72 February 2013 www.bahrainthismonth.com Licence International Telecommunications Facilities National Fixed Services Internet Exchange License Mobile Telecommunications National Fixed Wireless Services Licence Holders Bahrain Internet Exchange Batelco Etisalcom Bahrain Company FLAG Telecom Group Gateway Gulf Company B.S.C (closed) Golden Star Telecommunications Mena Telecom Nuetel Communications Northstar Technology Company Rapid Telecommunications Rawabi Next Generation Network Solutions VIVA Bahrain Zain Bahrain 2Connect Atyaf Telecommunications and Infrastructure Bahrain Bahrain Broadband Co. [Greenisis] Batelco Elephant Talk Bahrain Etisalcom Bahrain Company Golden Star Telecommunications Kalaam Telecom Bahrain B.S.C (closed) Kulacom Communication Lightspeed Communications Mena Telecom Nuetel Communications Rapid Telecommunications Rawabi Next Generation Network Solutions VIVA Bahrain Bahrain Internet Exchange Gateway Gulf Company B.S.C (closed) Rapid Telecommunications Batelco VIVA Bahrain Zain Bahrain Mena Telecom Zain Bahrain Building capacity Back in the old days data overload used to be about coping with an excess of information; today it simply means you need to upgrade your device and access a faster connection. Keeping pace with a fast-moving market is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity for the modern consumer. Our capacity to manage content has grown exponentially, whether through rich applications or being ‘hooked’ on social media. It would seem that more is never enough. Or, as Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, and the starting point for modern economics, noted back in 1776 when his book was first published, more is better! While much of the focus on the telecommunications market has been on the retail side of the equation, there has nevertheless been plenty of action behind the scenes. In the ‘upstream’ segment of the market — the delivery of communications capacity into and out of the Kingdom — the argument always used to be about breaking Batelco’s monopoly. Today, the issue is simply about securing even greater capacity. This segment of the market falls to those operators who possess an ‘International Telecommunications Facilities’ licence. In the past couple of years, liberalisation of the telecom market has seen some major gains when it comes to boosting capacity, from both Batelco and other players. The likes of the Falcon project (Flag Telecom) and the Tata Global Network (Bahrain Internet Exchange) have delivered the capacity required to meet our ever-increasing demands. Alongside this, the like of Bahrain Internet Exchange and Gateway Gulf (holders of Internet Exchange licences) create local facilities to speed up our connection with the Internet, both locally and internationally. This capacity building might surf under the radar but it is a critical component in facilitating the sort of services that we take for granted. Unfamiliar faces Names such as Batelco, VIVA and Zain are firmly entrenched in our mindset as a result of the mobile licences that they have secured. Other players such as Mena Telecom and Lightspeed Communications also resonate in our consciousness, as do the likes of Nuetel, Kalaam Telecom, 2Connect and Etisalcom. Others might be less familiar. Bahrain Broadband, which operates under the name Greenisis, offers wireless broadband services while preserving the health of our environment. Atyaf Telecommunications and Infrastructure holds the exclusive rights to provide the telecom infrastructure on Durrat Al Bahrain, in a manner not dissimilar to Nuetel on Amwaj Islands. Elephant Talk Bahrain was established to offer a range of mobile networking software and services, while Rawabi Next Generation Network Solutions provides integrated voice and data services. Rapid Telecommunications has secured contracts such as the exclusive rights to build the fibre optic and wireless infrastructure for the Bahrain Investment Wharf (BIW), located in the Hidd Industrial Zone. reporttelecomreview
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