Gulf Daily News - 10/5/2006

Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH) yesterday announced the launch of a Telecommunications Zone within its Financial Mall.It also revealed that one of the leading telecom players based in Bahrain, MENA Telecom, has moved in as the first tenant of the sector-focused zone which has been created to house telecom service providers and retailers.

Launching of the new zone is a significant development that will add further value to the integrated concept of BFH, said BFH Holding Company marketing director Babak Soltani.

"We are glad to welcome MENA Telecom as our first tenant in the Telecommunications Zone within the Financial Mall," he said.

"We are in negotiations with various other telecom service providers in the region and major telecom retailers who are keen to have a foothold in the BFH."

MENA Telecom is a licensed telecommunications company based in Bahrain since 2003.

It is one of the region's first GCC-based Satellite Access Provider (SASP).

The company was also one of the first in the telecommunication sector to adopt and actively promote SASP technology, which provides high-speed WAN connectivity and enables access to Internet through advanced two-way satellite network.

MENA Telecom managing director Abdul Razak Jawahery said his company was proud to be part of the world-class project.

"We believe our presence in BFH will help us leverage growth from a dedicated financial and business community," he added.

On the launch of the Telecommunications Zone, Mr Soltani said BFH has been uniquely positioned as an integrated development with a range of amenities and services under one roof.

"The Telecommunications Zone is another value-added component in line with this strategic concept," he added.

"The launch of the new zone is also in line with the BFH strategy to have a strong technology and communication backbone which is critical for businesses to be competitive in global markets."

The Telecommunication Zone will house various providers offering fixed line services and equipment, mobile lines and devices and Internet services, among others.

The outlets within the Telecommunication Zone will cater to the business and financial institutions based within the Dual Towers and tenants of other components of BFH as well as the visitors of the development.

It will be spread across 420 square metres on the third floor of the Financial Mall, one of the three components of the first phase of the project.

Strategically located, the Financial Mall connects the Dual Towers and Harbour House forming the Financial Centre (first phase of BFH).

The Financial Mall is a retail podium that will include around 97 outlets serving the business community residing within BFH and BFH visitors.