Telecoms, internet in Pakistan

Lowering the barriers to entry…

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KARACHI, December 13 (Online): Telecard is now providing Virtual Network Operator (VNO) services to other carriers in Pakistan.

Telecard, which is fulfilling the role of the alternate telecom service provider has commenced providing VNO services to other carriers, said a release issued here on Monday.

It means the other carriers can utilize the Telecard infrastructure backbone to provide telecom related information communication facilities including long distance and international calling card, PCO, WLL and BWA for voice and data to their respective customers.

By providing such services Telecard is playing its due role in the reduction of the digital divide and spreading the benefits of information and communication technologies to the people of Pakistan.

Typical DAWN report. No names, finger pointing gossip.

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Firm violates contract with Pakistan Railways
KARACHI: Firm violates contract with Pakistan Railways

By Our Staff Reporter

KARACHI, Dec 13: A fibre optic line is being laid by a private firm along the railway track in contravention of the agreement reached between the firm and the Pakistan Railways, it was reliably learnt on Tuesday.

Well-placed sources in the PR said that an agreement was reached between a private company and the railways about laying a fibre optic line along the railway line between the Drigh and City railway stations.

According to map specifications, the line would be laid 5-ft deep from ground level and 120 yards away from the railway tracks.

The design and specification was approved after physical inspection by the Federal Government Inspector of Railway (FJIR). The map specification was handed over to the Karachi Division office of the department concerned and the original map was kept at the PR headquarters in Lahore.

However, the sources said that the map went missing in Karachi and the work was initiated on a photocopy of the map specification, which showed that the private firm was allowed to lay a fibre optic line along the railway tracks from Drigh Station to Keamari and Wazir Mansion Railway Station.

Work on laying the fibre optic cable was in progress and the line was being laid hardly 2-ft deep from ground level while it was exposed at some places, the sources claimed, adding that laying of any kind of line along the tracks was strictly prohibited according to rules and regulations of the Pakistan Railways. The only line – for train signalling system – was allowed to be laid a few feet away from the tracks, they maintained.

The sources said that the private firm had deposited a fee for laying the line from Drigh Station to City Station, and it had been laying the line up to Wazir Mansion in violation of the agreement causing loss to the PR’s exchequer.

They said that the matter had been brought to the notice of the railway headquarters in Lahore but no action had been taken so far.

Press release.

[ See also
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=126219
http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1002012 ]

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HAMILTON, Bermuda–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 13, 2005–Teleglobe International Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:TLGB):

– New SMW-4 consortium submarine cable will soon provide ME-IEX customers with a new path for IP capacity to Europe and Asia for reliable, competitively-priced international connectivity

– SMW-4 consortium members can also benefit from direct connection to the ME-IEX through the Jeddah full landing station

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and Teleglobe International Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:TLGB) today announced that carriers and ISPs connected to the Middle East IP Exchange (ME-IEX) in Saudi Arabia will soon benefit from the addition of international capacity via the reliable, high quality international connectivity from the new SEA-ME-WE-4 (SMW-4) consortium network, a submarine cable linking 14 countries from Europe to Asia. The ME-IEX currently links to N. America, Europe and Asia via the SMW-3 and FLAG systems and will continue to supplement this existing capacity for network redundancy and optimum reach.

STC and Teleglobe established the ME-IEX at the beginning of 2005 to serve Middle Eastern ISPs and carriers. The ME-IEX currently carries traffic for several customers from Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Yemen and supports peering arrangements between ISPs. The exchange was the first true IP exchange node in the region to provide diversified international connectivity.

The exchange combines STC’s established regional and international infrastructure with the global reach of Teleglobe’s Tier 1 IP network and is backed by the support services of both companies. This enables lower total costs, streamlined operations and unparalleled connectivity. The ME-IEX ensures high availability for customers’ services via a number of fail-safe and redundant mechanisms that guarantee stable, reliable connectivity.

The SMW-4 submarine cable network is to be formally inaugurated on December 13th by a consortium of 13 telecommunications companies, including STC. The network spans nearly 20,000 km, approximately half of the circumference of the globe, linking 14 countries from Singapore to France via Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Italy, and with 16 landing points, including Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as full landing where one of the ME-IEX major PoPs is located.

“New international connectivity via SMW-4 will allow ME-IEX customers to experience an even higher quality of service for their fast-growing international transit needs,” said Mr. Saad Demyati The Vice President of International Telecom at Saudi Telecom Company. “Access to SMW-4 should assure ME-IEX customers that the ME-IEX will continue to scale with their requirements.”

Mr. Demyati added, “SMW-4 consortium members will be able to take advantage of their consortium rights to procure full circuits and thus directly connect to the ME-IEX through the Jeddah landing station. STC encourages its fellow SMW-4 consortium members to become a customer of the ME-IEX. The ME-IEX offers SMW-4 members two clear benefits. First is the ability to directly interchange IP traffic with leading Middle Eastern operators and ISPs. Second, it provides international routing diversity for transit traffic to N. America, Europe and Asia.”

STC and Teleglobe will be attending the SMW-4 inauguration event in Dubai on December 13 and are pleased to further discuss its plans and vision for the ME-IEX.

About Saudi Telecom Company:

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) was established on 2 May 1998 to take over the telecommunications operations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, previously managed by the Ministry of Post, Telephone and Telegraph (MOPTT).

With a network of approximately 3.8 million fixed lines and over 11 million mobile subscribers, and 5 Gbps IP connectivity. STC is the largest telecommunication company in the Middle East region and is currently the sole provider of telecommunication services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

STC is currently the sole provider for International Internet Connectivity to all local ISPs, and is also one of the Kingdom’s leading Internet Service Providers with more than 1 million subscribers.

The company’s Headquarters are located at King Abdulaziz Telecom Complex in Riyadh and its 21,000 employees operate from 13 major district offices and numerous customer service locations throughout the Kingdom. STC is 30% publicly owned with the remaining 70% owned by the Government.

STC has invested heavily in a technologically advanced digital network. Global access is provided by STC via a terrestrial fiber network that covers almost all the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and extends to connect to all neighboring countries; via its active participation and ownership in all Submarine Cable Systems passing in the region; and via satellite with direct route connectivity to more than 80 countries worldwide. Three International Switching Centers in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam provide direct communications to more than 230 countries worldwide. Detailed information about STC is available on its web site at www.stc.com.sa.

About Teleglobe:

A wholesale international telecommunications leader, Teleglobe International Holdings Ltd owns and operates one of the world’s largest telecommunications networks, reaching over 240 countries and territories. The company carries over 13 billion minutes of voice traffic every year, has 219 direct and bilateral relationships with the world’s leading voice carriers, is one of the largest providers of international internet transport to ISPs and carriers, and provides innovative mobile services to over 400 mobile operators.

Teleglobe delivers its mobile, voice, data and IP services solutions to mobile operators, fixed voice carriers, ISPs, and other companies worldwide. A pioneer in network services for mobile operators, Teleglobe offers a range of signaling services such as hosted applications for enhanced roaming services, as well as content managed services that enable higher revenue mobile content operations. Its international voice services combine traditional switched and advanced VoIP capabilities, while its data and IP backbone reaches over 90 countries via land, sea, and sky, connecting carriers and large ISPs to content across the planet.

On July 25, Teleglobe entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited, VSNL (NYSE:VSL). A core division of Tata, India’s industrial powerhouse, VSNL is India’s leading provider of Internet and International Telecommunications Services and is the first telecom service provider in the world to earn the prestigious TL 9000 certification. Teleglobe is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol TLGB. Detailed information about Teleglobe is available on the company’s web site at www.teleglobe.com.