تم التوصل بتقنية شبكة الاتصال واسعة النطاق لخدمات الهاتف المتحرك التي تعتبر الأولى من نوعها في دولة الإمارات، من خلال مجموعة منتجات “لايت راديو” من شركة “ألكاتيل – لوسنت”، التي تمت تجربتها بنجاح وصولا إلى تلبية متطلبات عملاء شركة الإتصالات المتزايدة.

من جانب آخر استثمرت “اتصالات” حوالي ستة مليار درهم لتعزيز البنية التحتية لشبكة الألياف البصرية بجانب تطوير شبكتي الوصول والمركزية بنظام “إل تي إي”.. وصولا إلى إطلاق أول تجربة حقيقية لنظام شبكة الجيل الرابع ” إل تي إي ” لعملائها في الدولة.

ونشرت اتصالات حوالي ألف محطة رئيسية فيما تمتد حاليا شبكة “إل تي إي” التابعة للمؤسسة عبر المدن الكبرى لتصل خدماتها حوالي 70 في المائة من السكان.

وعرضت “ألكاتيل – لوسنت” منتجها الجديد “مترو راديو أوتدور”، بتقنية “مكعب لايت راديو” التي تنقل البيانات بسرعة الضوء بجانب التغطية الفاعلة في أماكن الكثافة السكانية مثل مراكز التسوق والمطارات والإستادات الرياضية، من خلال شبكة الإتصالات التجارية التي تعمل بتقنية التطور طويل الأمد من الجيل الرابع.

وشارك عبيد بوكشه نائب رئيس أول تخطيط وإدارة الشبكات “مجموعة اتصالات”، وسعيد الزرعوني نائب رئيس أول شبكات الهاتف المتحرك في أعمال المائدة المستديرة التي نظمتها شركة ألكاتيل – لوسنت ضمن فعاليات مؤتمر الإتصالات المتنقلة في برشلونه بمشاركة مجموعة من المشغلين الكبار شملت أورنج وتلفونيكا لإستعراض الطلب المتنامي على الاتصال عالي السرعة الخاص بخدمات النطاق الواسع للهواتف المتحركة مثل خدمة مؤتمرات الفيديو والتليفزيون، وذلك لمواجهة الإقبال الهائل على شراء الهواتف الذكية وأجهزة الكمبيوتر اللوحية وغيرها من الأجهزة المحمولة. … باقي المقال

وقال ملازم أول في شرطة دبي في إفادة قدمها بتحقيقات النيابة العامة، إن الفريق كلفه شفاهة بالتوجه إلى التحريات لفتح بلاغ ضد المتهم لأنه سبه وقذفه عبر موقع التواصل الاجتماعي « تويتر»، ولأن السب جاء بصفته القائد العام لشرطة دبي، وليس بصفته الشخصية.

وأضاف إنها ليست المرة الأولى التي يقوم بها المتهم بسب الفريق، حيث إن الفريق قام مسبقاً بتحريك دعوى ضده لكنه ارتأى في ذلك الوقت التنازل عن القضية في ذلك البلاغ على أمل أن لا يعود إلى مثل هذا الفعل، مستدركا بقوله «الظاهر بأن المتهم لم تؤثر فيه القضية السابقة، وعاد وارتكب الجريمة نفسها».

وأظهرت تحقيقات النيابة ان المتهم اعترف بسب قائد عام شرطة دبي من خلال حسابه على «تويتر « تحت اسم محمد 96 ، لانه لم يقم بحل مشكلته، والتي هو يعلم بها منذ حوالي أربع سنوات، مبينا بان أفراد التحريات حضروا الى منزله والقوا القبض عليه.

وعاد المتهم صباح أمس وأنكر خلال أمام الهيئة القضائية تهمة سب القائد العام، وقال « إنه كان يقصد «الحاشية» التي «تحته» لأنهم لا يوصلون إليه الكلام بالطريقة الصحيحة، ولأنه طلب منهم كذا مرة رؤيته لكنهم منعوه». وأضاف المتهم مخاطباً المحكمة، :» إذا فهم بأني قد سببته «ويقصد الفريق ضاحي «كفلوني، وأنا سأعتذر له وسأحضر تنازلاً منه».

من جانبها باشرت محكمة الجنايات بدبي في جلستها صباح امس، بمحاكمة سائق هارب من وجه العدالة من الجنسية الباكستانية اتهمته النيابة العامة انه سرق مطلع يناير الماضي 7 ملايين و340 ألف درهم من مدير مبيعات أفغاني الجنسية، مبينة أن 5 سائقين من ذات الجنسية حازوا على المبلغ المسروق وأنهم قاموا بإخفاء وإيواء المتهم الأول . واعترف المتهمون بحيازة المبلغ لكنهم انكروا ايواءهم واخفاءهم المتهم، لتقرر الهيئة القضائية بعد ذلك إرجاء نظر القضية الى يوم 18 مارس الحالي. … باقي المقال

“The success of this project will depend on three benchmarks. Access to global markets, low operating costs and ease of doing business,” he said after he confirmed phase 1 of Kizad would open on September 1.

“Kizad is at the crossroads between the West and Asia, and between China and the south. It is a free zone, and operating costs for our customers couldn’t be much lower. The cost of electricity … is an eighth of the cost in Europe.

“But here in the UAE our bureaucratic activities are unwieldy. Everyone tells me they have problems relating to permits and clearances.”

His sentiments were echoed by Paul Reynolds, the managing director of Rothschild, and Michael Tomalin, the chief executive of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, who agreed levels of bureaucracy were, “tending to hold the region back”.

All three were attending the Global Financial Markets Forum at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi. The US$2.6bn (Dh9.55bn) Kizad project, launched in 2007, was on course to become one of the globe’s major port hubs, said Mr Douglas.

The project includes a major deepwater port and a vast industrial site of almost half a million square kilometres – equivalent to two thirds the land mass of Singapore.

Mr Douglas said ADPC had been presenting to industrialists around the world to attract global companies to the complex.

“We have over 30 companies signed up and we expect that figure to rise rapidly in the course of this year,” he said.

He said interest for Kizad’s Zone A had mainly come from the aluminium sector, and that ADPC was attracting significant interest from the steel, heavy engineering, glass and pharmaceutical industries.

“What we are offering is economies of proximity to these industries,” he said.

“We have a power station on our doorstep. If you travel east or west, we are four hour’s time difference from an industrialised population of over 2.6 billion. Etihad rail will run through the centre of Kizad and terminate at the container port,” Mr Douglas said.

Emirates Aluminium’s (Emal) smelter was already on site and the synergies for them was providing a working example of what was possible.

“They call aluminium ‘liquid electricity’ because of the amount of electricity it consumes to make it.”, Mr Douglas said.

“First you melt it, then you cool it into billets, transport it tens of thousands of kilometres, then melt it again to shape it into components. Here you have the power and the space to do it all on one site. You can eliminate the mid-stream re-melts.”

One of the first consequences of the phase 1 opening will the redevelopment of Mina Zayed, which has been Abu Dhabi’s main port for more than 30 years.

The container port will be moved by increments between the end of the fourth quarter this year and the middle of next year.

However the roll-on roll-off and general cargo facilities will remain operational.

ADPC also intends to build on its cruise traffic, which jumped 148 per cent last year by building a dedicated cruise-liner terminal, said Mr Douglas.

“The development of Kizad is crucial to the UAE’s 2030 plan. It forecasts a GDP of $418bn, and we see Kizad contributing $41bn to that figure,” he added.

Last week ADPC took delivery of the first batch of Super Post Panamax “ship to shore” container cranes at Khalifa Port that is being built to serve the huge Kizad complex.

Once operating, it will be the first semi-automated port in the region, equipped to handle an initial capacity of 2 million TEU (Twenty-foot equivalent) containers and 12 million tonnes of general cargo annually.

dblack@thenational.ae

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Event organizer, Abu-Dhabi Tourism Authority said the competition is among the biggest and most luxurious events ever to be held in Abu Dhabi, with a total of $250,000 cash prize up for grabs. “This year, the event has gone from strength to strength, both in terms of the quality and dept competing. When we started this event two years ago, we wanted to create a showpiece that would be a calendar highlight for triathletes the world over. Looking at this year’s line-up, I would say we have fully achieved that goal,” said Sultan Ali-Muhairi, Senior Event Management Executive, Abu-Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.

He said 1,900 athletes signed up which is an increase of about 20 percent from last year. “Athletes have come from 62 different countries, which is a record-breaking 27 percent increase from the GCC countries,” he said.  According to Muhairi, this year’s line-up is the strongest in the three year history of the triathlon in Abu-Dhabi. Muhairi said the 2012 event is star-studded with the participation of world’s champions, world-record holders and Olympians.

“This year’s elite field includes athletes who have recorded a combined total of 16 world championship titles, 47 European titles, and 76 ironman wins, plus more than 500 podium places between them”. He also lauded their very own triathlete Faris Al-Sultan, who is also the toughest competitor and the man behind the establishment of Abu-Dhabi Triathlon Team and instrumental in the popularity of triathlon in the region. “We wish all the athletes success, good luck to everyone and I hope that you would continue to choose Abu Dhabi as your destination not only for this particular event but for your future tourism endeavour.”

The triathlon tournament is the first of the season, with triathletes from across the world arriving in Abu-Dhabi a few days before the competition. Among the roasters of elite triathletes introduced during the press conference were: Frederick Van Liede (Belgium), the champion of last year’s triathlon event, Chris Lieto (USA)-the world fastest man in two wheels, Aneko Llanos (Spain)-2010 champion, Dirk Bockel (Luxemburg)-second and third place during the 2010 and 2011 triathlon competitions.

They also presented professional female professional triathletes including Melissa Rollison (Australia), world triathlon champion, Leanda Cave (USA)-2011 second place and Caroline Steffen (Switzerland)-2010 fourth place. “I am well-prepared this winter. I am very pleased to come back. I am looking forward for the event tomorrow. I am pressured because I have to attend lots of interviews. I will execute my plan during the race,” said Frederick Van Liede (Belgium), the champion of last year’s triathlon event. The race offers a selection of distances to accommodate athletes of all abilities. The 223km long course boasts a 3km swim, a 200km cycle, and 20km closing run-the same distance as the world class elite. Newcomers can choose to tackle the short course at half the length, with a 1.5 km swim, a 100km cycle and 10 km run. The sprint course offers a 750m swim, a 50km bike and 5km run. Both the short and sprint distance also offer the option of the relay entry, encouraging like-minded friends, families and colleagues to take up the Abu-Dhabi International triathlon challenge.

By Ben Garcia, Staff Writer

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Qatar-based UDC has sold 112m shares to The Pension and Social Insurance Authority, in a deal worth QR1.6bn($439m). The move was announced at a meeting of investors in Doha this week, where shareholders also agreed to scrap a clause prohibiting any shareholder from owning more than 10 percent of the company shares.

“This will give strength to the company,” chairman Hussein Ibrahim Alfardan told Gulf Times after the meeting.

“Our company will be in good health not only because of the share they bought and that we have more liquidity, but we will be having a big support, when they are with us. We have welcomed them from the minute they requested to join us.”

UDC was in a good position to grow following the progress of all its projects, including the Pearl-Qatar, he added.

“Our profit is up all the time. The Pearl-Qatar island is unique. Although many people want to compare the prices of The Pearl with the other locations, this is the best of all.”

UDC in January reported a net profit of QR3.772bn ($1.03bn) for last year compared with QR617m for 2010. Total assets increased to QR19.056bn, compared to QR10.878bn as of the end of 2010, it said in a statement.

Nearly 500 customers have signed up for rides on SpaceShipTwo, a six-passenger, two-pilot spaceship being built and tested by Scaled Composites, an aerospace company founded by aircraft designer Burt Rutan and now owned by Northrop Grumman.

The suborbital flights, which cost $200,000 per person, are designed to reach an altitude of about 68 miles (109 km), giving fliers a few minutes to experience zero gravity and glimpse Earth set against the blackness of space.

“In the suborbital area, there are a lot of things to be done. This is an area that has been essentially absent for about four decades,” said Neil Armstrong, who was a test pilot for the 1960s-era X-15 research plane before becoming a US astronaut and commander of the first mission to land on the moon.

“There’s a lot of opportunity,” Armstrong told about 400 people attending the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in Palo Alto, Californa. “I certainly hope that some of the new approaches will prove to be profitable and useful.”

Virgin Galactic, which Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments has a 32 percent stake in, is the most visible of a handful of companies developing spaceships for tourism, research, educational and business purposes.

SpaceShipTwo, the first of Virgin’s planned five-ship fleet, has completed 31 atmospheric test flights – 15 attached to its carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo, and 16 glide tests, William Pomerantz, Virgin Galactic’s vice president of special projects, said in a speech to the conference.

“We hope to have the rocket motor in the spaceship later this year and start powered flight testing,” Virgin Galactic chief test pilot David Mackay told the conference.

“We would like to be the first to do this, but we’re not in a race with anyone. This is not a Cold War-era space race.”

“We flow pretty quickly from first powered flight to first flight to space and then it’s not terribly long from there until we have our first commercial flight to space,” Pomerantz told reporters later.

Science editor Alan Boyle’s blog: A “crack” in Earth’s magnetic field has opened the way for yet another thrilling display of the northern lights near the top of the world.

He said passenger service could begin in 2013 or 2014, depending on the results of the test flights and other factors, such as pilot training.

No one knows what the suborbital spaceflight market might be worth, but Andrew Nelson, chief operating officer of XCOR Aerospace, another aspiring commercial spaceline, put the figure at $1 trillion.

XCOR, which announced on Monday it had closed a $5 million round of equity funding, now has enough money to manufacture its Lynx suborbtial vehicle. The company charges $90,000 for rides.

When asked about the potential impact of a commercial suborbital industry, Armstrong noted that the X-15 program, designed to investigate the problems of high-speed, high-altitude flight and devise possible solutions, helped United States become the world’s largest aeronautical product exporter.

“We’re in an entirely new environment now,” Armstrong said, “with different objectives, different participants, different goals. We can’t imagine all the opportunities that exist.”

Initially due to be completed in mid 2011, the Jasmine Garden beach resort on the Thailand island was one of many island developments on the man made archipelago The World impacted by Dubai’s property market downturn.

A source close to the project has revealed it is now set to be canceled by Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), with an official announcement due shortly.

Launched by the Profile Group in 2005 at a reception in London, plans included 131 villas, ponds, fountains and gardens with an Asian theme and design, with unit prices starting from AED1.63m ($443,800).

Construction on the offshore The World project ground to a near standstill in the wake of the financial crash, which saw real estate prices in Dubai fall more than 60 percent from their peak.

Last year, state-owned developer Nakheel issued buyers on The World with ultimatums to pay any outstanding balances on their islands or lose ownership.

The developer has changed terms on payment schedules previously agreed with buyers of islands to fast-track the collection of fees, a source told Arabian Business.

The new demands were allegedly issued after a revamp of Nakheel’s chairman and board in March 2010, as the developer sought to restructure $10.8bn in debt.

Almost all buyers on The World project have failed to begin work, with exceptions including work carried out by Kleindienst Group, the firm behind the six-island Heart of Europe project and the Lebanon island, which is due to launch as a beach resort this year.

A spat between Nakheel and Penguin Marine, the company contracted to ferry goods to the islands, has also affected island owners seeking to fast-track construction on their sites.

Nakheel has said 70 percent of the 300 man made islands are sold and that building work is the responsibility of the owners.

RERA and Profile Group were not available for comment when contacted by Arabian Business.

The company said the properties, which include two hotels and four hotel apartments, comprise a total of 745 rooms, and employ more than 385 staff.

Time, owned by the Gulf General Investment Company (GGICO) and Investment Group Private, confirmed it would not be taking over Layia Hotels Management but said it would be operating as a new brand and management company.

GGICO was also one of the founders of Layia Hospitality, launched in 2008, in partnership with hotelier Daniel Hajjar. A court case is currently underway between GGICO and Hajjar.

The new properties are: Time Oak Hotel Suites in Al Barsha, and Time Grand Plaza Hotel in Al Qusais, and four hotel apartments; the Opal, Topaz and Crystal Hotel Apartments in Dubai, and the Ruby Hotel Apartments in Sharjah.