Mena Telecom will start rolling out its WiMAX network in Bahrain before the end of this year.

WiMAX is the fourth generation (4G) wireless technology that Mena Telecom will use to provide a range of fixed and nomadic telecommunications services, including broadband, internet and telephony, said a senior official.

Mena Telecom’s WiMAX network, based on 802.16e technology and delivered by Motorola, will be the first nationwide deployment in the Middle East, he said. 

The network will be deployed in two stages, in the first stage a full range of services is expected to be available from Manama to the Seef Area in January 2008.  In the second phase, coverage will be extended to other areas in the kingdom by March 2008.  Many countries are still in the infancy stage of deploying WiMAX technology and therefore the world will be looking at Bahrain as a telecommunication model as well as a resource for deploying this latest technology in their own countries, said Abdulhakeem Al Khayyat, chairman of Mena Telecom and general manager of Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain).

“Bahrain has a long and distinguished history of being an early adopter when it comes to the introduction of innovative and leading-edge telecommunications technology. We are excited about carrying on this tradition of telecommunications advancement through our WiMAX network and being one of the first countries in the world to provide such a service nationwide.”

Bahrain was the first country in the region to liberalise the telecommunications market, which has directly resulted in many further landmark projects, the latest of which is the deployment of WiMAX. Mena Telecom will deploy the most advanced version of WiMAX based on the IEEE 802.16e standard.

Al Khayyat said: “Some other operators have based their deployment on using technology based on the older IEEE 802.16d standard but this is now becoming rapidly out-of-date and we felt that it was essential to provide our customers with future-proof solutions. Therefore we chose to use the so called 16e variant of WiMAX because it is this technology that will be embedded in computers and other devices from the middle of 2008. We didn’t want to offer our customers solutions that would become out-of-date within just a few months. I believe that WiMAX will change the face of telecommunications; it has more flexibility, better range, security and quality than other technologies. It’s a bit like the convenience of WiFi but on a nationwide scale. It really is the future!”

WiMAX provides a real alternative to fixed line networks, while offering unlimited facilities and infrastructure for fixed and nomadic wireless connectivity for voice and data services over a longer range than Wi-Fi. WiMAX will impact on the way the people are used to interacting with technology. One advantage is that remote areas will have easy and affordable access to ICT networks.

Abdul Razak Jawahery, executive manager, Kuwait Finance House – Bahrain (KFH), representing KFH as vice chairman and managing director of Mena Telecom, said: “Working with Motorola, Mena Telecom will provide WiMAX solutions that deliver the “wireless broadband pipe”, enabling rich-media, bandwidth-intensive applications including voice, data and video for fixed, portable and mobile users. Most importantly it will be cost-effective, secure and go where tele-density has historically been low. – TradeArabia News Service