Season's Greetings

GSM>3G Middle East featured a good-sized audience, great presentations, lively discussions and lots of useful networking. I will write more about the event when I return from a (too short) sunshine break, for which I am just about to leave. I think the taxi may be outside already...

This blog(ger) will be offline until just after Christmas Day. In the meantime, I wish all readers and Com World Series supporters happy holidays - and a prosperous New Year for those of you able to stay offline for longer than I am!

GSM>3G Middle East: setting up for tomorrow's event

GSM>3G Middle East event: Will we get updates on stakes in Iran's TCI?

Greetings from (very) sunny Dubai, where my team and I are busily making last-minute preparations for our annual GSM>3G Middle East conference and exhibition, which kicks off tomorrow morning at 09.00, local time. Registrations are looking very strong and we expect a significantly better-attended event than the very decent showing we got in 2007. I daresay my colleagues in the marketing team will be trumpeting all the very positive numbers soon - partly with a view to convincing those of you who have not joined us this year that you'll be missing out on an excellent networking opportunity...

On the second day of the event, we have among our panel of speakers Mr Vahid Sadoughi, the CEO of MCI, the mobile business unit of the national incumbent carrier Telecommunication Company of Iran. Our Global Mobile Daily service reminded me last week that a number of overseas investors are currently eyeing a stake in TCI. Interest seems to be strong in Russia, Turkey, China and Indonesia. It remains to be seen whether Mr Sadoughi will be able to field any questions relating to this in Tuesday's plenary session.