Info2cell.com, the leading Mobile Application Service Provider in the Middle East and North Africa, has recently signed an exclusive agreement with Rotana, the biggest Arabic music production company in the world, to provide the Ring-Back Tone (RBT) service in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. Info2cell.com has already partnered with Rotana to provide the same service in Jordan.
The Ring Back Tone Service is another addition to the protfolio of innovative, value-added mobile services that Info2cell.com is constantly introducing to the Middle East Region. The new service enables the highest level of customisation and personalisation by users of mobile devices by replacing the standard call connecting tone with a song, commercial or joke.
Commenting on the service, Bashar Dahabra, Founder and CEO of Info2cell.com said: “Mobile phones have become the everyday practical gadget and users are constantly demanding innovative mobile services for their handsets, especially since the majority of users are young. Judging by the successes of services like ring tones, java games and other applications, providing the Ring-Back Tone service comes in line with our vision of being the leaders in introducing the latest international mobile value-added services.”
“These services have proved very beneficial for mobile operators as they boost their average revenue per unit, besides serving as a key customer retention and service provision strategy. The introduction of innovative services such as the RBT service is a potent example of the fast changing trends in the mobile phone industry in the Middle East region and brings about a strategic change in the mobile content provision and service personalisation industry in the region,” Dahabra added.
Ring-back Tone service is leading in mobile phone penetration across several markets worldwide. The world wide market for Ring-Back Tones will be an estimated US$ 2.4 billion in 2008. The Middle East region’s mobile market has the innate potential to service this key segment as reforms in the telecom sector are opening up opportunities for competition and service breakouts as revenues from voice services plummets.
The already growing popularity of the new service in Jordan will now be provided by 6 mobile operators in Oman, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain. Users can exchange the standard call connecting ring with a new tone, such as a song, for all the callers or a specific group of callers. Up to 10 different ring-back tones are available for users and are assigned in the personal library at any given time.
Speaking about RBT service, Wisam Yamout, Director Value-Added Services Department, Rotana Holding , said, ‘Rotana realises the great potential in providing content for mobile phone users. We are glad to partner with Info2cell.com to introduce the RBT service, and we will constantly update the music database in accordance with the popularity of the tracks in the region. We are confident that the service will prove to be a resounding success due to the growing number of young mobile phone users seeking the latest mobile value-added services.”
Mr. Dahabra, chief architect and founder of Info2Cell.com, introduced the concept of a regional wireless portal service in the Middle East. A highly respected leader and expert in the convergence of the Internet and wireless technologies, Mr. Dahabra has pioneered the development and strategies of value-added mobile services in the Middle East North Africa Region.
As the Founder and CEO, Mr. Dahabra directs the overall Business Development, Systems Development and Financial strategies dealing with the day to day operations of Info2cell. His entrepreneurial and innovative vision has kept Info2Cell.com above its competitors. Info2cell.com the region's first wireless information provider was established in 1998 to fulfill the need for wireless value added services. In the year 2000, Info2cell.com reengineered and redesigned its core business, to become effectively the first Wireless Application Service Provider (W-ASP) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Mr. Dahabra has 25 years of Systems Engineering, Management and Entrepreneurial experience, having worked for IBM for 10 years in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Jordan. Mr. Dahabra also worked as Director for Systems Development with FLAG for two years in NY, USA. Mr. Dahabra was the founder of a number of successful startups in Jordan, Bahrain and the region including Unitech - Jordan, Unisat - Jordan, First Telecommunication Group – Jordan, Magnet- Jordan and Gulf Soft - Bahrain.
Mr. Dahabra holds a BSc n Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Engineering School at Edinburgh University in 1981 and is a member of a number of professional associations including IEEE, Jordan Computer Society, and Canadian Engineering Society.
