Zain to set up innovation unit
ZAIN Kuwait, a leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, said it has joined hands with top global ICT solutions provider Huawei to launch a first-of-its-kind joint innovation centre in Kuwait.

The new facility will serve as a research hub for the advancement of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband technologies and associated LTE applications for Zain’s mobile customers in Kuwait and across the region, said the duo at the Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, Spain.

Batelco launches 4G LTE
BATELCO, Bahrain’s leading telecommunications company, has launched the superfast 4G LTE for its customers, the first to do so in the kingdom.

It is also the first to present the 4G-enabled Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE which is available exclusively for its customers, and will be offered bundled with a choice of postpaid 4G LTE packages.

The company also launched an anti-spam solution that ensures no email spam is being generated from any broadband email account.

Etisalat writes down $769m
ETISALAT, the UAE’s biggest telecom operator, has written down the value of businesses in Pakistan and Sudan by a combined $769 million, blaming tough political and economic conditions and crimping quarterly profit growth.

These impairments reduced Etisalat’s Q4 net profit to Dh854.3 million ($232.52 million), according to Reuters calculations. This compares with a profit of Dh704 million in the prior-year period when it took the India write down.

The state-controlled firm operates in about 15 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Du drops Saudi expansion plan
DU, the UAE’s No 2 telecom operator, beat quarterly profit forecasts, helped by a buoyant local economy, and said it was dropping plans to expand into Saudi Arabia because it would need to find a partner.

Chief executive Osman Sultan said du did not meet the criteria to bid for one of three so-called mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) licences for sale in Saudi Arabia.