Company News

GBI has become the first undersea cable operator to offer its customers 100 gigabit per second (100G) connectivity setting the pace for a new era of capacity demand

Doha, Qatar, 24 August, 2011: Gulf Bridge International (GBI), the Gulf’s first privately owned submarine cable operator, is the first operator to offer true 100G connectivity on parts of  its undersea cable network. GBI has made the move to 100G to meet growing demand from the carrier community for high-capacity services that bridge Europe, the Middle East and Asia. 100G signals a new era of interconnectedness  and demonstrates the kinds of technological innovation happening in the Middle East.    

GBI has invested $500 million in its network infrastructure and committed to delivering future-proof network technology that is ready to meet the capacity demands of today as well as tomorrow. The networking technology uses state-of-the-art DWDM technology and total system design capacity has increased to close to 10 Terabits per second on certain sections

Muscat, 23 August 2011 –Nawras, Oman’s customer friendly communications provider, is thrilled to be announcing an exciting addition to its popular Elite Program. All customers can now be rewarded for receiving calls after talking for just five minutes or more.  From today, every incoming or received call that exceeds five minutes will earn customers five bonus points which can be collected and cashed in for free SMS and free calls.  As part of the company’s pleasingly different loyalty programme, Nawras customers are now being rewarded for both making and receiving calls.


Mobile customers will gain loyalty points on all calls of five minutes or more received from any other Omani mobile number, whether this originates from a Nawras customer or a customer of another operator.  Points will also be gained for international calls, on the same basis.


Nawras Home Voice customers will receive points on inbound calls lasting five minutes or more from any other Home Voice customer, from customers of other operators in Oman as well as for international calls received.

Muscat City Centre sees an increase in page and user activity by 884%; interactive social media campaign creates a buzz across the Sultanate


Muscat, Oman,  23 August 2011 -  Muscat City Centre, the leading shopping and lifestyle destination in Oman, has created a stir across the digital world by breaking records as the fastest growing Facebook page in the Sultanate. Within one month, fan activityon the Muscat City Centre Facebook page increased by 884%, a milestone acheivement positioning the shopping centre as a new leading presence in the social media arena.   


For the month of July, Muscat City Centre paid tribute to the natural beauty of Oman by creating a Photography Contest on its Facebook page. Fans were invited to share a photo of a mystical spot in Oman for the chance to win a shopping spree worth 500 OMR. Open to residents of Oman only, fans could then invite friends to vote for their entry. The winning photo received close to 3,000 votes.

Muscat, 23 August 2011 – The second phase of the Nawras Goodwill Journey 7 has reached its final destination in Salalah, after an extensive three-day trip. Earlier in the week the Nawras convoy began travelling from Muscat to Salalah, visiting various associations and charity organisations along the way.


During their visit to Salalah, the Nawras team visited the Omani Women’s Association in Wilyat Sadah, which was the convoy’s final destination.  The Nawras volunteers showed their support by donating various goods to the Omani Women’s Association, including internet modems, furniture and electrical goods. In addition, the association also received children’s toys and school bags.


Laila Ali Al Amri, Head of the Omani Women’s Association said, "We are very happy and glad that Nawras have come and given us the things we need. The electrical goods, especially the projectors, are the most beneficial thing because the association doesn’t have any. I would like to thank Nawras and the Nawras Goodwill Journey on behalf of myself and the association."

Muscat, 22 August 2011 – After leaving Muscat, and visiting Al Mudhibi and Maserah, the Nawras Goodwill Journey 7 reached Haima on day two of the second leg of its annual caring mission. Salalah is the Nawras team’s final destination, and the group of volunteers is visiting various associations and charity organisations along the way.


When in Haima, members of the Nawras Goodwill Journey team distributed sim cards and internet modems to Salim Al Marooqi, Director of Social Development in Al Wusta region.  The Nawras team will also donate items to the centre including wheelchairs, hearing aids, air conditioners, refrigerators and electrical appliances to be used in the home.

Muscat, 21 August 2011 – The second phase of the Nawras Goodwill Journey 7 commenced on Saturday with the three-day journey schedule to travel from Muscat to Salalah, visiting various associations and charity organisations across the country.  The Omani Women’s Association in wilayat Al Mudhibi was the first stop, followed by a visit to the Omani Women’s association in Maserah.


When in Mudhibi, the Nawras team distributed a wide range of gifts to a large group of delighted looking children. It was undoubtedly the highlight of the visit and the team infused excitement and laughter into the day. They spent time interacting with the children and playing various different activities. The children sang, danced and enjoyed the various fun-filled games, with the bursting of balloons proving to be especially popular. They could not contain their excitement and wide smiles were permanently cemented on each and every face. But, that’s not all!
Numerous laptops, internet modems and mobile phones were also presented to Shadia Al Shabibi, Head of the Omani Women’s Association. Other generous donations included office furniture, classroom furniture, chairs for the ceremony hall, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, cleaning machines, sewing machines and electrical audio machines.

DMA operating profit reached USD 485 million
Dubai, UAE- August 21, 2011: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a global leader in the consumer electronics industry,recently announced revenues of USD 37.48 billion on a consolidated basis for the second quarter ended June 30, 2011, a 4 percent increase year-on-year.  For the quarter, the company posted consolidated net income of USD 3.34 billion, representing an 18 percent decrease year-on-year.Consolidated operating profit for the quarter was USD 3.56 billion.


While a majority of the profits came through Telecommunications, audio visual products including SMART TVs, LEDs, and flat panel screens saw strong growth and an increase in revenue.  The Digital Media & Appliances (DMA) businesses – including Visual Display, IT Solutions and Digital Appliances – posted revenues of USD 13.37 billion for second quarter. The operating profit of USD 485 million represented an improvement on the USD 95.02 million registered the same period last year.

Dubai, UAE, August 21, 2011 – Sharp Middle East has introduced yet another innovation to its range of Multi Function Printer (MFP) solutions to the region, the Open System Architecture (OSA) - Network Scanner Tool (NST).

Sharp OSA is a powerful platform for automating document-related workflow. It transforms the Sharp MFP into hub for all existing applications - making document management systems, reporting functions, internally developed programs, and much more  accessible directly from the touch-screen control panel.

Gautam Chakrabarty, Deputy General Manager, Marketing at Sharp Middle East, said: “Sharp prides itself on developing the latest tools to ensure that implementing a Sharp Business Solution has huge benefits on a business. The OSA-NST is the most recent of these innovations, with the system tool decreasing turn-around times by boosting productivity through smart procedures, automating a greater part of the workflow.”

OSA-NST simplifies MFP usage for regular scanning and conversion of paper documents, providing the following benefits:

• Increases efficiency and productivity
• Decreases Turn-Around Time (TAT) for a job
• Helps users create paper documents to be used in work flows
• Design and add customize profiles to reduce the manual steps in MFP operation

“We are continually seeking ways to improve on the numerous business solutions designed to streamline a business’ printing environment, and the OSA - NST is a great addition to an MFP system,” Gautam added.

What OSA Does

During scanning it is possible to create a profile which scans a stack of documents with the required resolution, processes separator sheets, deletes blank pages, straightens the document, eliminates unattractive spots and aligns each page properly.  The same profile is able to send scans in the desired format to selectable destinations and simultaneously create an e-mail with an embedded link, which informs colleagues of new scans available.

With these features, the OSA can aid a range of business sizes, from small to medium businesses using just two MFPs, to large enterprises operating up to 30 MFPs in its printing environment.

Muscat, 20 August 2011 – Nawras, Oman’s customer friendly communications provider, is delighted to be giving every customer a free indoor or outdoor modem with every new subscription for a Silver, Gold or Platinum postpaid Home Broadband price plan. This special offer lasts until 30 October 2011, making it the ideal time to start enjoying a reliable, competitively priced broadband service with pleasingly different sales and after-sales support.

Ahmed Mohammed Al-Adawi, Nawras Home Broadband Manager, said, “Customers can sign up for Home Broadband today at any of our 25 Nawras Stores to take advantage of this fantastic offer.  With a plug and play modem giving fast service set-up, it couldn’t be quicker or easier to get an internet connection. Better still, every Nawras customer also gets rewarded for their telecom usage through the Elite Program.”

The Emirates Group Releases Report Studying Environmental Impact and Performance


DUBAI, The Emirates Group today announced the release of its first comprehensive environmental report, a study that revealed the airline’s carbon dioxide emissions efficiency was 26% better than the global airline average.


Covering the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the audited report analysed environmental performance data from a range of Group activities, including airline operations, dnata’s cargo and ground handling businesses and a wide range of commercial activities on the ground – from engineering to catering.


The report’s aim is to understand the Group’s environmental impact, as well as identifying opportunities to improve and capture best practice across our 60,000 strong workforce.