Intel Adopts WiMAX Technology in Riyadh
Intel’s operations in Saudi Arabia have achieved a regional first by adopting WiMAX technology to support their communication needs through Integrated Telecom Company’s (ITC) WiMAX network in the Kingdom. ITC, the second licensed data services provider in Saudi Arabia, started deployment of their WiMAX network infrastructure early this year.
All of Intel’s employees in Riyadh will now use the fixed WiMAX infrastructure (IEEE 802.16-2004) on a 3.5GHz frequency, provided by ITC, which has linked the office with the Internet backbone of local Internet service provider Nesma Internet. The office’s WiMAX set-up uses an Intel-enabled CPE (customer premise equipment), delivering on-demand access to high-speed Internet broadband services and connectivity to the wireless LAN in the office.
“Saudi Arabia is making major strides to increase IT adoption and grow the technology sector, and Intel is committed to its role as an enabler, working to help provide the latest systems and infrastructure,” said Intel’s GM for the GCC Samir Al-Schamma. “To have Intel’s Riyadh office using WiMAX is a reflection of Riyadh’s determination to become a genuine digital city.”
Riyadh aims to become the first Middle East city to integrate wireless capabilities through WiMAX, and the Saudi government has begun issuing fixed WiMAX (IEEE 802.16-2004) licenses on a 3.5GHz frequency recently, the first Middle East country to do so.
Dr. Mohammed Omar, president of ITC, which implemented the fixed WiMAX connectivity at Intel’s Riyadh office, said: “WiMAX is bringing the fixed broadband and mobile worlds together, as WiMAX offers cost-effective ‘last-mile’ connectivity to areas that are too expensive to serve with wired technologies. WiMAX offers a fast track for digital change in Saudi Arabia. We have started installation of WiMAX base stations in Riyadh for testing purposes and also for serving certain immediate corporate customers’ requirements. The results are encouraging and we are looking forward to a wider deployment in the next few months.”
UPS Launches Arabic Website
In order to better serve customers in the Middle East, UPS has created the company’s first website in Arabic. The new site, www.ups-arabic.com, enables customers in key markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE to browse through UPS’ extensive service offering, track deliveries and locate their nearest drop-off locations online.
“The Internet has become a critical business tool in the Arabic-speaking world and just as UPS aims to have the most convenient drop-off locations while providing outstanding services to our customers in the Middle East, we also want to enable 24-hour access to UPS information in a choice of languages,” said John Tansey, GM for UPS UAE. “We know from the regional traffic to our existing English website that the Internet is being used daily to ship and track packages, and in order to meet our customers’ needs, UPS UAE has made it our aim to provide the highest level of customer service possible in Arabic.”
Technology is a key focus area for UPS in the Middle East and beyond. To achieve the objective of “synchronized commerce” for its regional client base, the company offers UPS WorldShip, a full featured, Windows-based software application that enables customers to accelerate, streamline and enhance their shipping strategies.
SAP Records Outstanding Performance in 2005
SAP performed well across the Middle East in 2005. During the year, SAP won 20 new clients and tapped into five new industry sectors across the region. The company also announced five client win-backs from its closest competitor and was ranked number one in the MENA region by IDC in their latest report on the software solutions market.
“2005 has been a fantastic year overall,” said Phil Blower, sales director, SAP Arabia. “We have secured some exciting new deals, tapped into diverse businesses including some very largescale enterprises and also mid-size businesses and demonstrated our expertise in verticalization with scalable solutions thus providing our clients the competitive advantage and agility to respond to changing business realities.”
SAP penetrated key accounts in Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Egypt offering industry-specific solutions and configurations to suit business needs. The company added new clients to its existing portfolio including Oman Polypropylene, EMKE Group, ETA Ascon, Mobica, JASCO, SAPHAD and SMSA FedEx amongst others. SAP penetrated five new key industry segments — namely Banking, Logistics, Media, Construction and Utilities. Five key win-backs for the company in the last year included Islamic Development Bank, Gulf News, Al-Gurg, Magrabi and Talaat Mostafa.
The company also leads the MENA region in Enterprise Application Suites (EAS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) sales (license and maintenance revenues), according to IDC’s latest report for MENA region. SAP has a market share of 30 percent. Its nearest competitor’s share is nine percent lower.
2005 has been a good year for SAP worldwide. Total revenues exceeded $10 billion, an increase of 13 percent compared to 2004, with product sales up 18 percent. SAP’s worldwide market share against its peer group based on software revenues was 62 percent at the end of 2005.
Bahraini-Saudi Bank Implements KASTLE
3i Infotech’s integrated treasury management solution, KASTLE, has been implemented ahead of schedule by the Bahraini-Saudi Bank to enhance delivery of mission-critical information and meet customer demands. KASTLE enables Bahraini-Saudi Bank to mechanize its complete treasury operation, enhance delivery of mission-critical information and improve risk management by effectively automating and streamlining the entire treasury operation, enabling straight-through processing, risk management and back-office support.
“KASTLE was our solution of choice as it boasts highly flexible and parameterizable features that will support our growth demands going into the future. In addition, due to 3i InfoTech’s domain expertise and experience in the banking industry, the transition process went smoothly, whereby they demonstrated the ability to understand the dynamics of our business with ease,” said Khalid Shaheen, CEO, Bahraini-Saudi Bank. “With KASTLE in place we have achieved seamless straight-through processing by building the interface between our front and back end systems. The entire process is now in real-time with direct feeds for Forex and Money Market for exchange rates and deals.”
The project completion followed the recent announcement that Bahraini-Saudi Bank clients now have 24-hour global access to foreign exchange markets. “KASTLE creates a multi-entity and multi-portfolio environment supported by risk management, back office management and Management Information Systems (MIS). As a result, timely decision support is possible through complete pre-trade and post-trade support tools and analytics,” said Kalpesh Desai, Chief Operating Officer, 3i Infotech EMEA.
