencies that cover the newspaper's journey over the past three decades, as well as pay tribute to the rapid development of Dubai, and its emergence as an international centre of excellence.

Mr. Adel Abdul Aziz Al Shirawi, Chairman, Khaleej Times, said: 'By virtue of it being launched just about the time when Dubai was busy laying the foundation for its phenomenal growth, Khaleej Times was fortunate to capture many of those defining moments that shaped the history of this emirate. Today, as it celebrates a historic 30th anniversary, Khaleej Times can proudly look back on the numerous milestones that were reached during three decades of news excellence.'

As the UN celebrated World Press Freedom Day  on 3rd May, the UAE claims it is one of the leading countries in the region in press freedom and in pushing for human rights.

The UAE has passed a decree that journalists should not be jailed for their work. While ownership and government's licencing approval for publications still hang as one issue posed against level of freedom, journalists in the UAE claim press freedom is being exercised in the country.

Ali Al-Ahmed, Executive Vice-President of Planning and Strategy at Etisalat, said: 'The rapid increase witnessed by the Arab world in the area of electronic publishing, and internet broadcasting has emphasized that these new approaches will motivate innovation in media for the future'.

Al-Ahmed continued: 'Online media is helping to achieve a balance between the distribution of information and the actual facts that are of interest to consumers. Information Technology has given the world a chance to gain more knowledge through more television stations and a wider variety of media'.

According to statistics, the number of people using the Internet worldwide has reached 1.3 billion representing 20% of the world's population, and that there are now over 3 billion people using mobile phones.

With regards to the contribution of technology to the press in the Arab World, Al-Ahmed explained that the online media has provided the opportunity for many people in the Arab World to interact with the news.

'Modern applications for the Internet and Multimedia mobile devices provide the opportunity for anyone, anywhere to upload or download a video for specific events. This has connected viewers around the world to the news directly and quickly. Also by using a mobile phone anyone can capture an event and upload it on the Internet within minutes for millions of people around the world to view,' Al-Ahmed continued.

Al-Ahmed represents the largest Arab telecommunications company, with 63 million subscribers, including the companies that Etisalat manages internationally.

Etisalat has introduced the most advanced technical services to the region, which have accelerated the use of Internet and multimedia applications in the Arab World in general, and the United Arab Emirates in particular.

In the UAE, there are close to 197,000 subscribers registered on Facebook, 5000 UAE Facebook groups, and more than 19,000 'UAE' You Tube videos available from the Internet.

'Etisalat has played a major role in providing the most advanced technology in the region,' said Etisalat's Executive Vice President. 'The corporation has made significant progress in the areas communications networks and Information Technology, and has provided the most modern tools available on an international level which in turn made the United Arab Emirates a hub for hundreds of Arab and international media agencies. This will also see the rise in new services in the online Arab media, it is expected that this year will see the launch of electronic versions of newspapers across the UAE for mobile phones'.

During the forum, Al-Ahmed brought outlined the issues related to the Forum's main focus - 'Technology and the Integration of the Arab Media'. He highlighted the important role of advanced technology to support the media and the growing role of technology contributing to new forms of media, and to develop techniques that have changed the scope of media over the past few years.

With regards to the ability of the Internet to absorb this huge sum of information, photos and video, Ahmed said: 'The world of the Internet is rapidly changing and every day there are new developments. Therefore, it is difficult to predict how much these new services will affect the requirement for capacity on the network'.

The UAE hosts the Emirates Internet Exchange (EMIX), a part of Etisalat as well as landing points for all the major Eastward and Westward submarine cable networks.

Etisalat is also launching new submarine cable systems between the UAE and Europe (IMEWE - India, Middle East and Western Europe) and between the UAE and Africa (TEAMS - The East African Marine System and EASSy - East Africa Submarine Cable System).

Etisalat was established in 1976 and is today one of the major communications corporations on regional and global levels.

Etisalat is on its way to becoming one of the 10 largest communications companies in the world by 2010, and currently operates in 16 countries with international investments of estimated $40bn.

With an estimated market value of about $34bn Etisalat is ranked 16th globally in the telecommunications sector.

Day one at the Arab Media Forum 2008 raised questions on modern technology and its impact on media across the Arab world.
It also explored the role of technology and its applications as the main driving elements of the industry.

The observations came during the two-day Arab Media Forum that opened today at the Monarch Hotel in Dubai. The session titled 'Are Transformations Breaking the Traditional Mould of Arab Media' saw eminent speakers highlighting how technological advances have re-defined the media within the region.

Moderated by Mohammad Farhat Al Harthi, Editor-in-Chief, Sayidaty and Al Jamila Magazines, the session included talks by Danny Bottoms, Executive Vice President and CEO, Showtime; Dr. Hessa Lootah, College of Media Sciences, UAE University, and Jihad Al Khazen, Writer at Al Hayat Newspaper.

The power of the new media, particularly the Internet, was also deliberated upon. Journalistic freedom through avenues such as blogs, as well as continuous accessibility were cited as some of the reasons for the instant growth and acceptance of the web as an enabling mechanism for the media.
Commenting on the emergence of the new media, Al Khazen from Al Hayat said: 'A new chapter is being written in the Arab world thanks to the internet and blog sites. The Arab media is undergoing rapid changes with the advent of technology but is still restricted and suffers from lack of resources. Nearly 61 per cent of media in the region is restricted, barring certain satellite stations that have managed to raise the bar and present a realistic picture to international audiences.'
Participants agreed that the media industry has changed from an industry hinging on talent and tradition to an industry where technology and technological developments constitute the main driving components. The Arab world, with over a 1,000 media outlets including print, broadcast and new media, is undergoing a transformation that has become integral to its development.

Speakers recommended the integration of new and old media to provide user generated content to help sustain traditional forms of media, especially when print is slowly and steadily fading in the developed countries, creating increased opportunities for the electronic press. The United Kingdom alone witnessed a drop of nearly four per cent annually in print subscriptions, whereas nearly 120,000 people get addicted to the web everyday.
The training of journalists, importance of consumer generated news, impact of the visual media, media's role in tackling everyday issues and the misuse of media as a recreational tool as opposed to being factual and informative were some of the other concerns that drew the attention of the panelists at the forum.
Dr. Hessa Lootah spoke on the significance of training in the industry and the need for raising awareness of the media as a key information tool amongst the local population.
She said: 'A majority of the population in the UAE is poorly educated and relies heavily on TV as a medium of information. It's our job to produce content and expose them to information that benefits their development, encouraging more integration between the various communities living in the region.'
She stressed upon the urgent need to introduce modern media studies in universities across the Arab world to draw students away from old western theories that deprive them of hands-on experience.

'Bridging Arab Media Through Technology', the theme for the seventh edition of the forum, has drawn the participation of over 500 local, regional and international media professionals. Over 50 intellectuals and industry experts have convened in Dubai for the annual forum to hold in-depth discussions on the impact of technology within the regional media industry.

SAMSUNG Electronics Co. Ltd, a global leader in the mobile phone industry, announced today its strategic focus on the
music phone category with the reveal of Elissa as its 2008 music category brand ambassador and the launch of the company’s newest music phone that meets the needs and tastes of all music lovers on the move.

SAMSUNG unveiled its flagship in the music category for 2008; the Impulz i450, a music-dedicated phone that brings both attractive dual-slider design and various multimedia features to SAMSUNG’s impressive 2008 mobile phones lineup. Also, the unique i450 package showcases 3 of Elissa’s hit singles Ayami Bik, Bastanak and Moush Kiteer Aaleik offered to SAMSUNG phones for a period of 1 year.

“It is my pleasure to be SAMSUNG Mobiles’ brand ambassador for its music category. My partnership with SAMSUNG is an ideal synergy with a brand that truly appreciates the importance of music in people’s lives” said Elissa. “The Impulz i450 is a great phone; its advanced features make it easier for my fans to listen to my music wherever they go” commented Elissa on the new Impulz i450.

Mr. S.B Kim, President of SAMSUNG Gulf Electronics commented: “We are thrilled to be working with an internationally and locally acclaimed artist such as Elissa and we are looking forward to our year ahead together”.
Kim added “The Impulz i450 is the perfect solution for all music lovers on the move. We are confident that the combination of superior sound quality, dedicated user-friendly music controls, and advanced mobile phone features will drive today’s music phone segment”.

The Impulz i450 is a dual slider which slides up to reveal a spacious alphanumeric keypad for making calls and down to reveal metallic speakers. It includes a touch navigation half-wheel which is an innovative arc that enables users to easily navigate the device when the phone is held sideways, putting the display in optimal landscape view. The phone features built in speakers that resemble professional stereo that appear when the phone slides down.

Impulz i450 combines extensive music player capabilities with super sound quality highlighted by ICEpower® amplifier developed by Bang & Olufsen to provide the listener with the ultimate sound experience. It features a dedicated music interface to make navigation and listening easier, and to store more music, the phone offers 35MB internal memory and microSD™ slot which is expandable up to 4GB.

Moreover, the phone’s 2.4” large LCD screen offers convenient multimedia mobile experiences including MP3 player, a 2 mega pixel primary camera with flash and a VGA camera for video calling Impulz i450 is now available in all major electronics outlets across the Middle East and Africa.
mobile phones

Hydra Properties, one of the leading real estate developers in the UAE, has announced that auditions for season two ‘Hydra Executives’, the new English reality-based TV program featuring 16 individuals and their quest for a USD 1 million business grant, has begun in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The breakthrough reality TV show takes a killer twist as Season 1 contenders takes on the task of picking out the next batch of executives for Season 2, which will comprise promising entrepreneurs from India and Pakistan, as part of their own pursuit to win the top prize. Twenty-five Indian contenders will be handpicked by the US team and another 25 Pakistani challengers will be chosen by the UK team in separate auditions scheduled in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The objective of the task for the current contestants is to draw the most number of people to the auditions by developing an effective marketing plan with the least budget, which will be reflective of their strategies and organisational skills, and test their ability to spot talent and potential. Out of the fifty candidates, the show’s judges will then select eight final contestants each for Indian and Pakistani teams based on their impressive business plans, backgrounds and winning qualities. The second season of the English series will start filming on June 21, 2008 and will be aired by local and international broadcasters.

“We have come up with this unique and challenging idea to involve the two largest expat groups in the UAE - Indians and Pakistanis, which also represent the two strongest business communities in the country. Combining the elements of a large crowd with a demanding logistics challenge, this task can be a powerful opportunity for the current contenders to prove their skill sets in innovation, leadership, creativity, marketing and project management. We are sure that this episode will feature just one of the many exciting twists and highlights that audiences can expect from the show,” said Ziad Battal, Executive Producer and Creator, ‘Hydra Executives’.

Hydra Properties is the only real estate developer in the UAE to have ventured into TV entertainment business through the launch of the English reality-based TV program, ‘Hydra Executives’. This breakthrough initiative is being supported by several global brands, including Range Rover, General Motors, Blackberry, Etisalat, ASUS, Panasonic and Debenhams, as the key sponsors of the first season of the show.