ZAIN’S LEGACY OF ACHIEVEMENT · Ramadan Kareem. Allah Akbar Greater than my success, greater than...

ConnectA Zain Magazine | August 2010 Issue 10

FAREWELL TO AFRICAZAIN’S LEGACY OF ACHIEVEMENT

RAMADAN KAREEM

THE SPEED OF LTE • IPAD MANIA • IN-FLIGHT, ONLINE • DHOWS OF THE OCEAN •

THE SPIRIT OF BEIRUT • UM KULTHUM

No matter how deep your worries or how steep your challenges, no matter how powerful your fears or how discouraging an illness may seem… remember that God is greater. Allah Akbar. It is more than a call for prayer; it is a call of faith and hope. Deeper than any expression of human emotion, it is a source of strength that rises against all odds. This month and every moment of every day of every month that follows… we raise the call that helps us rise above. Ramadan Kareem.

Allah Akbar

Greater than my success, greater than my fear

3 CONNECT AUGUST 2010

It gives me great pleasure to address you for thefirst time and to welcome you to the 10th issueof Zain’s corporate magazine, now called

Connect, appearing in both English and Arabic inthe same issue. Connect, as the name suggests,allows us to create a tighter bond with ourcustomers, the community and the Zain family.

In this issue, we not only celebrate Zain’sachievements over the past quarter as it enters anew era, but we also say goodbye to Africa. Thecontinent and its people will always have a placein our hearts. We can celebrate the wonderful andfulfilling relationships we have built up over thisperiod with governments, regulators, customersand employees across Africa as we worked withthem to create a vital mobile telecom networkoffering multiple-award winning unique servicessuch as ‘One Network’ and ‘Zap’.

We would like to think that years from nowwhenever the Zain name is mentioned in Africa,someone somewhere will remember a life saved oran opportunity given. These are the moments thathave made our African experience worthwhile.

Our half-year results have shown that our bottomline is in robust health, while our drive is to deliverthe best possible technology. As such, Zainalready uses 3G and broadband in many of thecountries in which we operate. The future will seeseveral of our operations roll out LTE technologywith others investing heavily in network upgrades,so that our customers enjoy high-speed data and quality voice services.

Our corporate social responsibility activities haveshown that, as a company, we have embraced awide spectrum of initiatives. We have shown ourhumanitarian side by helping the survivors of theGaza Freedom Flotilla in Jordan, where we onceagain championed education with our “PC for

Every Teacher” initiative. In Bahrain we usedtechnology to help those with impaired hearingand highlighted the need for more women in theworkforce. In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Sudan wehave shown our compassionate side by taking timeoff to bring happiness to less fortunate children,while in Kuwait, Zain has honored the outstandinghigh school graduates of 2010 and has committedto preparing the nation’s youth for entry into thebusiness sector. CSR is what I like to call the “newreality” and at Zain, never a company to shy awayfrom its duty, we relish our obligations.

But all work and no play is not how Zain hascreated ‘A wonderful world’ nor led the way inbringing fun and entertainment to the communityin all Zain countries with a wide range of highprofile events and initiatives. The highlight wasundoubtedly the 2010 FIFA World Cup in SouthAfrica, which was a fantastic opportunity for Zainto both lend its name to one of the planet’s greatsporting events and ensure that all within the Zainfamily enjoyed a tournament to remember.

Our vision is to be the best mobile operator inthe Middle East. We will excel in all our marketsby being competitive and innovative, with anenthusiastic, customer-centric approach, offeringa mobile experience second to none. If we cando this, then we can make Zain not only a bluechip brand, but also a beacon of excellenceacross the region and beyond.

All that is left for me now is to wish all of youRamadan Kareem for the upcoming holy month,a period during which the best of Zain’scommunity spirit will be evident everywhere ourname is present.

Nabeel Bin SalamahCEO, Zain Group

Building on solidfoundations

CEO’S MESSAGE


Message from the CEO

ALERTSZain in the newsAfrica operations are sold toBharti Airtel Limited; Zain Bahrainlaunches the e-Go portable Wi-Fidevice; Zain Jordan signs MOUwith Microsoft; new CEOs areappointed for Kuwait and Iraq;mtc touch expands international offerings and Palm tree communi-cation towers unveiled on thestreets of KSA cities

GIANTS IN TIMEVoice of a nationRemembering the iconic Egyptiandiva, Um Kulthum

JOURNEYThe city that never sleeps A snapshot of modern Beirut as itenters a new and exciting era ofprosperity

DISCOVERYSailing to the pastHow the dhows of the ArabianGulf have plied their seagoingtrade for centuries

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CONNECT SPECIALOut of AfricaLeaving behind a legacy of techno-logical and socio-economic achieve-ment on the continent after a his-toric five-year presence

GIVING BACKNews of Zain’s CSR workacross the communities it serves Creating job opportunities inBahrain; raising health awareness inIraq; working with the UnitedNations in Jordan; honoring thebrightest high school students inKuwait; helping those with specialneeds in Lebanon; investing inyouth in KSA; caring for orphans inSudan and much much more

METROPOLISZain’s entertainment activities in all its seven operationsA month of ‘Wonders’ in Bahrain;supporting league football in Iraq;celebrating independence in Jordan;half a million visit Zain City in Kuwait,motorsport fun in KSA, and WorldCup fever comes to town.

CONTENTS

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Contributors:Mona Alami, MayaKhourchid, Nicholas Lowry,Matt Nash, NorbertSchiller, Gareth Smyth

Photography:Norbert Schiller private collection, Focus Mideast,Zain Group, Reuters

Editing:Vinehouse Media

Color Separation and Printing: www.raidy.com

Produced by: Zain Group Communicationand Investor RelationsDepartment with VinehouseMedia

Head Office BldgBldg 401, Road 2806Block 428, Al Seef DistrictP.O. Box 5808 ManamaKingdom of Bahrain Tel.: +973 1 3605551 www.zain.com [email protected]

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MOBILE LIFE The amazing raceHow, with the handy iPad, Apple isonce again changing communicationas we know it

Surfing the skiesThe much awaited in-flight Internet isready for take-off

4G risingNew network designs compete tobring you your data at the speed of light

GREEN AFFAIRSNot all mobiles go to heavenPhones recycling is happening, butthere is work still to be done

RADIANCEBend it like PilatesThe fitness craze that has taken theworld by storm

ICONS OF DESIGNNorman and the giant gherkinThe landmark that dominates theLondon skyline

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ALERTS

For the first half of 2010, the Zain Group recorded consolidatedrevenues of KWD 672.6 million ($ 2.33 billion), an increase of 10%

compared to the same period of 2009. The company’s consolidatedEBITDA reached KWD 287.2million ($995 million) with EBIT reachingKWD 206.8 million ($716 million). Net income rises 488% to reach KWD895.3 million ($3.085 billion). This includes the capital gain of KWD770.3 million ($2.653 billion) from the sale of Zain Africa assets on June8, 2010. The earnings per share reached 232 fils ($0.80). As of June 30,2010, Zain’s customer base was 34.2 million.With the conclusion of the sale of Zain Africa on June 8, 2010, thecompany received cash proceeds of $7.868 billion of which proportionatecapital gain profit is reflected in the H1, 2010 net income results.

The sum of success

Adieu AfricaGETMO Arabia and Zain recently signed anagreement to provide digital music services toover 35 million Zain customers across sevencountries in the Middle East. It was kick startedwith the release of Listen Up! The Official 2010FIFA World Cup™ Album from Sony Music,which consists of 12 tracks, including the officialsong of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, WakaWaka (This Time For Africa), performed byShakira and Freshlyground.

Marking the first offering of non-Middle Easternmusic to users on the Zain Create music portal(http://create.zain.com) since its launch in 2009,GETMO Arabia will pool songs from a numberof major international record labels, includingSony Music. As a result, Zain customers canaccess music from across the world via theirmobile phones and online. GETMO Arabia andZain have also partnered to deliver a uniquegames portal to Zain customers for single andmultiple players, which will be available eitheronline or via mobile phones.

Play on ZAIN GROUP

On June 8, Zain completed the sale of its 15 African mobileoperations (excluding Sudan and Morocco) to Bharti Airtel

Limited for $10.7 billion. Zain received an initial payment of$7.868 billion and will over the next six months receive anadditional $400 million as certain milestones are achieved. Thebalance of $700 million is due one year from the completion ofstipulations as per the original agreement signed on March 30,2010, with Bharti Airtel assuming $1.7 billion in debt. Under theterms of the original agreement, Zain has licensed the use of theZain brand and related trademarks to Bharti in all 15 Africanoperations for an interim period. (See Out of Africa page 24)


In late July, in an innovative move toreach out to its growing customer base

and enhance service standards, Zainentered into an agreement with retailcompany, Blueberry to open a series ofauthorized Shops that will be branded asZain outlets and managed by Blueberry.The first Blueberry-managed Zain Shopopened in Bahrain on July 18th, with Zainannouncing plans for similar shops in thenear future. While the focus is on prepaidcustomers, the store will also offer mobilephones, mobile accessories, laptops,electronics etc. Other Zain services, suchas eeZee (prepaid lines), Hewar (postpaidlines) will also be offered, while customerscan also pay bills and top-up accounts.

Broadband connectivity hasbeen taken to a new level

with Zain’s e-Go portable Wi-Fi device. The sleek andattractive gadget allows up tofive devices to connect tobroadband service at speedsof up to 7.2 mbps fromanywhere in Bahrain with‘plug-and-play’ ease. e-GoWi-Fi is password-protected,and customers can enjoy upto four hours of usage onbattery power alone. It’s affordable, mobile andcompatible with any laptop ordesktop, making it suited forbusy broadband users,including businesspeople onthe move, families andstudents. e-Go Wi-Fi joins thelist of broadband technologybreakthroughs from Zainalready available on theBahraini market, including thefirst nation-wide 3G service aswell as HSDPA and WiMAX.

The development comeshot on the heels of theannouncement earlier thisyear that Bahrain’s networkwill be upgraded tobecome the region’s firstLong Term Evolution (LTE)network delivered by NokiaSiemens Networks. Theupgrade will enable ZainBahrain customers to enjoyfaster data downloads andenhanced customerexperience, thanks to itstransition to an all-IP, flatnetwork through theintroduction of InternetHigh Speed Packet Access(I-HSPA) as a first stage, andthen the Middle East’s firstLong Term Evolution (LTE)network. The newtechnology is expected tovastly boost Zain’s state-of-the-art services throughimproved voice, data andmultimedia services.

New heights through broadband

Fruits of partnership

Up, up and away with Zain

BAHRAIN

On July 20, Zain signed a marketing agreement with Bahrain Air that allowsthe two companies to share resources and gives customers updated news

on Bahrain Air offers, schedules and destinations on their mobile phones or viabroadband. The agreement will see Zain Bahrain branding the interiors ofBahrain Air airplanes and selling on board products and services to allowcustomers to experience Zain roaming voice and data services.


In May, Zain signed amemorandum of

understanding (MoU) withMicrosoft Jordan to providecustomers with on-demandaccess to a range solutionsand services hosted online aspart of its Cloud Computingoption. Customers can nowcost-efficiently access thelatest Microsoft applicationsfrom any location and via awide range of devices.Features include e-mail,calendaring, contacts, instantmessaging, audio and videoconferencing, and shared

workspaces using either adesktop or mobile. Businesseswill be able to reduce technicalsupport and maintenancecosts, as Zain’s servers will hostthe applications. CloudComputing has becomeincreasingly popular in theaftermath of the economicdownturn and its effect on ITbudgets. Zain recognizes thatthe new technology will provethe most beneficial to smalland medium enterprises withinthe next three years and isworking to develop thissegment of its operations.

Way of the future: Cloud Computing

A ministerial connection JORDAN

Suzanne Afaneh, who was head of Zain Jordan’s corporatecommunications department since 2004, has been appointed

Jordan’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities. She is one of threewomen in the new cabinet (below). Jordan’s Prime Minister, SamirRifai, announced her appointment on July 28 and His Majesty KingAbdullah swore her in on the same day (right).

Her time with Zain was highlighted by the crucial role she played in thesuccessful rebranding of the company, not only in Jordan where thehomegrown Fastlink was changed to Zain, but also across the wholeGroup where she was part of the core team that created the Zainidentity and introduced it across the region.

The whole Zain Group congratulates Her Excellency Suzanne Afanehon her new appointment.


READ ALL ABOUT ITWant to know more aboutZain, its performance and itsactivities? Read the 2009Annual Report and learn moreabout our ‘wonderful world.’ http://annualreport.zain.com

HONORABLEMENTIONThe Kuwait Ministry ofInterior/ ManagementInformation Security honoredZain for its efforts insupporting the programsand activities of the ministry.The company hasparticipated in numerousgovernment campaigns,sending mass SMS alerts tocustomers, particularly withregards to traffic updatesand important emergencynumbers.

TO PROTECT AND SERVEZain Kuwait has become thefirst telecom company in theMiddle East and Africa toreceive a quality certificate inrecognition of informationsecurity standards thatprotect customers’ creditcard information whenpaying their bills.

On June 10, Khalid Al Omar wasappointed chief executive officer

of Zain Kuwait. He joined the companyin 1986, and from November 2008, waschief technology officer of Zain Group,overseeing the Group’s networks andtechnology strategy. Previously, he wasZain Kuwait’s COO, a position that sawhim implement and launch the Atheerproject in Iraq, where he established amobile network in the South and inBaghdad. Al Omar holds a Bachelor ofScience degree in electronicengineering technology fromColorado Technical College and in2006 successfully completed anAdvanced Management Program atHarvard Business School.

A new CEO for Kuwait

The Customer Service Center (107) inKuwait set a new record in March,

receiving over two million calls with anaverage length of five seconds. Thenumerous calls, each handled withproficiency, cemented the company’sreputation as having one of the bestservice centers in the telecom industry.The achievement has also highlightedthe fact that customer service is at theforefront of Zain’s business operations,which is why it set up two call centers:107 for individuals and 108 for businessesand institutions. To further improve thecall center, Zain is also working onimplementing an automated system so

Who you gonna call?

that customers will not have to visitbranches in person for certain services.

KUWAIT

Zain’s MMS service has beenupgraded to give prepaid and

postpaid customers up to 1MB ofspace when sending and receivingmedia files (pictures and videos). Theprice of MMS services will remain thesame in order to better providecustomers with affordable telecom

applications and modern technicalsolutions. The MMS service iscompatible with the many smartphoneson the market; however, it is also ableto detect the model of the receivingphone and automatically size the file inaccordance with its memory capacityshould it not accommodate 1MB.

Picture perfect

10 CONNECT AUGUST2010

In May, Zain affiliate, mtc touch,expanded its international offerings

to include a new SMS hub to increasethe reach of the SMS service so that itnow covers more than 800 destinationsaround the world. The servicecomplements the company’s dataroaming option on aircrafts, which isoffered in partnership with Aeromobileand On Air. mtc touch became the first

mobile operator in Lebanon allowingcustomers to use data services, makeand receive calls as well as send andreceive SMS messages on select flightsvia BlackBerry Internet Service, GPRSor Mobile Internet Services. mtc touchalso boosted the number of dataroaming partners to more than 150Arab and international mobileoperators worldwide.

Staying in touch

In May, Info2cell.com, the mobileapplication content and service

provider, announced, in partnershipwith Zain, Iraq’s largest mobileoperator, the launch of three newSMS-based subscription services: aBBC breaking news channel anddedicated SMS services for men andwomen, all of which are part ofInfo2cell.com’s bid to consolidate itspresence in the Middle East and NorthAfrica (MENA) and complement theexcellent growth outlook for Iraq’smobile market segment in 2010.Under the terms of the new

Exciting new servicespartnership, Zain Iraq will utilizeInfo2cell.com’s value added service(VAS) platform to deliver SMS basedservices to its customers. Furthermore,being the largest mobile operator inthe country, Zain can use the most up-to-date technology to get the mostout of the partnership.

The services are Banat, which caters towomen, offering tips on fashion,cooking, cosmetics and accessories;Shabab, a service for men, offeringtips and latest information on fitness,hobbies, fashion and sports; and a

BBC breaking news channel thatallows customers to receive SMSupdates of the latest world news.According to a recenttelecommunications market reportfrom Business Monitor International(BMI), Iraq’s mobile customer base hadgrown to 20 million users in 2009 andwas accompanied by a mobilepenetration rate of 65%. The reportindicates a stronger growth outlook forthe country’s mobile market towardsthe end of 2010 - making thetelecommunications sector one of thebig success stories of post-war Iraq.

On June 15, Emad Makiya wasappointed, chief executive officer

of Zain Iraq. Makiya was previouslyMiddle East director of sales forMotorola Networks, during which timehe oversaw the company's deploymentof 2G and 4G solutions to mobileoperators in the region. Before that, hewas the general manager of MiddleEast and Africa Extreme Networks, andheld various positions at the NASAspace science program, where heworked with the likes of LockheedMartin and Boeing. He holds a

A new face at the helm Bachelor’s Degree in information andcomputer systems from the Universityof Houston, USA.On being appointed CEO of Zain Iraq,the country’s largest and mostdynamic operator, Makiya, whoseprofessional specialty is data analysisand telecommunications, said he wasdetermined to see Zain continue itsimpressive growth and play asignificant role in reviving Iraq’seconomy. Zain has already createdmore than 3,000 direct, and more than50,000 indirect, jobs in the country.

IRAQ

LEBANON

11 CONNECT AUGUST2010

IT’S A KIND OF ‘MAGIC’mtc touch now offers its prepaid‘magic’ customers the BlackBerryInternet Service (BIS) afterlaunching BIS in the Lebanesemarket for its postpaid ‘touch’customers almost a year and ahalf ago. ‘magic’ customers cannow have continuous access tothe Internet as well asapplications, such as BlackBerrymessenger and enjoy socialnetworking sites like Facebook,Windows Live Messenger andGoogle Talk.

LIFE MADE EASYIn Lebanon, Postpaid mtc touchcustomers can now configuretheir mobiles by adding orcanceling features, ortemporarily connecting or disconnecting their linesthrough the Online Provisioningservice on the company’s website.www.mtctouch.com.lb

OVERWHELMINGSUCCESSExtra demand has forced ZainSaudi Arabia to increase thenumber of lines to support itsunique ‘Zain Features’ package.The service exempts customersfrom monthly fees and applies afixed, reduced rate-per-minuteacross all Zain networks in thekingdom. It also offers apermanent discount oninternational calls as well assimultaneous subscriptions to‘Friends and Family,’ broadbandand BlackBerry services.

Customers can now downloadleading international games on

their mobile phones. By logging ontothe Zain games website, they can searchfrom a comprehensive collection of

Download and play!games by name or category in Arabic,English or French, and then simply clickto download. Of the most populargames available are “Pro EvolutionSoccer 2009”, “James Bond 007:

Quantum of Solace”, “Age of Empires”,“Call of Duty 5”, “Bugs Bunny”, “IceAge 3”, “Looney Tunes MonsterMatch”, “Apocalypse 2012” and “SonicHedgehog 2: Crash”.

Small to medium enterprisescelebrated the recent launch of

‘Link’, a specially designed packagethat provides technical solutions forcompanies that want to cut expensesby reducing the cost of internalmobile calls. ‘Link’ calls made withinthe same business unit have beenreduced by over 50%, while there is

A strong ‘Link’an additional discount oninternational calls. Customerssubscribed to ‘Link’ can set up callgroups for free and enjoy the servicewithout paying any monthly fees. Thepackage also features a primary andsubsidiary line for managing thegroup as well as a choice of twointernational lines.

Zain has expanded its 3G networkto cover more than 28 cities and

now serves over 70% (up from aninitial 55% when first launched inAugust 2008) of KSA’s population.The rolling out of the 3G network hasbeen a priority for the company, and

achieving such vast coverage in ashort amount of time is a significantachievement. The project has not only seen the installation of the latest technology, but also thedelivery of more value-added servicesto customers.

Expansive reach

As part of its effort to use the latestmobile communication technology,

Zain has upgraded its network byinstalling special communicationtowers, which are both high-performance and aesthetically pleasingto blend in with the surroundingenvironment. The palm tree towerswere built after close cooperationamong Zain, Nokia Siemens Networksand Future Communications GuidanceInternational (FCGI). Zain sees theproject as an important developmentfor Saudi Arabia’s urban centers andoutlying districts, contributing to theiraesthetic and organizational progress,while reflecting the company’s sloganof ‘A wonderful world’.

Beauty statement

SAUDI ARABIA


GIANTS IN TIME

country. Her remarkable career andenduring legacy can be attributed toher innate talent and intelligence, andmaybe most importantly to hersteadfast Egyptian patriotism.

Her official date of birth is unknown,but it is likely that she was bornsometime between 1898 and 1904 asbirth registration was not enforced inEgypt back then. The daughter of ahousewife and a local Imam, she grewup in Tamay Al Zahayra, a small village60 miles north of Cairo on the NileDelta. Her childhood was notparticularly eventful or extraordinary;however, her musical prowess quicklyrevealed itself. Trained by her father inreciting the Qur’an, when she was 12years old, he disguised her as a youngboy and entered her in a smallperforming troupe that he directed.

Um Kulthum’s virtuosic voice nolonger only dominates Egyptianairwaves, but continues to

reverberate across the Arab world,mesmerizing generation after generationof music lovers. Thirty-five years after herdeath, the Egyptian singer, known simplyas Al Sitt (the Lady), remains an iconicfigure, revered for her captivating musicand deep patriotism.

Um Kulthum rose from humble roots tobecome arguably the most importantArab musician of the 20th century. Hercareer spanned the most volatile andimportant period in modern Egyptianhistory, and her voice becamesynonymous with the changing politicaltides of the late 1940s and early 1950s.Her stature within Egypt rivals that ofeven Gamal Abdel Nasser, the manwho brought political change to the

Voice of a nationUm Kulthum’s unrivaled vocal chordscontinue to mesmerize generation aftergeneration of music lovers

Her voice carried far beyond hervillage’s borders; in 1923 she leftTamay Al Zahayra for Cairo, and by thetime she was a teenager, she was wellknown in the Egyptian capital’s musiccircles. While many of her fellowmusicians fell victim to Cairo’sbohemian culture, she never lost sightof her roots, something Egyptianswould grow to love about her.

From an early age she demonstrated anuncanny understanding of the periodshe was living in, and knew exactly howto present herself in order to attract thelargest audience. In addition topossessing an unrivaled voice, UmKulthum, also had a shrewd businesssense, and carefully constructed her lifeand career to be exactly how sheenvisioned it.

Upon arriving in Cairo, she immediatelysurrounded herself with Egypt’s mosttalented poets and musicians, includingthe poet Ahmed Rami and the famouscomposer Mohamed Al Qasabgi. Ramibecame an important influence on UmKulthum, introducing her to Frenchliterature and mentoring her on Arabicliterature. He also wrote over 130 songsfor her. Um Kulthum and Al Qasabgideveloped a highly successful musicalpartnership, each contributing to theother’s wildly successful career.

Um Kulthum cemented her place atopthe Arab music scene in 1932, when shetoured the Middle East for the first time.Performing in Baghdad, Damascus,Beirut and Tripoli, her impressive voiceawed her spectators. Instrumental toher success was the fact that her careercoincided with the introduction of theradio in Egypt. As a modern dayIl Sitt in Baghdad sometime in the late 1930s


musician might utilize theInternet to attain fame, UmKulthum deftly navigated theburgeoning radio industry,manipulating it into a vehiclefor her unparalleled success.

She realized that theairwaves were the bestmedium to reach theaverage Egyptian. Beginningin 1937 her concerts werebroadcast live on Radio-Cairo on the first Thursday ofevery month. This enabledher music to reach theEgyptian masses, helping hertranscend class andgeography. Virtually theentire country tuned into herThursday evening concerts.

In 1944, King Farouk I ofEgypt decorated her withthe highest level of orders(nishan el kamal), adecoration reservedexclusively for members ofthe royal family andpoliticians. Despite thisrecognition, the royal familyrigidly opposed herpotential marriage with theKing's uncle, a rejection thatdeeply wounded her pride.

Throughout her life, shedemonstrated a deepcommitment to herhomeland. During the 1948Arab-Israeli conflict, sheanswered the request of anEgyptian legion trapped inUm Kulthum in the studio at the height of her career

Um Kulthum rosefrom humble rootsto becomearguably the mostimportant Arabmusician of the20th century


Fallujah to sing a particular song – anaction she would repeat several timesin the course of her career.

In 1952, when Nasser swept intopower, she immediately became asymbol of the new Egypt. In herbiography of Um Kulthum, VirginiaDanielson wrote, “In all aspects of herpublic life she asserted valuesconsidered to be indigenous. She

helped to constitute Egyptian culturaland social life and to advance anideology of Egyptianness.” Nasser andUm Kulthum remain inextricablylinked, bonded together by themagnitude of the period they livedthrough, a period they jointly defined.

She sang over 280 different songsduring the course of her career, most ofwhich dealt with love, longing and loss.

Her concerts often lasted more than fourhours, each song taking over an hour tocomplete. Her powerful voice and fiercedetermination enabled her toconsistently put together strongperformances that often held the entirecountry in rapture. Staying true to herroots, several songs in her repertoirewere religious poems, which she sang inclassical Arabic. The most famous ofthese songs is “Salou Qalbi” (ask myheart), which she first performed in 1946.Written by the poet Ahmad Shawqi, thesong was a way for her to pay homageto her beginnings.

Um Kulthum’s passion for Egypt andtraditional Arab music never ebbed.While her vocal chords diminishedslightly as she aged, she continued toperform into her late 60s. Sheconstantly searched for and found thebrightest young Arab composers,joining forces with them to create newsongs that furthered her career, andoften made theirs.

Following the 1967 war, she toured theworld on behalf of her country. Sellingout wherever she performed, shedonated all her profits to the Egyptiangovernment, once again demonstratingher profound appreciation and devotionto her homeland.

She gave her last performance in 1972.Suffering from chronic kidney issues,she died three years later on 3February 1975. Millions of Egyptianspoured into the streets of Cairo to bidfarewell to Al Sitt, carrying her coffin toits final resting place. Her funeral wasthe second largest in Egyptian history,only behind that of the man withwhom she is forever linked, Nasser.

In the years since her death, her imagehas never wavered. She remains asiconic a figure as Egypt has ever had.Her life’s story inspired one of the mostpopular television shows in Egyptianbroadcast history, and in Cairo there is amuseum devoted to her life andincredible career. The love andcommitment she displayed toward hercountry is only rivaled by the love andcommitment Egyptians show her.An icon of 20th century Arab culture

Some look for happiness. Others create it.


JOURNEY

Beirut is a haven for tourists looking for a goodtime, good real estate and good hospitality

The city thatnever sleeps


The sun sets as children ridescooters on Beirut’s Cornicheseafront, heedlessly bumping

into ladies on their afternoon walk asthe call to prayer rings out and menfile into the Abdel Nasser mosque.Walk further down the seafront andyou can hear planes flying overhead,making their descent into Beirut. They

are close enough that you can justmake out the airline logos.

Elegant women walk next to girls intowering high heels and light clothing.Men, young and old, stare as theysmoke cigarettes, pole-fish or simplysoak up the atmosphere. Beirut is acity of contradictions, with a storied

past and a people who are vibrant andliving life to the fullest.

The city’s raw beauty, situated on apeninsula at the eastern end of theMediterranean and surrounded bymountains, is both its selling point andits curse. Over the centuries, it hasendured occupation by Romans,Ottomans and the French. Thesemultiple influences are reflected in arichly diverse population withremarkable spirit and energy.

After the collapse of the OttomanEmpire following World War I, theFrench, who always have an eye for theaesthetic, briefly ‘ran’ Beirut, andthough their tenure was short, a mere23 years, their impact was tremendous.Not only are street signs scripted inFrench and Arabic, but the LebaneseArabic dialect is studded with Frenchwords and expressions. “Kifak? Cava?” (How are you? Fine?) is a popularArabic-French greeting phrase, as is asingularly unique Lebanese word,“Bonjourain” (two hellos), which isused as a reply to the French“bonjour” (hello).

In 2009, Lebanon saw a record numberof tourists, an estimated 1.7 million,many of whom came to eat, dance andsoak up the Beirut nightlife. But thetourism scene offers much more than

The multipleinfluences of thePhoenicians, aswell as the Romanand Ottomanoccupations, arereflected in arichly diversepopulation withremarkable spiritand energy


bars and restaurants, Beirut’s revitalizeddowntown area is a shopper’s haven,where one can browse a range ofstores, from high-end designers, likeLebanese designer Elie Saab, to thepopular Swedish clothing outlet H&M.The new Souks shopping mall is plumbin the middle of Beirut’s renovateddowntown area, with the equallypopular ABC mall not far away nearSassine square. The open-air shoppingpavilion is grand, full of coveredwalkways and endless vestibules thatlend a feeling of freedom to even themost timid purchaser. Tax-freeshopping gives foreigners the right toget reimbursed for their merchandise,an added benefit for the enthusiasticcredit card user.

Near downtown is Saifi Village, apastel colored residential area that wascompletely destroyed during the CivilWar, but which has been rebuilt toreflect the French-colonial buildingsand winding cobblestoned streets thatonce stood there. Here, the moreadventurous shopper can find funkyboutiques, antique shops andgalleries. Seeking the grittier shoppingexperience, one must dart through thestreets of Hamra to find a goodbargain on clothes, jewelry orLebanese traditional crafts.

The downtown district, also known asCentre Ville, has been rebuilt by

Solidere, the development companyestablished in 1994 by former PrimeMinister Rafik Hariri. Plant yourself atone of the many outdoor cafes, andit’s easy to forget the history that liesbeneath the air conditioned shops andfreshly paved sidewalks. As a reminder,Solidere has kept archeologicaltreasures, such as the remains of a2,000-year old Roman bathhouse.Meters away, situated side by side, aserendipitous reflection of Lebanon’smulti-confessional society, are the St.George’s Greek Orthodox Church andthe Mohammed al-Amin mosque,whose blue domes and minaretsbeautify the crane-filled skyline.

Over the decades, war and conflict havechanged the face of Beirut, but its soulhas persisted. That soul, which includesa love of foreigners and a maniccommitment to hospitality, is mirrored inLebanon’s consistently awe-inspiringcuisine. While the kitchens of Lebanon’shills and valleys remain the best placesto taste traditional Lebanese fare, for atrue glimpse of the Beirut scene, wherewealthy tycoons dine adjacent to t-shirtclad foreign journalists, one must eatout. If the famous Ashrafieh district ofGemayzeh does not take your fancy,there are many alternatives, such asdining poolside at Amythesete, a newrestaurant at the InterContinentalPhoenicia Hotel. Customers can stretchout on long white couches, shroudedlike Bedouin tents, eating grilled fishand gazing at the Mediterranean. As forthe nightlife, it’s second to none in theregion. Trying finding a table, or even achair, at any of the city’s premiernightclubs and rooftop restaurants inthe middle of summer.

A thriving art scene lends yet anotherelement to Beirut’s rich culturalscene. For pomp and circumstance,tourists can likely find a show atForum de Beyrouth, which hoststraveling musicals by dance groupssuch as Caracalla, and the world’smost popular DJs such as Tiesto.Serious art collectors will find noshortage of fine art galleries, which

The newly rebuilt downtown is popular with foreign tourists

Beirut has become one of the Middle East's retail hubs


are well advertised and easy to find.In the summer the renowned musicfestivals at Baalbeck, Beiteddine, andByblos are magnets for culturevultures who base themselves in thecapital for the duration of their stay.

Beirut is also luring real estateinvestors, who have built and boughthigh-rise apartments, such as theMarina Towers, and luxury hotels, suchas the Four Seasons and Le Gray.Though these hotels and apartmentbuildings attract the kind of touristsBeirut wants, conservationists despairthat the view of the Mediterranean isquickly disappearing, obfuscated bygiant towers. But one thing is certain:Beirut is never still.

Beirut, which is easily accessible byland and sea, has thrived off of a freeeconomy and liberal banking system (itis Lebanon’s biggest economic sector,generating as much as 30% of the

Some historians attribute it to theirPhoenician ancestors, skilled navigatorsand traders. Others say it is a survivalmechanism for a populationaccustomed to socio-politicaldisruptions. Lebanese probably don’tcare; they are too busy living.

GDP) underpinned with a secrecy lawthat has attracted many regionalinvestors. Today, multinational banks,such as HSBC and Citigroup, havebranches here, along with dozens ofregional banks offering a range ofservices, including private wealthmanagement, asset management andaccess to capital markets.

Finally, Lebanon is home to some of theArab world’s most reputable doctorsand surgeons, and Beirut has becomesomewhat of a haven for health touristslooking to get a few nips and tucks, orhave that procedure and thenrecuperate in the country they call theSwitzerland of the Middle East. TheMinistry of Tourism has even teamed upwith several companies to offercosmetic surgery and tourism packages.

Beirut weathered the recent globaleconomic downturn, and Lebanesepossess a spirit of entrepreneurship.

The Mohammed Al-Amine mosque dominates the Downtown

START SPREADING THE NEWSIn 2009, the New York Times rankedBeirut as the number one place tovisit on its “44 places to go” list. Itwas also named one of the “10liveliest cities” in the world byLonely Planet. According to theWorld Travel & Tourism Council(WTTC), Lebanon is poised to rankfirst worldwide in terms of growth inthe travel and tourism industry.Approximately 2.6 million visitorsare expected to visit this year,according to the Ministry of Tourism,and many of those visitors will flockto Beirut, seeking adventure, styleand the taste of the Mediterranean.


DISCOVERY

In the ancient world, there were threedistinct ship building styles thatevolved in different parts of the world.In the Mediterranean, around 3000B.C., the Phoenicians and Greeks builtships known as galleys, with square-rigged sails and a single row ofoarsmen. Later, a second level ofoarsmen was added to give the boatgreater speed during naval battles. InChina during the Han dynasty (206B.C. to 220 A.D.), a style of boat calledthe junk was designed with multiplemasts, sails and a stern-mountedrudder. The junk quickly became theprincipal ship throughout Asia. Today,junks are still being used and the basicdesign has remained the same.

Boat designs did not changeovernight. In fact it took a long timebefore new innovations wereaccepted. Naval warfare was always agood test to see how well a boat wasconstructed. Even though there were

For thousands of years, woodensailboats called dhows havenavigated the waters of the

Indian Ocean, delivering goods toports in the Arabian Gulf, East Africaand the Indian subcontinent. Nobodyknows for certain when the firstdhows were constructed, but mostscholars will agree that they havebeen in use commercially longer thanany other boat.

Today, dhows still ply the same watersthey have sailed for millennia. Just goto any port in the Arabian Gulf, andthe first thing that takes one bysurprise is the sight of traditionalwooden dhows silhouetted against astate-of-the-art, steel and glass skyline.Even the sailors are a throw-back toyesteryear, wearing pretty much thesame garb that one sees in 19th andearly 20th century photographs. Theonly visible difference is that the dieselengine has replaced the lateen sail.

Sailing to the pastThe traditional dhows of the Arabian Gulf arestill a mainstay in the culture of the region

A small dhow at anchor offers tourist relaxationA trading dhow sails into a Gulf port


only slight variations in the variousdhow designs, the first major changecame shortly after the first Europeansarrived by boat in the 15th century.

It was essentially the Europeans whofirst categorized all “Arab” sailboats asdhows. The reason was that Europeansdefined boats by the shape of theirsail, and since most dhows had lateen,or triangular shaped sailing rigs, they

were grouped under the same name.Arabs, on the other hand, hadclassified boats according to the shapeof their hull. Older more traditionaldhows with a pointed bow and stern,were called by a variety of names –including Buum, Zaaruuq and Badan,to name a few. However, by the 16thcentury, dhow builders were slowlybeginning to incorporate theEuropean square-shaped stern

Dhows havenavigated thewaters of the IndianOcean, deliveringgoods to theArabian Gulf, East Africa and the Indian subcontinent forthousands of years


introduced by the first Portugueseships a century before, which is thestyle seen today.

The generic word for boat in Arabic issafinaa or markab, and the word forboat used in the holy Koran is fulk. It iswidely accepted that the word dhowcame from the Swahili word for boat,pronounced ‘daw’. Portuguese andother European sailors who first sailedthe Indian Ocean most probablypicked up the Swahili name andaltered the pronunciation over time.

Besides the lateen sail, anothercharacteristic of early dhows was thatthe wooden hulls were not nailedtogether like the European ships, butrather stitched together with tightlywoven fibers or rope. Early Europeansailors, including the Venetian explorerMarco Polo, frowned on the stitchedstyle of construction saying that such adesign was all well and good in calmwaters but “would not stand well in astorm.” Those early critics thoughwere proven wrong once they realizedthe great distances dhows sailed todeliver their cargo.

Another misconception is the nameitself: ‘Arab dhow’. Traditionally, thewood used to build dhows camefrom the forests of India, making itmore than likely that the first boatbuilders were in fact from the Indiansubcontinent. The most likelyscenario was that they sold the boatsto Arab traders who then sailed thembetween various ports on the ArabianPeninsula and East Africa. It was onlynatural for the Europeans to assumethe boats were Arab in originbecause the boat’s captain or raiswas almost always an Arab with acrew made up of a mixture of manydifferent ethnicities. Even today theports that cater to dhows attract ahodge-podge of different peoplefrom the subcontinent, East Africa,Persia and Arabia.

Not only were dhows used to transportgoods, but they were also essential tofisherman and pearl divers alike. “AnAssyrian inscription from around 2000

B.C. mentions ‘fish eyes’ fromDilmun,” the ancient civilization whosecapital was Bahrain in the ArabianGulf. The “fish eyes” were a referenceto pearls, which Bahrain was famousfor even in ancient times. Without theuse of the dhow, it would have beenimpossible for divers to get to theclam beds. From the middle of the19th century to the 1930s, during theheight of the pearl craze, it isestimated that at any one time there

were at least 30,000 pearl diversworking the waters around Bahrain.That meant that the tiny island had tohave an enormous fleet of dhows.

There is not a port in the Arabian Gulfthat does not have a section set asidefor fishing dhows. At one end of theharbor there could be row after row ofmulti-million-dollar yachts, and at theother end traditional fishing dhowsbeing readied to go back out to sea.

A dhow gracefully cuts through the water at sunset


Fishing dhows and their crew are asessential today as they were in thepast to the fishing industry. They arethe work-horses of the Gulf waters,Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, andfish markets from Basra to Zanzibardepend on them for the daily catch.

In recent years, there has been aresurgence in ancient art forms.Falconry, horseback riding and camelracing are a few of the traditions thatare making a comeback among a newgeneration – and now, so too is thedhow culture. On any given weekendit is not uncommon to see a youngBahraini man driving to an old fishingharbor in a brand new Lexus, gettingout and boarding a replica of anancient dhow. Racing dhows is morethan a passing fad; rather a whole newgeneration is beginning to appreciatetraditions of the past.

At the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar,images of the dhow where prominenteverywhere, including at the openingceremony. It was the Qatari’s way ofpaying homage to their past and, at thesame time, showing the world theimportance of the dhow in Arab culture.

Today's dhows play an important role in Indian Ocean trading

Ancient and new. The dhow has adapted to the modern age


SPECIAL REPORT

Zain leaves behind alegacy of achievementson the continent aftera historic five-year

presence

Out of Africa

Africa and its people will always loom large whenever the story of Zain is told


On June 8, 2010, Zain completed the sale of itsAfrican assets (excluding Sudan and Morocco) toBharti Airtel Limited for $10.7 billion. At the

conclusion of the sale, Assad Al Banwan, Chairman of theBoard of Directors of Zain and Nabeel Bin Salamah, ZainGroup Chief Executive, expressed their sincere appreciationof the governments, regulators, customers and employeesin the respective African jurisdictions for allowing thecompany to play such a vital role in the development of thetelecom infrastructure in the region.

“Our experience in sub-Saharan Africa has been arewarding one for us and, we believe, for the populations ofthe countries that supported our journey,” Al Banwan said.“The driving principle of our interactions in all countries inwhich we operate is to always be the exemplary corporatecitizen. This is what drove us to help develop the economiesof the markets we operate in and, in the process, reap thebenefits for all stakeholders. We will always have fondmemories of this experience and particularly of our Zainfamily in Africa. They have made this success possible.”

It was a fitting tribute to the end of one of the mostmomentous chapters in the history of mobile telecom.Africa and its people will always loom large whenever thestory of Zain is told.

For five years, between 2005 – when Zain bought acontrolling stake in Celtel – and 2010, the continent not onlyexperienced the economic benefits from a vibrant andbullish global telecom industry, but it was also a region inwhich Zain was able to roll out the products and services,such as ‘One Network’ and Zap, which defined thecompany’s reputation as a pioneer in breaking down thebarriers of elitism and making a genuine difference in the

way people live their lives. In Africa, communication was notonly about being able to talk on the move, but also aboutlivelihoods and, in some cases, the difference between lifeand death.

A UNIQUE VISIONAfrica was also about demonstrating the full breadth of Zain’scorporate arsenal. Aside from the technology that improvedthe lives of so many, Zain was acutely aware of its obligation togive back to the communities in which its customers lived.Zain rebuilt schools through the ‘Build Our Nation’ initiative,provided aid after earthquakes and other disasters, createdhealth care initiatives, provided low-cost handsets and evenexpanded its network on Lake Victoria to improve and savethe lives and livelihoods of its fishing community.

But there was also a touch of showbiz. The Zain AfricaChallenge was the continent’s most popular university quizshow, while the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs), whichZain sponsored for two years, was without doubt the mostglamorous and star-studded music event of the year.

Naturally, music plays a big part in the lives of almost allAfricans, and Zain was energetic in lending its name tomusic festivals and concerts that brought the most popularinternational entertainers to perform for their African fans.Without doubt the pinnacles of Zain’s entertainmentinitiatives – one that not only put Africa on the global centerstage, but which also combined music with socialresponsibility while honoring one of the world’s greateststatesmen – were the two concerts, one in London’s HydePark and the other in New York’s Radio City Music Hall, tocelebrate the 90th and 91st birthdays of former South AfricanPresident Nelson Mandela.

To commemorate Zain’s work in Africa, Connect takes alook back at some of the company’s major achievements onthe continent.

DEFYING BORDERS: ‘ONE NETWORK’Introduced initially in East Africa in September 2006, andthen eventually rolled out to all Zain Africa and Middle Eastoperations, ‘One Network’ came to define Zain and its

Zain expanded mobile communication to Lake Victoria's communities

‘One Network’ defined Zainand its Africa experience. Itrecognized that the Africannotion of borders did notmatch those delineated byinternational agreementsand, as such, the vast areasof land that defined people’slives, jobs and families had to be connected by acommon service


Africa experience. It recognized that the African notion ofborders did not match those delineated by internationalagreements and, as such, the vast areas of land that definedpeople’s lives, jobs and families had to be connected by acommon service. Zain stepped in to bring roaming to themasses at no extra cost.

A multiple award-winning, borderless mobile phoneplatform that enables prepaid and postpaid customerstraveling to another ‘One Network’ partner country to be treated as local customers in terms of pricing, whileretaining home country service functionalities, ‘OneNetwork’ rewrote the rulebook by proving thatroaming calls did not have tobe reserved solely for the affluent.

Since its introduction and itscross-continent expansionthereafter, ‘One Network’ hasbeen recognized by theinternational mobile industryfor its innovation and forsetting new standards incross-border mobilecommunication. In August2008, ‘One Network’ unitedthe Middle East and Africaand in June 2010, it reachedSouth Africa in a strategicpartnership with Cell C,allowing the 41 millioncustomers in all Zain Africa’s15 mobile operations tobenefit from the service whenvisiting South Africa, the hostof the 2010 World Cup.

MOBILE MONEY WITH ZAP Zain was not satisfied to merely sit on its ‘One Network’ laurels.If people could talk freely across borders, then surely moneycould move with similar ease. In February 2009, using the ‘OneNetwork’ platform, Zain launched Zap, a mobile commerceservice in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Now an award-winningphenomenon, Zap is also active in Ghana, Niger, Sierra Leoneand Malawi, and has become Africa’s most comprehensive andaccessible mobile commerce offering, serving over 150 millionpeople, allowing them, in many cases for the first time, accessto advanced financial services through their mobile phones.Notably, Zain is the biggest mobile commerce operator in theworld in terms of geographic coverage, enabled customersand service functionalities.

Launched in partnership with leading international banks,Zap lets Zain customers in Zap-enabled countries use theirmobile phone to withdraw cash or pay for goods andservices, school fees and utility bills, including electricityand water, as well as receive money from or send money tofriends and family. They can also send and receive moneyto their bank accounts, top-up their or someone else’sairtime and manage their bank accounts.

In February, Zain won the inaugural GSMA’s 2010 MobileMoney for the Unbanked Service award for Zap at theMobile World Congress in Barcelona. The awardrecognizes innovative mobile banking around the worldthat pioneers low-cost financial services in countries wheretraditional financial services are either not within easyreach or unavailable.

Zain won the inaugural GSMA’s 2010 Mobile Money for the Unbanked Serviceaward for Zap at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

The Millennium Village Project was a science-based, bottom-up approach to lifting rural villages out of the poverty trap


SAVING LIVES ON LAKE VICTORIALake Victoria is the second largest lake in the world, withnearly 200,000 fishermen, 35 million people living along itsshores and a fishing fleet of more than 70,000 boats. It is forthis reason that Zain set about protecting these people andtheir livelihoods. In an initiative coordinated by the GSMAssociation, Zain and Ericsson promoted safety, economicgrowth and security across the Lake Victoria region byextending the mobile network coverage of the three EastAfrican states, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, that border thelake. The coverage allows for communication and SMSexchange to and from phones. The enhancement hasfueled economic and social development in the lakesidecommunities, where 80% of fishing activities take place, andreduced the number of fishing-related deaths that occureach year.

CHEAP TALKNext up was making sure that as many Africans have access tomobile technology as possible. The answer was the provision ofUltra Low Cost Handsets (ULCH), one of the fastest growingsegments in the modern global telecom industry. Theircomparative simplicity makes them attractive to millions ofpeople in the developing world who, until recently, had beenpriced out of the mobile phone market. As of December 31,

2009, Zain has sold over 6.4 million units since the inception ofthe ULCH project in December 2007. Zain offers ULCHs throughits network of suppliers in 15 African countries. It is in Zambia,Niger, Nigeria, Malawi and Madagascar, however, that theprogram has been most successful.

BUILDING NATIONS THROUGH EDUCATIONEducation may have been one of Zain’s cornerstones, buthigh levels of poverty in many African countries more oftenthan not hampered the provision of this vital resource. Zain’s‘Build Our Nation’ program, which focused on education asa measure towards enabling governments and people to

In Africa, communicationwasn’t about being able totalk on the move but wasalso about livelihoods and, insome cases, the differencebetween life and death

The Build Our Nation project improved education conditions for children in countries in which Zain operated


achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals,was started in Tanzania in 2003 and expanded to othercountries in which Zain operates. Through ‘Build OurNation,’ Zain has donated in excess of $4 million, providingbooks and educational supplies, an building and renovatingclassrooms in publicly owned schools. Stand out projectsinclude the renovation of Ndola School in Zambia and therebuilding of the Odumase Presbyterian Junior High Schoolin Ghana.

CONNECTING REMOTE AREAS: MILLENNIUM VILLAGE PROJECTElsewhere, Zain signed up to be part of the MillenniumVillage Project (MVP). Based at the Earth Institute atColumbia University, the MVP was a science-based, bottom-up approach to lifting rural villages out of the poverty trapthat afflicts more than a billion people worldwide. Thecommunity-driven initiative currently operates in 11 sub-Saharan African countries, where it tackles challengesrelated to health, education, nutrition, livelihoods, genderequality and other vital issues. Working with the EarthInstitute, Zain, in collaboration with Ericsson, providedtelecom solutions for millennium villages in Ghana, Kenya,Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria. Through this, familiesseparated either by migration or work abroad, are now incontact with each other. It has also helped inform ruralagricultural farmers and sellers about the market prices oftheir produce. All in all, lives are being enriched through theprovision of mobile telephony.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NELSON MANDELAStill, it wasn’t all work. In London’s Hyde Park on June 27,2008, a Zain-sponsored concert hosted world-renownedmusicians and artists led by Will Smith, who performed tohonor Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former president ofSouth Africa, Nelson Mandela, who had turned 90 nine daysearlier. Some 50,000 people – including former US PresidentBill Clinton, then British Prime Minister Gordon Brown aswell as celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Robert De Niro andForest Whitaker – packed into Hyde Park to pay tribute toone of the world’s most beloved leaders. Zain Africacustomers sent text messages wishing Nelson Mandela ahappy birthday. The money raised was given to the NelsonMandela Foundation to be used in its charitable work, in

Zain Africa customers sent text messages wishing Nelson Mandela a happy birthday. The money raised was given to the Nelson Mandela Foundation to be used in its charitable work

Aside from the technologythat made a difference to thelives of so many, Zain wasacutely aware of itsobligation to give back tothe communities in which itscustomers lived


particular his 46664 Campaign. Zain sponsored the occasionagain in 2009, with another concert in New York.

THE BATTLE OF THE BRAINS: ZAIN AFRICA CHALLENGEIn Africa, the Zain Africa Challenge (ZAC), Africa’s first televisedinternational academic quiz show featuring Africa’s topuniversity students, was racking up record viewing figures ofmore than 200 million people. 2010 was ZAC’s fourth season,with 32 universities battle it out to take the $1 million in prizemoney that is shared among all the contestants based on theirranking. Zain ensured that the Ministries of Education in theparticipating countries, along with the Inter-University Councilfor East Africa (IUCEA), were key partners in the program.Meanwhile, the contest has grown more interactive, with apresence on Facebook and Twitter. It was the most high profileexample of how Zain supported educational excellence, whileat the same time creating an entertaining forum for millions.

ROCKING ACROSS THE CONTINENT: MAMASFinally, for two years running, Zain has hosted the annualMAMAs. The year 2008 saw the MAMAs shake theNigerian capital of Abuja to its foundations, while in 2009the music festival rolled into the Kenyan capital, Nairobi,where at the Moi International Sports Complex, Africanmusic once again took the continent by storm. In keepingwith the show’s purpose of bringing Africa together, theMAMA event featured multiple collaborations amongartists from different countries and music genres – mixingup hip hop with R&B, alternative, soul and dancehall,among others. If Zain had to sign off from Africa, itcertainly departed in style.

CHAMPIONING THE AFRICAN FILM INDUSTRYIn December 2009, Zain sponsored the Ion International FilmFestival (IONIFF) in Nigeria, which promotes the Nigerian film

industry, the second largest inthe world in terms of thenumber of films produced eachyear (coming ahead of the USand behind India). Earlier in theyear, in February, Zain had lentits name to the biennial PanAfrican Film and TelevisionFestival of Ouagadougou(FESPACO) in Burkina Faso,which celebrated its 40thanniversary under the theme‘African Cinema, Tourism andCultural Heritage’ and duringwhich Zain sponsored twoawards, the prestigious Étalonde Yennenga and a prize worth2,000,000 CFA ($4,000) for thepromotion of African culture.

In five short years, Zain lit acontinent with its values of Heart,Radiance and Belonging, leavingit a truly ‘wonderful world.’

The battle of the brains in the Zain Africa Challenge

Zain signed for theMillennium Village Project(MVP), a science-based,bottom-up approach tolifting rural villages out ofthe poverty trap thatafflicts more than a billionpeople worldwide

The MAMA event featured multiple collaborations among artists from different countries and music genres


GIVING BACK

With its commitment to supportingsport and the needs of the

disabled, Zain was a key sponsor of theShaikh Faisal bin Hamad Al KhalifaMemorial Trophy 2010, a golftournament held to raise funds forBahrain Mobility International (BMI) andthe Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation(BDSF). Organized by BMI and managed

by the Royal Golf Club, the event washeld on April 9-10 with 160 participants.

The annual golf tournament was heldunder the patronage of His MajestyKing Hamad and in memory of his lateson, Sheikh Faisal, who was anhonorary president of the BDSF andan avid supporter of BMI.

Zain launched is encouragingBahraini women to take up careers

by sponsoring the ‘IT Project Award,’which offers female high schoolstudents scholarships to attend thekingdom’s Royal University for Women(RUW). To win the first award of its kindin Bahrain, competitors first chosefrom three projects: the design andcreation of a global website thatreflects the geographical or historicalsignificance of Bahrain, the creation ofa small application or game using anyprogramming language, or the mostinnovative use of any application(Flash, Photoshop, etc.).

Offered in collaboration with RUWand held under the patronage of HerHighness Shaikha Jawaher bintMohammed Bin Salman Al Khalifa,entries were judged by a panel of IT

professionals. The top three winnerswere given cash prizes of BD 1,000,BD 500 and BD 250, respectively,and were accepted to study IT at RUW.

SWINGING FOR A WORTHYCAUSE

BAHRAIN

Annual golf tournament for thedisabled teed up to raise funds for BMI and BDSF

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS‘IT Project Award’ encourages female students to followcareers in IT

Making a differenceZain’s contributions to the social andeconomic development of its communities


To underscore its commitment to improving thequality of life for disabled people, Zain unveiled a

special telecoms package that consists of 117 mobilehandsets with no rental fees and minimal per-minute callcharges that were handed out disabled graduates tosupport the their quest for independence andproductivity. The donation is part of a series of Zainprograms aimed at alleviating the problems thissegment of society faces on a daily basis. The companypreviously donated special handsets to the hearingimpaired at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Center forHearing and Speech and gave special computers to thevisually-impaired at the Saudi Bahrain Friendship Society.Zain is also a key supporter of the Al Rahma Center,which cares for children with mental disabilities.

CARE GIVERSSpecial telecoms packageimproves lives

The Services Center for the Disabled (SCD) at the Ministryof Social Development honored Zain for its support of

the disabled community and the company’s recruitment ofdisabled job seekers. Zain offered various positions to alarge group of qualified disabled job applicants in line withthe Gulf Week for the Disabled.

During the seven-day event, the SCD encouraged various othercompanies to follow Zain’s example and similarly employdisabled people qualified to fill available job vacancies. For itspart in helping the disabled, Zain hopes to increase its workwith the SCD and continually employ members of thecommunity for positions at the company.

NEW OPPORTUNITIESDisabled job seekers aregiven the chance to jointhe workforce

Aspiring tech specialists will get theopportunity to participate in the

‘Zain Dream Project,’ a mentoringprogram that will see winning entriesbecome working projects at ZainBahrain. The six-month event is designedto encourage the youth to think outsidethe box when it comes to technologyand use it in new, innovative ways.Mentors will be assigned to eachcontestant to help guide them duringthe creative process.

Held under the patronage of ShaikhFawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa,President of the General Organization forYouth and Sports (GOYS), the ‘ZainDream Project,’ will bring together 300 ofthe brightest young minds and mentors.The project is part of the ‘Zain eShabab –The Innovation Challenge’ program,which is now in its second year, and willbe managed by a committee consistingof representatives from Zain eShabab aswell as GOYS, eGovernment Authority,

Gulf Future Business and the BahrainInternet Society.

The program is a combination of threemain elements: training, guidance and acompetition. During the first week,participants will be briefed by expertsfrom around the world on competitionguidelines, eGoverment services,electronic content, innovation, creativity,unified communications evolution andinternational competitions. During thesecond stage of the challenge,participants will be divided into teamsand work on their respective projectswith the help of a mentor. Sixty teams willthen be selected; they will next be shortlisted to 30 by the jury panel. The nextround will involve a project presentation,after which 18 finalists will be selected.There will be three winning teams ineach category, and they will also benominated to represent Bahrain in Araband international competitions.

‘Zain Dream Project’ winners will beannounced in early September.

EMPOWERING DREAMS‘Dream Project’ gives unique opportunities to aspiring tech professionals


JORDAN

Zain showcased its belief in theability of women to contribute to

corporate success by participating inthe Women’s Career Expo, which washeld over three days in January underthe patronage of Her Royal HighnessPrincess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim AlKhalifa. The company acceptedapplications for job vacancies and formembership on its FUN team, whichmentors young university graduates,providing them with valuable workexperience.

The telecom industry in Bahrain iswell-suited to employing women,because it is a high-tech, service-oriented nature of the work that tapsinto their education, experience and

people skills. Around 33% of ZainBahrain’s workforce is comprised ofwomen, and around 91% of all

In April, Zain launched ‘CreativityWithout Limits,’ an initiative to incubate

and utilize the ideas of Jordanianuniversity students. The program focuses

on motivating students in the fields ofcommunications and IT by providingfinancial and technical support as well astraining. In order to spread awareness of

‘Creativity Without Limits,’ Zain is using itsFuture University Network (FUN), whichaims to encourage those with innovativeideas or projects to apply to the program.

employees are Bahraini, making thecompany one of the leadingemployers of Bahrainis.

Zain has once again proved itscommitment to people with special

needs by joining forces with the BahrainDeaf Society and training a personwhose hearing is impaired to workalongside other service professionals atthe Zain Bahrain Video Call Center. This

is the first time that an organization inBahrain is providing a customizedcommunications service to meet theneeds of the hard of hearing, usingsuperior technology to tie togethervisual aids to communicate with thesecustomers. The specialized services and

products – including MMS, videotelephony and Internet services – notonly offer the hard of hearingunmatched visual access to the world oftelecommunications, but are also amajor step forward towards integratingpeople with special needs into society.

FOCUSING ON SPECIAL NEEDSInnovative services and products offer the hard of hearingnew ways to communicate

PROMOTING EQUALITYParticipation at the Women’s Career Expo highlights acommitment to women in the workforce

INCUBATING IDEAS‘Creativity Without Limits’ is launched to harness innovationsfrom university students


A WORKING PARTNERSHIPTwo agreements provide much needed assistance toUNWRA’s 5 million Palestinian refugees

THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGEThe education fund continues to provide opportunities forunderprivileged students

In February, Zain distributededucation grants for the academic

year through its education fund,launched in 2004 to provide studentswith equal educational opportunitiesirrespective of their financial situation.Since its launch, Zain has donated 180grants, assisting three types ofstudents: non-Jordanian students whoare financially unable to enroll at state

universities; students who live belowthe poverty line, and students withspecial needs. Zain’s education fund isone of the company’s most importantpartnerships with the Ministry ofeducation. Supporting Jordan’seducation sector has always been apriority for Zain, because it feeds aknowledge-based economy. Otherprojects include a mobile

telecommunications lab at the JordanUniversity of Science and Technology(JUST), while Zain also spearheaded aninitiative to computerize the nationalscience curriculum from grades 1-12 aspart of the Jordan Education Initiative.The company also launched the ‘PC forEvery Teacher’ fund and adopted anumber of public schools as part of theMadrasati Initiative (see opposite).

Zain Group and Zain Jordan signedtwo cooperative agreements with the

United Nations Relief and Works Agencyfor Palestine Refugees in the Near East(UNRWA) to support and finance theagency’s largely underfunded health andeducation projects and extend a helpinghand to around 5 million Palestinianrefugees in the Middle East. The twoagreements – marking the launch of aregional SMS fund-raising campaign anda relief fund dedicated to Palestinianrefugees in Jordan – are part of a widerstrategic agreement that was signedbetween Zain Jordan and UNRWA inNovember 2009. The partnership is thefirst between the UN humanitarianorganization and a private sectorcompany.

The first agreement, signed by ZainGroup CEO Nabeel Bin Salamah andUNRWA’s Commissioner GeneralFilippo Grandi, was to launch aregional six-week fund-raising mediacampaign to mark UNRWA’s 60-yearanniversary and promote its values andobjectives. Zain’s 31 million customerswill be able to donate money toUNRWA programs in Jordan, Lebanon,Syria, the Gaza Strip and the occupiedWest Bank by sending an SMS to

specially assigned numbers, allproceeds of which will go to UNRWA.The second agreement, signed by ZainJordan CEO Dr Abdul Malek Al Jaber,will establish a relief fund and allocatean annual budget to improve the livingconditions of Palestinian refugees inJordan by providing financial aid fortheir families.

Since it began operations in 1950,UNRWA has been the primary source

of aid for around five million refugeesin the Middle East. The agency hasbeen providing services to fourgenerations of displaced people,including food, clothes, shelter,education and healthcare. In Jordan,the agency operates in 10 officialcamps, where over 337,000, out ofsome 1.9 million registered refugees,live. It works in 27 camps in Palestine,hosting over 690,000 out of 1.6 million registered refugees.

A show of unity: Zain Jordan CEO Abdul Malek Al Jaber, UNRWA's Commissioner General FilippoGrandi and Zain Group CEO Nabeel Bin Salamah ink the agreement


Teams from Zain were among the first towelcome more than 121 survivors from the

Gaza Freedom Flotilla, who crossed over theborder into Jordan after a tragic ordeal thattriggered international condemnation. Thepeace activists, who were attempting to carryhumanitarian aid into Gaza, came under firefrom Israeli forces and were later stripped of allmeans of communication. Zain provided thesurvivors from different Arab countries –including Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE – withmobile handsets and lines, enabling them tocommunicate with loved ones.

Zain Jordan CEO Dr. Abdel Malek Al Jaberstressed that it was part of the company’snational duty to support the victims and theircause, and show sympathy towards thosewho lost all means of communication withtheir families after Israeli forces confiscatedtheir phones.

Commemorating Deaf Children Weekfrom April 20-27, Zain organized

special activities for children at the AlAmal School for the Deaf in Zarqa. Theschool is one of five sponsored by Zainas part of the first and second stages ofthe Madrasati Initiative, which includesthe maintenance and rehabilitation offour other schools in Amman,Muwaqqar, Jerash and Ajloun.

In addition to the activities, the occasionalso included a free medical day and avisit to the Children’s Museum. Doctorsat Zain’s fully equipped mobile clinicattended to all 70 students at the school,providing them with various medical careand necessary medication. At the

Children’s Museum in Amman –established by Her Majesty Queen RaniaAl Abdullah to develop children’s

learning abilities and creative capabilities– the students were given a special tourof the more than 150 educationalexhibits – including those in thecommunications and IT section that weresponsored by Zain – specially designedfor children up to the age of 14.

The Madrasati Initiative incorporatesZain’s objective to support theeducation sector and will continue toreceive the company’s support foranother four years. Overall, thecompany will donate a total of $500,000over the course of the program, whichwas launched by Queen Rania torehabilitate and develop 500 schoolsacross the Kingdom.

SUPPORTING FREEDOMProviding connectivity to survivors from theGaza Freedom Flotilla

BACKING EDUCATIONSupport for the Madrasati Initiative continues to bring aid to 500schools across Jordan, including the Al Amal School for the Deaf


HIGHER LEARNINGThe ‘PC for Every Teacher’ program gets off to a grand start

Launched in February 2010, the ‘PCfor Every Teacher’ campaign is a

program to provide all employees atthe Ministry of Education with acomprehensive bundle, consisting of acomputer, Internet subscription andconnection line at a discounted fee.Also included is a CD from the JordanEducation Initiative that provides

information to help develop and boostcomputer skills.

Established in cooperation with theMinistries of Education andInformation and CommunicationsTechnology as well as the JordanEducation Initiative, Zain beganreceiving applications in June. The

company has designated JD 3 millionas an initial budget for the campaignand looks forward to investing in futureprojects and introducing newtechnologies to help advance Jordan’sinfrastructure and human capital. It isalso hoped that the program will raiseInternet penetration to 50% by theyear 2012.

SERVING THE COMMUNITYContributions to the Saint Lourdes Healthcare Center makemedical aid more accessible

mtctouch donated$20,000 to buy

medical equipment for theSaint Lourdes HealthcareCenter in Ghadir, Jounieh,which has been providingsubsidized healthcare to thelocal community since itsestablishment in 2009. Thecenter is able to extend itsmedical services to allLebanese thanks to thedonations from the businesscommunity, which hassupported the institution sinceit began operations a year ago.

A WORTHY GOALSupporting the work of institutions that cater to the those withspecial needs

For the fifth consecutive year, mtctouch continued to champion the

physically and mentally challenged byrenewing its support for both the AlYounbouh Rehabilitation Center forPeople with Special Needs and theLebanese Autism Society. In May, the

company sponsored two events: “Drawa smile and Walk with Al Younbouh” atthe Fouad Chehab stadium in Jounieh,and the 10th annual Lebanese AutismSociety’s Fun Day, which was held indowntown Beirut. Both institutions aretireless in their efforts to raise

awareness about the need torehabilitate young people with specialneeds, which is why mtc touch – in linewith the company’s core values ofRadiance, Heart and Belonging – worksdiligently to help them achieve theirstated goals.

LEBANON


INVESTING IN THE YOUTHA fun-filled activity program commemorates World Orphan Day

SAUDI ARABIA

SUDAN

To mark World OrphanDay on May 7, Zain KSA,

in collaboration with PrinceSultan Bin Abdul AzizScience and TechnologyCenter (Sci-Tech), organizedan activity program for agroup of children from thePrince Sultan SocialEducation Center in Damam.

The children visited Sci-Tech,where they were given aguided tour of the more than

350 exhibits, including theIMAX dome, an astronomicalobservatory. Many of theexhibits were interactive,allowing the children to learnthrough entertainment,experience and observation.The trip was organized bythe Shabab Tamouh(Ambitious Youth) program,which was founded by ZainKSA in May 2010 to promotevolunteer and social workamong the youth.

THE GOOD EARTHProtecting the environment

On the occasion of WorldEnvironment Day on June 5, Zain

launched an awareness campaign andsigned an agreement with a recyclingcompany, to handle excess paper fromall Zain KSA branches and which willcurb and reduce methane emissions.

The agreement will also provide paperrecycling companies with more rawmaterial at low prices, therebydecreasing dependence on importedpaper manufacturing material.Zain highlighted the importance ofwater rationing by sending SMS alerts

to its customers. In March, Zain alsoparticipated in Earth Hour byorganizing a conference stressing theneed for permanent electricityrationing. It also cut off the powersupply to its main headquarters inRiyadh for one hour during the event.

GOODWILL INITIATIVESOrganizing fun-filled events to benefitchildren with diabetes and orphans

In June, Zain Sudan organized a daycamp for 500 diabetic children in

cooperation with the Sudan ChildhoodDiabetic Association and the InternationalDiabetes Association. Held at the AlQurashi Amusement Park in Khartoum,the entertainment program consisted of aday’s fun at the park - which also has azoo - as well as contests, a puppet show,several magic shows and an eveningprogram of music and comedy.

Earlier, on April 8 and 10, ZainSudan celebrated Arab OrphanDay with a program of entertainingactivities and festivities. On the firstday, Zain management visited the AlMayqouma Home for Orphans andUnsupported Children, which thecompany has supported for three yearsby providing the institution withfurnishings as well as a fully equippedambulance. On the second day, Zain

organized an outing to the OmdurmanAl Kubra Gardens (Magic Land), invitingmore than 160 orphans supported bythe USWA volunteer charity, which wasestablished by employees from Zain’sCustomer Care Department to providesocial services for orphans.


THE CLASS OF 2010Ceremony honors and rewards top high school graduates

KUWAIT

In line with its focus on educationaldevelopment that is the core of

Zain’s corporate social responsibility(CSR) policy, the company hosted aceremony in its Kuwait offices in Julyto honor and award prizes to Kuwait’stop graduating high school students.The event was just one of the manycommunity education initiatives thatthe company is supporting.

In attendance at the ceremony wereZain Group Chief Executive Officer,Nabeel Bin Salamah (right) and ZainGroup Chief Operating Officer, BarrakAl Sabeeh along with officials from theKuwaiti education sector. In hisspeech, Zain Group CEO, Nabeel Bin

Salamah, stressed the company’scommitment to CSR, referring to it as“the new reality.” He also highlightedthe cooperation among Zain, Ciscoand the University of Kuwait in aprogram that will train more than 90teachers from various schools acrossKuwait to bridge the information

technology gap. Along with the FutureUniversity Network, a youthdevelopment initiative that encouragesuniversity students to invest inthemselves under Zain’s mentorship, itis part of the company’s long-termcommitment to champion education in Kuwait.

GREEN TEAMEarth Hour highlights the need forincreased environmental awareness

Earth Hour in March got aboost with the participation

of Zain, which was eager toshow its support for theenvironment. Lights at the Zainhead office, as well as devicesand equipment, were turnedoff at the pre-set hour of 8:30pm. Zain hopes that afterparticipating in the worldwideevent, other companies and

institutions will follow suit,promote the Worldwide Fundfor Nature and join the fightagainst global warming. Thecompany’s involvement withEarth Hour also hopes tohighlight the need forenvironmental awareness andaddress the growing problemof climate change. Even in thedark, Zain is showing the way.

FROM PAST TO PRESENTThe ‘Dewaniya Box’ brings back a taste of tradition and culture

Dewaniya Box,’ an initiative kickstarted in May, aims to revive Kuwaiti

heritage and strengthen the channels ofsocial interaction between the companyand its customers. Highlighting Kuwait’sunique culture, each box contains two

decks of cards, dominos, checkers (damain Kuwait) and a kot bo sita score padand pen. The brainchild of Zain’s youngKuwaiti employees, the gift box reflectsthe proud history of dewaniyas, thecountry’s traditional gathering places,

bringing to the present a part of thepast. Part of the initiative is the onlineguide to dewaniyas in Kuwait(www.dewancom.kw), which showcasesinformation about the historic venuesacross the country.


ORPHANS GET SPECIAL ATTENTIONPartnership with leading NGO targets the less fortunate

IRAQ

Zain Iraq has developed some of itsCSR activities with Life for Relief

and Development, a civil societyorganization that cares for orphansand widows, and which is one of thelargest humanitarian organizationsoperating in the country.

Supporting Iraq’s orphans each yearhas become a tradition within thecompany, helping ensure that thesekids get a basic education and receiveadequate healthcare. Zain takes careof them during the holy month ofRamadan, and the company alsoreceives quarterly progress reports oneach of the orphans it sponsors.

Life for Relief and Development valuesZain’s extensive support for itsdevelopment programs, which it seesas a potential blueprint for othercompanies and institutions seeking toembrace similar CSR initiatives. Zainwas also among the first companies tocome to the assistance of homelessand displaced families in the al-Nahrawan and Jakouk regions.

Zain has once again shown that it canstill play a major role in the communityin a country that still faces manychallenges. It embraces thesechallenges with relish, findinginnovative ways to make a difference.

RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS Campaign teaches children about the dangers of a flu pandemic

In coordination with the Ministries ofHealth and Education, Zain has

launched an extensive campaign inschools across Iraq to raise awarenessabout influenza pandemics, especiallyin those areas considered most at risk.

Zain printed and distributed literatureon massive flu outbreaks and how tomaintain hygiene as well as handedout vital medical supplies such asmasks, which reduce the transmissionof airborne germs. The company’smedical unit also gave lectures onhealth awareness to students in theparticipating schools.

The campaign was widely applaudedby all, especially in remote areas whereZain health teams were able to extendtheir reach, playing an important rolein curbing the spread of thisdangerous disease in Iraq, a countrythat is more prone than others to thespread of diseases due to the low levelof healthcare and sanitation.

It is hoped that the initiative will pavethe way for similar campaigns. Manyschools and kindergartens are nowbetter prepared thanks to this effortand intense cooperation, which wasbased on the company’s profoundbelief that laying the foundations of a

healthy and civilized society iseveryone’s responsibility. Zain’sprevious campaigns includedappealing for blood donationsfollowing bomb attacks, andinnoculating against poliomyelitis andother diseases.

Beauty everywhere You can see it with your mind, hear it with your heart and savor it with your soul.


METROPOLIS

Between April 29 and June 1, celebrating its ‘wonderfulworld,’ ‘Zain Bahrain Wonders’ was an activity-filledprogram for employees, customers, the disabled,

women, foreign workers and the media. In fact, the events

aimed to enrich the connection between the company andall Bahrainis, and celebrate the Zain way of life. The‘Wonders’ campaign consisted of fun contests, games andcompetitions, with plenty of prizes, entertainment, outings,films and community gatherings that brought together allthe people of the Gulf island.

Here are some of the highlights

FILIPINOS CELEBRATE LABOR DAYOn Labor Day, Zain connected with the Filipino communitywith a party in Segaya, which was attended by hundreds ofFilipino families. The event featured a cookery contest toselect the best chef in the community, a Karaoke competitionthat tapped the Filipino love for music, a sing-along and anexciting spin-and-win game with fun prizes for all. There wasalso complimentary food and a barbeque for guests.

REACHING OUT TO THE WORKFORCEEight hundred and fifty workers at the BRAMCO camp in

Zain Bahrain delivers fun and entertainmentto all who live in the island kingdom

A month of wonder

Zainers enjoy the cinema

Zain's Wonder-ful World

BAHRAIN


Askar were treated to an evening of Bollywood music,dancing and interactive fun as well as games and prizes.The evening, which also included an interactive sessionwith teachers from the Art of Living Foundation on stressmanagement techniques, ended with a dinner for all those present.

VOUCHERS FOR ALL AT SEEF MALLCustomers visiting Seef Mall and Bahrain City Center Mallreceived a surprise ‘Wonder’ encounter with a Zain Butterfly,which offered a cash shopping voucher worth betweenBD10 ($27) and BD5 ($13).

SHOPPERS ENJOY SUNDAY WONDERSThose looking to fine-tune their telecom experience orupgrade their technology could not have chosen a bettertime than ‘Wonder Sunday’, when Zain’s customers weretreated to some unbeatable offers, such as year-rounddiscounts on the Hewar postpaid packages and othervaluable treats available at any of the Zain Experience shopsacross the Kingdom.

SURPRISES AND INSTANT GIFTSCustomers who visited any of the 11 Zain Experience shops

on Tuesdays to pay their bills, top-up or subscribe to a newmobile number were in for a big surprise when theydiscovered a giant spin-and-win wheel of fortune and 12prizes to be won. Prizes included Bahrain Air tickets, AlAyam vouchers, Samsung handsets, Dana Cinema tickets,Adhari tickets, spa treatment vouchers, kids’ gamevouchers, an oud, t-shirts and other Zain goodies.

SANDSTORM FAILS TO DAMPEN THE MOODThe unexpected sandstorm that whipped across Bahrain inMay failed to dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of Zainerswho gathered for a charity fun day with a motorsport theme atthe Bahrain International Circuit. Zainers were treated toHummer rides, track racing and family fun.

ZAINERS GO BOWLINGThere was bowling for over 300 customers at Magic Planetat the Bahrain City Center. The participants – whoregistered by sending *555# from their mobiles to Zain –enjoyed a great evening in a Zain-branded bowling area,where teams competed for exciting prizes. To add a bit ofzing to the event, a special bowling ball appeared atrandom intervals in one of the lanes and was given to theplayer on the lane.

Balloons, chocolate, and giveaways at the Bahrain Down Syndrome Society

Over 300 Zainers bowl at Magic Planet Wahooo, the state-of-the-art indoor water park at the City Center Mall

The Wonders campaignconsisted of fun contests,games and competitions,with plenty of prizes,entertainment, outingsand community gatherings


HUMANITARIAN GESTURE INSPIRES THE COMMUNITYZain donated BD3,500 ($9,300) to refurbish a workers camp inSalmabad as part of its ‘Humanitarian Gesture Wonder’. Theneeds of the camp were identified by the Workers Welfaresubcommittee of the Indian Ladies Association (ILA), which willassist in supervising the project. Zain will refurbish the kitchensand toilet areas of the camp, in which 150 workers live, to givethem a safer and cleaner living space. Meanwhile, inspired byZain’s contribution, the ILA not only donated its supervisionskills, but also BD300 ($795) as a contribution toward thesmaller essential repairs in the camp.

GETTING WET AND WONDERFUL AT WAHOOO ANDLPODCustomers at Manama’s City Center Mall were treated to agreat wet time at Wahooo, the state-of-the-art indoor waterpark in the mall. The event attracted many families whoenjoyed the cool environment of water slides, big wave ridesand water chute fun.

Elsewhere, at the Lost Paradise of Dilmun (LPOD), Zaincustomers also enjoyed a splashing good time at Bahrain’sunique water park, where fun rides and a film at the drive-inmovie theater awaited them.

RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE IN THE WORKFORCEThe honoring of hardworking people continued when thecompany joined hands with the Bahrain Young LadiesAssociation to reward women who work as school cleanersand who play a role in maintaining a healthy and cleanenvironment for Bahraini children.

NEWCOMERS WELCOMED TO THE ‘WONDERFUL WORLD’Zain and the Bharati Association treated nearly 1,500workers from over 14 small workers camps across theKingdom to a ‘Wonders Evening Out’. The tribute, whichthe Bharati Association held on May 21, was dedicated to

Zain Butterflies hand out shopping tokens

BD 3,500 ($9,300) wasdonated to refurbish aworkers camp in Salmabad aspart of Zain’s ‘HumanitarianGesture Wonder’


the many workers who labor alongsidetheir Bahraini brothers in building theKingdom. The event featured a music anddance program and saw the participationof workers in an interactive show thatincluded games, plenty of prizes and goodfood. The event took place at the IndianSchool, and the guest of honor was IndianAmbassador Dr. George Joseph.

MAGIC AT ADHARI PARKGuests enjoyed a fun weekend with freerides, contests, games and snacks atAdhari park after they registered bysending *555# from their mobile phones.

BUTTERFLIES DELIGHT DOWNSYNDROME SOCIETY MEMBERSZain staff members visited the Bahrain DownSyndrome Society, accompanied by thepopular Zain Wonder Butterflies. There, theydistributed balloons, chocolates, giveawaysand school supplies.

The Zain Bahrain Drag Racing Team took 3rd place in thefinal of the recent Bahrain Drag Racing Championship, withdriver Mohammad Salameh hitting speeds of 275 kilometersper hour. This was the first of many competitions that the

company is looking forward to taking part in, and it servedas good test for next season when Zain Bahrain will becompeting with more than one car. It could prove to be ahot year on the tarmac for Zain’s drivers!

Burning rubber

The carnival at Adhari Park on Labor Day


METROPOLIS

Iraq’s victory at the 2007 AsianCup was a particularly proud

moment for Zain, which is thesponsor of the Zain Iraq FootballLeague. The unforgettable eventcertainly had a positive impact on sport in Iraq and united theIraqi people. This season, Zain hasdedicated much of its CSRinitiatives to Iraqi football, as wellas placing importance on building

the community through footballand engaging the youth in sport.

To further highlight its commitmentto athletics, Zain Iraq also formedits own football team, which camesecond in the Companies UnionChampionship in Cairo. Zain alsosupports the Iraqi NationalOlympic Committee and the IraqiOlympic Champions School.

Tens of thousands of Jordaniansjoined Zain in May to celebrate 64

years of Jordanian Independence at AlHussein Public Park (left). Emceed bylocal presenter Mohammad Al Wakeel,the day-long celebrations also featuredperformances by popular Jordaniansinger Omar Al Abdallat, Al LawziyyeenGroup, Amman Municipality Group aswell as a fireworks display. This is thesixth consecutive year that Zain hashosted the event, which kicked off with ashow at the Royal Automobile Museum.A number of performances by the publicdefense band and Al Fursan acousticsfollowed, after which Zain’s celebrationsbegan in earnest.

IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN IRAQ

JORDAN

Love of football unites a country

A MOMENTOUS OCCASIONCelebrating Independence Day with a bang

Zain’s entertainment activities across all itsoperations

A wonderful world


The 10-day ‘Zain City’ exhibitionattracted an unprecedented half a

million visitors, a 150% increase fromlast year’s event. It proved the largestgathering ever of telecom dealers inKuwait and saw record breaking salesof a variety of Zain services – includingZain savings packages, lines and datatransmission services. The exhibitionshowcased the latest communicationstechnology in voice and datatransmissions, as well as smart phonesand laptops. A raffle also saw thepresentation of a number of prizes, themost valuable of which was a 2010Audi SUV. An auction of diamond phone lines

Elissa, Abdullah Al Ruwaished and Majed AlMohandess (left) mingled with fans and signed

autographs at the star-studded launch of Zain Createin Kuwait City. Zain create is an exclusiveentertainment experience allowing Zain customersto preview and download pre-releases, full trackaudio (MP3) & full track video (MP4) files directly tothe mobile & PC. In addition to Kuwait, Zain Createis available in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, KSA, Lebanonand Sudan.

Riyadh hosted the 2010 ‘Akeshnaha and Zain’ motorsportsfestival, held under the auspices of His Royal Highness Prince

Sultan Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, General President of Youth Welfareand organized by the Saudi Federation for Cars and Motorcycles.The highlight was the largest car race in the Kingdom, involvingmore than 15 high performance vehicles (right).

was also organizedin cooperation withthe Kuwaiti GroupCompany for PublicAuctions. The topselling number,90000000, was soldfor a whopping116,500 KuwaitiDinars (over$400,000), makingit the mostexpensive line soldin Kuwait. In total,15 diamond lines were sold, for a totalof over $1 million, each of which willenjoy one year of free local calls on

the Zain network and five gigabytes ofdata transfer per month in addition toBlackBerry, SMS and MMS services.

AN UNPRECEDENTED EVENTKUWAIT

Exhibition attracts nearly half a million visitors

START YOUR ENGINESSAUDI ARABIA

Motorsports festival providesfun and entertainment for all

MEETING THE STARS


METROPOLIS

Soccer excitement is enjoyed by all Zain customers

World Cup fever pitch

Instead of the usual, football-related offers, ten lucky winners won customized chopper motorbikes!

Zain launched a variety ofpackages and special offers to

mark the World Cup. They included alimited edition version of the E-2010data transfer device in the shape of afootball, which was available at allZain branches and distributors. Zainalso signed an exclusive agreement

with Sony International to use theWorld Cup album, which includes“Waka Waka”, the official World Cupanthem, allowing both prepaid andpostpaid Zain customers to accessthe music on Zain Create. There werealso daily prizes of iPhones andBlackBerrys. Furthermore, in

partnership with Mobilink and Mirrorfootball magazine, Zain offered$10,000 worth of finale prizes andtickets to the final in Cape Town.Finally 10 ‘Big Bear’ choppers (below)were also on offer to contestantsfrom Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, KSA, andSudan, as well as Kuwait.

KUWAIT


During the 2010 FIFA World Cup inSouth Africa, Bahraini football fans

flocked to the Zain Football Zone (left) atthe Bahrain City Center to watch thematches. A splash of color was also added,thanks to the attendance of Zain-GOYSTalent Identification Program participants,who painted their faces with the flags ofthe competing nations. Music, includingthe World Cup anthem, was also part of theprogram, as were the enthusiastic cheers of“Zain! Zain! Zain!”. Extra features added tothe fanfare, including an interactive videocreated by Zain and the Nokia SiemensNetwork, in which a football match issimulated and users can take on the role ofeither striker or goalkeeper.

BAHRAIN

As Lebanese fans went delirious withfootball fever during the World

Cup month, Zain affiliate mtc touchlaunched a $5 limited edition rechargecard (left) to celebrate the tournament.Magic customers using the coupon torecharge their lines could enter one offour draws to win hundreds of valuableprizes, including PlayStations and 32LCD television sets.

Similar efforts were made to bringWorld Cup fever to all in KSA. Zain

added a new feature to its Mazaya Zainmultichannel package, giving customersunlimited access to the Al-JazeeraSports channel, with no minimumconsumption limit during the first monthof subscribing to the service. Zain alsoinvited fans to watch the games at itsnew sports hall at the Prince FaisalOlympic Complex (right), the first of itskind built by a private Saudi enterprise.It was equipped with giant screens andstands large enough to accommodatehundreds of fans, allowing them toenjoy the matches with high-qualitysound and catering facilities.

SAUDI ARABIA

LEBANON


MOBILE LIFE

iPads propel Apple to the forefront of thetech industry, overtaking Microsoft

The amazing race

This May, Apple surpassedMicrosoft as the world’s mostvaluable technology company in

terms of market capitalization. Nowthe second most valuable company inAmerica after petroleum giant Exxon,Apple is worth, according to WallStreet, a stunning $222 billion, a figurehigher than the GDP of most of theworld’s nations.

Apple’s present valuation is all the moreremarkable considering that just adecade earlier the company wasconsidered a has been, a quirky once-rival to the Microsoft juggernaut thathad been consigned to the dustbin ofcomputer history. Instead, the return ofthe company’s founder, Steve Jobs, tothe company’s helm in 1997, after havingbeen forced out ten years earlier, set thestage for the greatest turnaround in thehistory of Silicon Valley – a turnaroundthat shows no signs of letting up giventhe popularity of Apple’s latest superstarproduct, the iPad.

The iPad, a touch screen tablet computerthat first hit the market in April,represents a bridge of sorts betweenApple’s original line of products, itspersonal computers, and the devicesthat have driven its current comeback –namely, the iPod and the iPhone. Assuch, the iPad goes a long way towardexplaining the unrivaled position Appleoccupies in the tech world.

The iPad isn’t just a new product, butrather a whole new class of devices.But the idea for a tablet computer – adevice that functions much like alaptop but without a keyboard ormouse so that it can be used with onehand, or in bed – has been around for

more than 20 years. Indeed Apple’sfirst try at the tablet market was in1993 when the company released theMessagePad, an early version of thePDA. As a result of its cost and variousdifficulties with its handwritingreception technology, the MessagePadnever really caught on and wasdiscontinued in 1998.

In the years after, other companies,including Microsoft, continued tomarket tablet-like products, but theynever amounted to more than a sliverof the computing market. Meanwhile,Apple, with Steve Jobs back in charge,went about laying the groundwork fora revolution in personal technology.

The spearhead of that revolution wasApple’s digital media player, the iPod.As with the iPad, Apple wasn’t the firstcompany to market such devices.

Instead, Jobs saw that the devicesbeing sold at the turn of themillennium were clunky and had userinterfaces that were, in Jobs’ words,“awful.”

Sleek and user-friendly are what Appledoes best, and seeing that consumerswere increasingly getting their musiconline rather than in the record store,

Now the secondmost valuablecompany inAmerica, Apple isworth a stunning$222 billion

The young are getting in on the action


Apple began developing a kind ofwalkman for the Internet age. The firstiPod hit stores in 2001. The result wasnothing less than a culturalphenomenon. In the almost nine yearssince its release, Apple has sold a

staggering 250 million units,transforming the way the world listensto and purchases music.

But the iPod was only the first step inApple’s ascendency. Their next leap

applications of the company’sMacBook computers. The result was aphone that, along with giving usersthe power to listen to their music, talkto friends and check emails, alsoallowed them to surf the web the

forward was an arguablyeven more transformativeproduct, the iPhone. Onceagain seeing an opening,Apple decided to enter themobile phone market. Themarket share forsmartphones – Internetcapable devices thatcombine the capabilities ofmobile phones and PDAs –was growing, driven inparticular by the rise of theBlackBerry, which gaveusers the ability to receiveemails on their mobiles forthe first time.

BlackBerry users, however,can only access a pareddown version of theInternet and, moreover, thedevices have only limitedhard drive space for music.Apple decided to fuse theiPod’s music-playingcapability with the smoothOS and popular

The iPad, atouch screentabletcomputerthat first hitthe market inApril, hasalreadygarneredsalesexceedingtwo million

Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, explains the iPad


same way they would on their laptops.Those features, however, probablywould have mattered little if it weren’tfor the new product’s physicalappearance. Indeed, upon its release

the iPhone was instantly recognized asthe prettiest phone in the room.

Four models and 43 million iPhoneslater, the device had cementedApple’s unprecedented positionamong American companies. It didn’tjust lead the market in sales, it wieldeda virtual monopoly on cool. Applewasn’t just influencing the aestheticsensibility of the era, it wasdetermining it.

Enter the iPad. It is a mark of thecultural cachet Apple has establishedthat in the weeks and months precedingthe iPad’s release, speculation in thepopular media as to just what Apple’snewest product would be reached analmost absurd fever pitch.

The world’s number one technologycompany did not disappoint. Barely acentimeter thick, less than half a kilo inweight, but with 10 hours of battery life,the iPad is basically a portable 10-inchtouch screen in the shape of an iPhone.

The driving innovation, however, is thedevice’s use of Apps. While the iPadcomes with Apple’s most popularapplications – including Safari, itsInternet browser, iTunes, Mail, Photos,Video, YouTube, Maps, Notes,Calendar, Contacts, and SpotlightSearch – pre-installed, it is theiBookstore app and the ability todownload, either for free or for a fee,third-party applications that havegenerated the most interest amongthe media and public.

ZAIN KUWAIT IPAD-FRIENDLYMICRO SIM CARDS Zain Kuwait has launched new,smaller micro sim cards across all itsbranches. With more dataapplications, the cards arecompatible with smart phones andApple’s iPad and use 3G technology.At 12x15 mm, they are smaller thanregular sim cards, but, for a nominal5-dinar fee, Zain customers can swaptheir old cards with the new oneswhile keeping the same number,ensuring that they are constantly atthe heart of the digital revolution.

Past and present Apple legends


Expanding on the iPhone, which firstcatapulted downloadable applicationsinto one of the most lucrative elementsof the mobile phone business, the iPadallows users access to some quartermillion (and growing every day)applications they can download ontotheir devices. The apps themselves spaneverything from education toentertainment and in their proliferationhave given rise to a whole new industryfor small companies: app design.

Not content to just create newindustries, Apple is also saving old ones.Publishing, which has been in a tailspinfor decades, may finally be on the vergeof a revival thanks to the iPad’siBookstore. Through it, users canpurchase books, rapidly download thetext and then read it on a screen that forthe first time rivals the printed page interms of clarity, ease and mobility. Justas Apple’s iTunes offered a way for themusic industry to stop the bleedingcaused by the Internet and the illegal filesharing it facilitates, iBookstore nowoffers salvation for publishing, which wasalso adversely affected by the Internet.

The ability to single-handedly revivewhole industries, almost as anafterthought, is a testament to Apple’sremarkable reach. It’s not for nothingthat the little start up responsible forthe advent of the personal computer30 years ago is now, according toForbes Magazine, the most admiredcompany in the world.

In the almost nineyears since itsrelease, Apple hassold a staggering250 million iPods,transforming theway the worldlistens to andpurchases music

It brings out the zany in its devotees


MOBILE LIFE

The much awaited takeoff of in-flight Internet

Surfing the skies

With wireless Internet nowoffered in every self-respecting café, lounge and

hotel in the region, it would seem onlynatural to desire or even expect thisservice in a place where whiling awayhours is often crucial: airplane cabins.While this has not been overlooked bythe giants of the airplane industry –

and many carriers now offer in-flightInternet on select flights – sendingemails, checking the news and mid-aironline instant messaging has yet tobecome the norm.

All this is set to change as in-flightInternet catches on. Over 2,500commercial aircrafts are expected to

install the service by the end of thisyear, and this number is expected todouble nearer to 2013, according toin-flight entertainment andcommunications consultancy IMDC.

“The in-flight Internet boom wassupposed to have occurred a decadeago. In 2000, Boeing launched a


business called Connexion by Boeing tobring high-speed Internet access to thenation’s jetliners,” writer Kevin Greyexplained in an article for the businessand management website Bnet.

Indeed, Connexion offered Internetaccess to travelers through a wiredEthernet or a Wi-Fi wireless

connection. However, the business wasplagued by setbacks that eventuallyled to its demise. For starters, therewere major technical hurdles createdby the service as planes had to beoutfitted with antennas that caused anestimated 800 pounds of drag. Theset-up was also astoundinglyexpensive, with the full cost of

equipment and installation pricedupwards of half a million dollars perplane. Further losses were incurred asa result of installations requiring theaircrafts to be grounded and,therefore, out of commission forseveral days.

Still, several airlines invested inConnexion and some quite heavily.Delta Airlines, American Airlines andUnited Airlines, all based in theUnited States, signed a partnershipagreement with the Boeing subsidiaryin June 2001. A few days later,Lufthansa announced that it hadjoined the partnership as well,eventually equipping about a dozenof its airplanes with the technologicalnovelty. Abu Dhabi airline Etihad alsojumped on the bandwagon a yearlater and showcased its new fleet ofInternet equipped aircraft at theArabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai.

Sadly, Connexion shut down the sameyear. Its three American airline partnerspulled out following the September 11attacks on the World Trade Center thatdealt a detrimental blow to the travelindustry. Lufthansa and Etihad stayedon board, but the service had littleluck attracting new clients largely due

As in-flightInternet catcheson, over 2,500commercialaircrafts areexpected to installthe service by theend of this year,and this numberis expected todouble nearer to 2013


to the extortionate costs involved. Inthe end, Boeing’s revenues weresimply not high enough to sustain thecompany, and when Connexionannounced its imminent shut down inDecember 2006, The Wall StreetJournal estimated that the $1 billioninvestment was worth just $150 million.

“Too few customers paid the $18 forthree hours of usage or $27 for 24hours of usage, essential for Boeing tocontinue offering it. Although frequentbusiness travelers are the main targetaudience for online access duringflights, usage of the Connexion serviceremained constant at only 7% during[the time it was available],” GalenGruman elaborated in an article for theDaily Wireless website.

But despite this setback to the adventof in-flight Internet, new hope was

soon brought to those desperate tostay connected while flying. The sameyear that Connexion folded, theUnited States Federal CommunicationsCommission (FCC) auctioned offblocks of spectrum that had beenpreviously used for analogradiotelephony, otherwise known asairplane phones in layman’s terms.

“They cost a fortune, and few peopleever used them. So the FCC put thespectrum they used on the block,”repurposing it for digital air-to-groundbandwidth, explained Grey in his articlefor Bnet. US-based Aircell bought upthe largest block of this spectrum, andthe company’s Gogo Inflight Internetpromised to succeed where the Boeingventure had failed.

Aircell spent about a year and a halfbuilding nearly 100 cell phone towersthat essentially blanket the airspaceover the continental US with signalcoverage. Then the companydwindled down the weight of theequipment and the installation time,drastically reducing both the dragand the total cost.

By far the most popular choice for UScarriers, the Gogo Inflight Internetservice has also attracted aninternational client. Air Canada signedon last year and offers the service onselect flights, such as Toronto-Los

Angeles and Montreal-Los Angelesthat fly largely over the continental US.

This new era of in-flight Internetboosted the popularity of other pre-existing companies, such as California-based Row 44. Originally set up in2004 to compete with the now defunctConnexion by Boeing, the serviceoffered differentiates itself from Aircellby following in its former competitor’sfootsteps with a satellite-based servicethat can support connectivity onoverseas flights. Offering greaterreach, the Row 44 product appealed tonon-US carriers as well, such asNorwegian Air Shuttle, which last Aprilannounced it would begin installingthe service on its entire fleet.

Those in the know say that Row 44has positioned itself to dominate the

Despite the leapsand bounds oftoday’s technologicaccomplishments,in-flight Internet isonly nowbeginning to boom

Soon passengers won’t have to send that last hurried

No matter where the destination, in-flight Internet will be part of future travel


trans-Atlantic routes and is eagerlyeyeing the European ones, but thisregion is already dominated by thethird major player in the in-flightInternet industry, OnAir.

Formed in February 2005, OnAir is a jointventure between Airbus and SociétéInternationale de TélécommunicationsAéronautique, more commonly knownby its acronym, SITA. The companypractically exclusively dominates theEuropean and Middle Eastern markets,providing in-flight Internet bypiggybacking on Inmarsat, a Britishsatellite telecommunications providerused by nearly all planes that fly over-water routes.

“By putting a small amount ofadditional gear into an existingInmarsat system, OnAir had what they

Planey said in an article for the aviationnews website Flight Global thatcustomers are growing tired of payingsurcharges such for excess baggageand even drinks on economy airlines.Despite the convenience of in-flightInternet, reaching a point of ‘feefatigue’ travelers are expected tobecome far less inclined to pay forfurther optional services such as Wi-Fi.

Should this indeed happen, Planeypredicts that the funds may soon comeout of the airlines’ pockets instead ofthe customers’ – both to keep theirinvestment running as well as tomaintain a competitive edge byproviding the value added service.

“Airlines are going to pay because it’sgoing to become the cost of doingbusiness,” Planey concluded.

saw as a light, cheap and quicksolution,” Glenn Fleishmann wrote onARS Technica, a news website.

Indeed, it appears it is exactly this typeof solution that interests the market, asOnAir has signed agreements with 10international carriers – includingindustry heavyweight British Airways aswell as all the regional airlines that arecurrently equipped with in-flightInternet, like Qatar Airways, RoyalJordanian, Oman Airways, WataniyaAirways and Jazeera Airways, which allbegan rolling out the service on selectflights last year.

But this boom does not necessarilytranslate into profits for participatingairlines – in fact, quite the opposite isexpected. Communication andentertainment consultant Michael

email before boarding


MOBILE LIFE

New mobile phone network designs compete to bring data at lightning speeds

4G rising

The race to rocket information at100 megabits per second over amobile phone network is on. As

the next phase in the digital revolutionbegins, two systems, WiMAX and LTE,are competing to take your phone tothe next level. Known as 4G, the nextstep in network evolution will makevideo conferences and lightningdownloads an arm’s length away. Thisemerging technology – the fourthgeneration (hence 4G) of mobilephone networks, such as Zain is

developing in Bahrain, Saudi Arabiaand Kuwait with LTE (Long TermEvolution) networks – is still somethingof a novelty although it is gainingground fast, particularly in the MiddleEast. In fact, at the COMMSMEAAwards in December 2009, ZainBahrain won the prize for BestTelecoms Technology Investment ofthe Year for it “gutsy” launch of LongTerm Evolution technology.In a shockingly short span of time,cellular phones went from bulky

novelties to sleek, touch-screen,Internet-savvy must-haves for anincreasing percentage of the globalpopulation. As the digital revolutionunfolds, lightning-fast data transferspeeds are the wave of the future.

Today, most mobile phone users aroundthe world are just getting used to 3Gnetworks – with top download speedsaround 21 megabits per second – whileoperators are already eyeing the nextupgrade. The new speed of data


transfer that comes along with 4G willmean a lot more power packed into thepalm of your hand.

“Such speeds,” Matt Hablen wrote in anarticle on the tech websiteComputerworld, “would greatly enhancevideo transmissions and online gaming.For business users, [4G] could offerlightning-fast access to enormouscorporate data stores sent overencrypted channels. Some futuristsbelieve [the technology] could bring

about wireless video phone calls, like theones Dick Tracy receives on his watch.Today, by comparison, videoconferencingfrom a wired desktop is still relativelyexpensive and not always reliable withouta high-speed wired connection.”

4G technology is evolving in only semi-regulated markets. Individual countriesplace their own restrictions on mobilephone operators, but there are no hardand fast global standards for hownetworks advance. The InternationalTelecommunications Union merely setthe goal posts for 4G – 100 megabitsper second data transfers over acomplex network – without detailinghow to get there.

In the absence of a defined plan, bothWiMAX and LTE say they’ve figured itout, and now the fight is on to sellmobile operators on their systems.WiMAX and LTE are network designs thatuse different technical means to giveusers 4G speeds. Neither is yet widelycommercially available, but 4G iscertainly the wave of the future, and thetech world is abuzz with the clashexpected from these two titans.Relatively evenly matched in many ways,most analysts say LTE has the edgebecause most existing mobile networkswould simply have to upgrade to employit. Many operators would have to buildnew networks to use WiMAX technology.

In the Middle East, mobile phoneoperators are scrambling to remain onthe cutting edge, pouring cash intoupgrading their networks and seeminglypreferring an LTE system. Bahrain, KSA,the UAE and Qatar are racing to put 4Gnetworks in place with LTE technology,and a recent report by Pyramid Research,an Egypt-based mobile phone marketanalysis firm, said that some 11.1% ofmobile phone users in the region will beconnecting to 4G via an LTE network by2014, compared with 7.7% in Europe.

Advanced LTE can accommodatemultimedia applications such as videoconferencing, high definition contenttransmission, video diary administrationand high speed video downloads fromsocial networks, giving Zain customers in

Bahrain, KSA and Kuwait unbeatablemobile broadband. LTE also provides150 Mbps outputs with a delay period ofno more than 15 milliseconds, providingcustomers with a unique mobilebroadband experience that exceeds thatof the fixed connections they have athome. The low cost of frequencychannel price via LTE means thatapplications that need more broadbandbandwidth and speed will be cheaperfor operators to provide.

In Bahrain, Zain recently placed the firstcall in the Middle East on an LTEsystem. The network is not yet fullyadvanced, as the data transfer speed,while still faster than 3G, hit shy of the4G mark with 70 megabits per second.In February 2010, Zain KSA inked anagreement with Motorola, Ericsson andHuawei, the three globaltelecommunications infrastructuregiants, to test and then build the world’slargest 4G LTE network in the Kingdom,with phase one of the 4G LTE roll-out inRiyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and AlKhobar. Zain Kuwait has done the same,but just released a Request for Proposal,or RFP, to build its LTE network.

Zain Jordan signed a modernizationcontract so its network can support LTE,while Zain Iraq has started its phase onenetwork modernization and also recentlysigned a contract to make its networkready to support LTE. Zain Sudan isclose to finalizing a similar deal.

Not all mobile operators are rushing toupgrade to 4G, however. The price tagfor an LTE system is still high. In a Mayinterview with Reuters, Fabricio Martinez,head of the services business at thenetwork planning and managementcompany Aircom, said it costs around$750 million in the first 12 months toupgrade a 3G network to an LTEnetwork. However, Reuters noted, “withprices of new equipment falling fast, thesame LTE gear is expected to besignificantly cheaper in 12 or 24 months.”

It is unclear just how quickly 4G willcatch on around the world. When itdoes, however, get ready to look at yourphone in a whole new way.


GREEN AFFAIRS

Not all mobiles go to heavenWhile phone recycling is gaining steam,many are still tossed into dumps andbecome an environmental hazard

Increasingly popular mobile phone recycling programs areslowly addressing a very damaging environmentalproblem. Mobiles generally trade hands multiple times

across continents before – as is most common – beingdiscarded in landfills to ooze toxic substances.

Like most electronics, mobile phones are in a near-constant state of obsolescence. Almost as quickly as a newphone hits the market, one with more gadgets, betterreception or just a more trendy color follows. Peoplereplace perfectly good phones quickly, and in some

markets – like the United States – the practice is almostinstitutionally encouraged by offering upgrades.

While safe to use, mobile phones contain toxicsubstances. Phones and their batteries contain, amongother chemicals, lead, brominated flame-retardants,beryllium, hexavalent chromium, arsenic, cadmium andantimony, which wreak havoc on the environment if left to rot in the ground, according to the Basel ActionNetwork, a non-governmental organization that monitorselectronic waste.


“It’s through the resellers, and the unfathomable network ofresellers they sell to, that many also end up overseas, wherethe price of new phones can be prohibitively expensive,” TheNew York Times reported in 2008. The paper continued thatrecently Los-Angles-based mobile phone reseller JosephKhan “purchased several thousand Qualcomm QCT-1000’s for$11 each and resold them in Ukraine for $121 each.”

The so-called developing world often receives these phonesand either resells them, or strips them for parts. Ultimately,though, once a mobile phone leaves a developed country, itgenerally ends up tossed in the garbage. However, theworld’s poorer nations just as often ends up the trash binfor mobile phones and other unwanted electronics farbeyond repair or use, and often against the law.

“E-waste is routinely exported by developed countries todeveloping ones, often in violation of the international law.Inspections of 18 European seaports in 2005 found as muchas 47% of waste destined for export, including e-waste, wasillegal. In the UK alone, as late as 2003, at least 23,000metric tons of undeclared or ‘gray’ market electronic wastewas illegally shipped to the Far East, India, Africa and China.In the US, it is estimated that 50-80% of the waste collectedfor recycling is being exported in this way,” theenvironmental group Greenpeace said on its website.

E-waste is expected to proliferate in the next decade, withmobile phones constituting a hefty contributor, the UNEnvironmental Program said in a recent report. According tothe agency, by 2020, “in China, e-waste from discardedmobile phones will be about seven times higher than 2007levels and, in India, 18 times higher.”

That said, the impetus to be eco-friendly often lies with theindividual user. The more each obsolete phone is handedover to a reputable recycling company, the faster the worldwill begin addressing this environmental issue.

A 2007 study by the USEnvironmental Protection Agencyfound that some mobile phones ina landfill release alarming amountsof lead. The regulatory bodystudied 34 then-recent-modelphones and found they emit “onaverage, more than 17 times thefederal threshold for whatconstitutes” a hazardous amount oflead, The New York Times reportedin 2008. The times, however, arebeginning to change. TheEuropean Union is leading the wayin regulating the amount ofhazardous substances allowed inmobile phones, and somemanufacturers are even designingnew models with stricter standardsthan the law dictates.

As phones themselves become greener, users are beginning tofollow, but the majority of mobiles are still simply tossed away.In a 2008 article, The New York Times reported that Umicore,one of the large mobile phone recyclers “estimates that,together with its competitors, it received only 1% of all phonesthat were discarded globally in 2006.” Since then, a number ofsmall, eco-friendly groups in the US have been encouragingmore people to recycle and more industry companies havebeen including mobile phone recycling programs as part oftheir corporate social responsibility activities.

Nokia, for example, one of the world’s largest mobile phonemanufacturers, recently launched a recycling program in theMiddle East and Africa. The company accepts used phones atall care points in the UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman,Lebanon, Jordan, and Yemen in the Middle East, and inAlgeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria,Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Tunisia in Africa.

That said, a survey Nokia conducted found that a paltry 3%of mobile phone owners recycle their handsets andaccessories when they upgrade, which they doapproximately every two years. According to Nokia, “if allmobile phone owners today – in other words, three billionpeople globally – brought back one used device, we couldsave 240,000 tonnes of raw materials and reducegreenhouse gas emissions to the same effect as taking 4million cars off the road.”

Nokia’s website says the discarded phones are sent to anetwork of nearly 80 “eco-friendly” recycling plants. It doesnot mention what – if any – percentage of these discardedphones are re-sold. In the US, many phone “recycling”companies – which typically just collect the phones fromusers and then send them to third-party recyclers – resellthe ones that either still work or only need refurbishment.


RADIANCE

Bend it like PilatesCreated some 90 years ago, the fitnesscraze has taken the world by storm

About five years ago, a trend sparked in Hollywood –celebrity after celebrity began sashaying down thered carpet or popping up in a music video looking

toned beyond all recognition, expectation and belief. Withtheir perfectly defined calf muscles, washboard abs and aconfident smile to boot, they credited their new bodies toPilates. Soon enough it seemed like anyone with a famousname had endorsed the fitness regimen, known as WinsorPilates and pioneered by the now 60-year-old Mari Winsor.

Hailed as the Queen of Pilates for her role in promoting thepopular fitness trend to both celebrities and otherwiseordinary folk, Winsor saw herself differently. “I’m theprincess, not the queen. No, no, no. My mentor, RomanaKryzanowska, is the Queen of Pilates. And there are four,five, six other teachers around the country we refer to as theelders that actually studied with Joseph Pilates, thetechnique’s founder, and Romana was actually one ofthem,” she said.

Precision should eventually become second nature, and carry over into everyday life


Indeed, while Pilates was picked up by celebrity circles onlya decade ago and has just risen to the same levels ofpopularity in the Middle East – with every self-respectinggym now offering a class or two – it is in fact a much olderart. Pilates is in fact named after Joseph Pilates, who wasborn in 1880. Although German, Pilates lived in Englandand worked as an orderly at a hospital on the Isle of Manduring the latter part of the First World War. Here, hedesigned a system of exercises to improve the rehabilitationprogram for returning veterans.

Adamant that mental and physical health are inter-related,Pilates recommended a few precise movements thatemphasized control and form. Named “The PilatesPrinciple,” these movements were tailored to condition theentire body, focusing prominently on proper alignment,centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing andflowing movement. In the early 1920s, Pilates immigrated tothe USA and took his fitness system with him, opening aNew York “body-conditioning studio” in 1926. The studiofeatured many of the self-designed apparatuses Pilates

used to enhance his fitness program, and many of these arestill in use in contemporary Pilates programs.

Although Pilates has only recently been re-discovered, theprogram nonetheless appears to have always had starappeal. Pilates’ original studio in the Big Apple was in factfrequented by many of the stars du jour, such as dancelegend Ruth St. Denis, actor Jose Ferrer and authorChristopher Isherwood.

As a boom in interest has progressively turned Pilatesmainstream in the past decade, classes are now offered inabundance, and specialized studios are hardly uncommon.These Pilates-only gyms are fast catching on in the MiddleEast as well, with the establishment of Club Stretch and theHundred Pilates Studio in Dubai, Pilates and More inKuwait, Atelier de Pilates in Bahrain and Contours Studio inBeirut, to name a few.

But the prevalence of Pilates does not necessarily mean thatall contemporary classes stay true to the founder’smethodology. In fact, nearly 10 years ago, a US federal courtruled the term “Pilates” generic and useable withoutrestriction. As a result, pretty much anyone, whether trainedor not, can teach pilates classes in the United States, andthis practice has also spread across the globe. However, themost ardent followers of the fitness program seek to stay inline with Pilates’ original principles, and the crème de lacrème of program trainers, such as Winsor, seek to betrained and certified by the so-called Elders of Pilates, whowere taught by Joseph Pilates himself.

The two trademarks of Pilates workouts are using the body’sown weight for resistance training and core muscle strength.True to form, Pilates exercises work to strengthen the deep,internal muscles of the abdomen and back so that they workcorrectly with the more superficial muscles of the trunk tocorrectly support the spine and the body’s movement.Developing core strength creates stability throughout the entiretorso, which relieves pressure on the back and enables thebody to move freely and efficiently. This emphasis sets Pilatesapart from other popular types of exercise. Weight lifting, bycomparison, tends to elicit a lot of work solely from the arms orlegs. Running or swimming possess the same flaw, bothconcentrating on the extremities and neglecting the core.

Furthermore, pilates is quite diverse and open to modifications.The regimented exercises can be done on either a mat or onthe floor. There are also an array of different but optional piecesof equipment. These generally utilize pulleys and springs, usingthe body’s own weight instead of free-weights that are popularin other forms of exercise, such as aerobics.

As Pilates involves a lot of core resistance training andbalanced stretching, incorrect methods can result in severeinjuries. Trainer certification is thus essential, but Pilates inits original form is suitable for practically anyone.


ICONS OF DESIGN

Norman and thegiant GherkinLondon’s towering iconic building has becomea landmark staple on the city’s skyline

The Gherkin seen from the River Thames


Amodern edifice of light scintillates against theevening skies, its dark and pale hues seeminglyluminescent in the dark. Such is London’s Swiss Re

Building at 30 St Mary Axe. Designed by Norman Fosterand fondly known as the Gherkin, it is one of the city’s mosticonic monuments, one that simultaneously disrupts anddramatizes London’s centuries-old skyline.

The name Gherkin, a type of pickle, refers to Foster’sdesign shape. If the truth be told, it is in reality a more pinecone, inspired by the monocoque construction technique,pioneered in early aircraft design, that supports structural

load by using an object's exterior,instead of an internal frame.

The building stands out amongLondon’s landscape because itbreaks away from the city’sclassical architecture – comprisedof low rises, brick buildings andwhite elegant town houses – aswell as the more contemporarystyle of rectangular structures inthe city’s financial center. Itscentral location and outstandingview (its restaurant is located atone of the highest points in thecity) have certainly contributed tothe Gherkin’s fame and reputation.

It has also garnered internationalrecognition, receiving in 2004 theStirling Prize from the RoyalInstitute of British Architects, inassociation with the Architects’Journal. BD World Architecturedeemed it the most admired newbuilding in the world in 2006. Still,you can’t please everyone, and inJune 2006, the Gherkin was votedone of the five ugliest buildings inLondon in a BBC poll.

The Gherkin was built on the site ofthe old Baltic Exchange, built in1903 and which served as a hub forthe shipping industry and a globalmaritime market place. The Britishgovernment and the city of Londoninitially wanted a development thatwould restore the building to itsformer glory after being damagedin a 1993 IRA bomb attack. Fullrestoration was deemed impossible,and in 2000, the governmentallowed for the construction of alarger, more ambitious structure.

The name Gherkin, a type ofpickle, refers to Foster’sdesign shape. If the truth be told it is in reality more apine cone, inspired by themonocoque constructiontechnique, one that waspioneered in early aircraftdesign, that supportsstructural load by using anobject's exterior, instead of aninternal frame


Constructed by engineers from Swedish construction groupSkanska, 30 St Mary Axe was built over a period of two years,from 2001 to 2003, and opened on 28 April 2004. It is a radicalstructure in many ways. Imitating intricate lace made of lightand shadows, it towers over the city and the River Thames,stretching over a surface of 1.4 acres and rising to 180 metersin height. The sixth tallest building in London, it boasts 41floors with a 360 degree observation dome at its summit. Ableto hold as many as 3,500 people at once, the Gherkin alsofeatures a double-decker private bar and restaurant as well as

a shopping gallery and numerous offices that expand over atotal surface area of 76,400 square meters.

Learning from the unfortunate fate of the former BalticExchange, designers of the Gherkin built a structure that wascapable of sustaining pressure through the use of triangulatedforceful steel. Besides its powerful build, the dynamic structurealso allows for the maximization of energy efficiency.Considered by many as an engineering wonder, the buildingincorporated ideas that were used in the Climatroffice,designed by Richard Buckminster Fuller in the 1970s, creatinga symbiotic relationship between nature and office.

The tower’s diagrid structure, which features the seamlessinterlocking of steel elements, contributes to a column freefloor space that, combined with the fully glazed facade, allowsthe building to open up onto the outside. Atria between eachfloor are linked vertically, forming a series of informal break-out spaces that resemble an ethereal stairway to heaven.

The building stands outamong London’s landscapebecause it breaks away fromthe city’s classical architecture

Moving up in the world: The Gherkin's restaurant with its mouthwatering views


According to Foster, these spaces “serve as a natural, socialfocus that also function as the building’s ‘lungs,’ distributingfresh air drawn in through opening panels in the facade. Thissystem reduces the tower’s reliance on air conditioning and,together with other sustainable measures, means that thebuilding uses only half the energy consumed by conventionalair conditioned office towers.”

The six shafts resulting from the gaps in each floor are usedas a ventilation system. The shafts allow the office space tobe insulated with a thin layer of air, applying the similarprinciple used in double glazing. Warm air circulates out ofthe building during the summer months and into thebuilding during winter. The unique shape of the towerreduces wind deflections, creating different levels ofpressure that are used in the natural ventilation system whilecontributing to maintaining a comfortable environment atstreet level. Furthermore, the building’s glazing and theshaft effects also bring down lighting costs. The energyconsumption of the building is thus reduced by 50%compared to other similar constructions.

Construction costs for the Gherkin, which could not beconfirmed by Foster, were estimated at £138 millionaccording to a 2006 BBC report, with the land occupied bythe building having reportedly cost a further £90.6 millionwhen purchased in 1998. According to a BBC article, SwissRe is said to have sold the Gherkin to German propertycompany IVG for £600m in 2007. The Swiss company,however, is staying as a tenant, holding about 50% of therental space.

Today, the tower occupies center stage in the life of manyLondoners, visible from the M11 motorway some 32kilometers to the north of the city, and from Windsor GreatPark to the west. It has also become a highly recognizablesymbol of London, appearing in films such as Woody Allen’sMatch Point and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Inspite of its detractors, the Gherkin will certainly beremembered as one of Lord Foster’s greatest achievements.

The sixth tallestbuilding inLondon, itboasts 41floors with a360 degreeobservationdome at itssummit

Stairway to heaven

The Gherkin has slotted into London's magnificent cityscape

SUDAN9,199,000

JORDAN2,554,000

LEBANON1,397,000

IRAQ11,685,000

KUWAIT1,887,000

BAHRAIN604,107

SAUDI ARABIA6,906,000

*Inclusive of Morocco which launched GSM operations in Q1 2010

The numbers show active customers as of H1 2010The numb w active customers as of H1 2010wbers sb showsh w

Over 34.2 millionactive customers in 8* countries

Chaos DP map.indd 1 8/11/10 6:12:24 PM

ZAIN’S LEGACY OF ACHIEVEMENT · Ramadan Kareem. Allah Akbar Greater than my success, greater than...

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Transcript of ZAIN’S LEGACY OF ACHIEVEMENT · Ramadan Kareem. Allah Akbar Greater than my success, greater than...