Egyptian Engineer Succumbs
In a statement of condolence, Vincenzo Nesci, president of Alcatel-Lucent in Africa and the Middle East, announced the passing of Moataz Mohammed Abdul Mohnsif. As Arab News reported last year, the 29-year-old Alcatel-Lucent telecom engineer from Egypt was critically injured in a car accident near Jubail in August 2006. He died on Friday in Cairo surrounded by his family.
“Alcatel-Lucent tried to do all it can, in order to help his family and loved ones deal with this terrible misfortune, but there was nothing that anyone could do that was going to ease the heartbreak and anguish that his family has been and will continue to go through,” commented Nesci. “Moataz will continue to live in our memories for ever; he was a very special young man.”
The Alcatel-Lucent engineer never recovered from the initial accident injuries. He spent a year in a coma in a hospital in Alkhobar until he was stable enough and arrangements could be made for his care at his family’s home in Cairo.
Moataz’s death is yet another example of how the dangers on Saudi roads continue to take a toll not only in lost resources and productivity but also in grief and hardship for the loved ones left to cope with the tragedies.
Mobily Accelerates HSDPA Deployment
Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) has selected Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) to provide a Packet Switched Core Network (PS-CN) for HSDPA deployment of Mobily in Saudi Arabia. When completed, this will be one of the world’s largest Packet Core installations and is expected carry the highest data traffic of any network.
High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is a third generation (3G) mobile telephony communications protocol in the High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) family, which allows networks based on Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity.
Mobily, currently the largest 3G mobile operator in the Middle East, has built a large-scale HSDPA network that allows new and innovative services for mobile users and is also used by home users as an alternative to traditional broadband services. The Mobily 3.5G network can support high-speed access to Internet services. The success of these applications depends on carefully managing the data traffic to ensure the reliability of the user experience. To achieve these goals, Huawei will provide Packet Core solution with high-capacity and high-bandwidth, completely supporting the HSDPA deployment. The unique capabilities of the IP Packet Core will also allow Mobily to offer unique and highly customized prepaid solution for local and roaming customers.
The converged architecture of the Huawei solution will also be used for existing 2G data services and will support future data network requirements as Mobily continues to enhance its network.
Not Just a Mobile Shop
Trying to transform its image from simply a mobile handset outlet, i2 has launched the first of its new digital outlets at Alrashid Mall in Alkhobar. The store aims to focus on the total digital experience offering an extensive range of IT products alongside mobile handsets.
“i2 was founded in Saudi Arabia and we wanted to show our commitment to this great country by offering a new concept digital store where our loyal customers can enjoy their shopping while all their needs are provided,” said Abdulrahman Alfeez MD of i2 in KSA.
Along with mobile handsets and accessories from world class brands, i2’s new stores will offer laptops, MP3 players, PDAs, digital products, IT accessories and Al Jawal services. The new outlets will also have customer care technicians to assist in all customer needs. The company plans to open similar digital concept stores in Jeddah and Riyadh during the coming year.
