Changing face of telecom sector

Bahrain will be one of the first countries in the world to implement WiMAX 802.16e technology nationwide.

Mena Telecom will start rolling out its network before the end of 2007 … and backers believe it will not only affect the way businesses operate but also make a difference in individual and community lives, as it will allow people cost-effective access to the Internet without physically connecting to a socket in the wall.
It will build a world no longer constrained by wires.
The company will use it to provide a range of fixed and nomadic telecommunications services, including broadband, internet and telephony.
Mena Telecom’s WiMAX network, based on 802.16e technology and delivered by Motorola, will be the first nationwide deployment in the Middle East. 
The network will be deployed in two stages.
In the first stage, a full range of services is expected to be available from Manama to the Seef area in January 2008.
In the second phase, coverage will be extended to other areas in the kingdom by March. 
Many countries are still in the infancy stage of deploying WiMAX technology and therefore the world will be looking at Bahrain as a telecommunication model as well as a resource for deploying this latest technology in their own countries.
Abdulhakeem Al Khayyat, chairman of Mena Telecom and general manager of Kuwait Finance House – Bahrain said: “Bahrain has a long and distinguished history of being an early adopter when it comes to the introduction of innovative and leading-edge telecommunications technology.
“We are excited about carrying on this tradition of telecommunications advancement through our WiMAX network and being one of the first countries in the world to provide such a service nationwide.”
Bahrain was the first country in the region to liberalise the telecommunications market. Mena Telecom will deploy the most advanced version of WiMAX based on the IEEE 802.16e standard.
Mr Al Khayyat said some other operators have been using technology that is now becoming rapidly out-of-date. “Therefore we chose to use the so called 16e variant of WiMAX because it is this technology that will be embedded in computers and other devices from the middle of 2008.
“I believe that WiMAX will change the face of telecommunications; it has more flexibility, better range, security and quality than other technologies. It really is the future!”