Batelco Fined by TRA

Bahrain’s telecoms regulator has fined Bahrain Telecommunications (Batelco) for preventing other operators from accessing the country’s international data lines. Alan Horne, director of Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), told Reuters on Monday the fine would be in the single-digit million Bahraini dinars range.

At issue has been access to the landing station for a submarine cable - Bahrain’s only connection to the international network - which is located on Batelco’s premises. The Telecommunications Authority (TRA) said Batelco had refused to supply space to other operators to gain access to the landing station and regarded reasons cited by Batelco for doing so as unjustified. Batelco has 30 days in which to pay the fine, which may be increased or decreased depending on its response to the TRA order.

You Will Be Getting Cheaper Internet in Bahrain

If you have not been reading the news, Bahrain Government signed a deal with Tata telecom to lay off a second Internet cable in the country. The work is scheduled to be completed in 2011. This mean that ISPs in Bahrain will have a choice of another cable other than Batelco’s Internet cable.

Today, and according to Gulf Daily News, a project expected to increase Bahrain’s access to the worldwide web and bring down Internet prices was announced yesterday by the country’s telecom watchdog.  It involves laying an 18km transmission network of cables and ducts from Salmaniya to the King Fahad Causeway, allowing Bahraini company Gateway Gulf to tap into the Saudi cyber network.

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) general director Alan Horne revealed it was being done in conjunction with Zain Bahrain and the Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC) – the third mobile company to be awarded a mobile licence in Bahrain.

Bahrain Internet Clashes

How it all started?

Sources told the GDN that the Reliance Globalcom cable was not being used to its full capacity, which was the reason download limits existed. They claimed that if direct access was granted by Batelco to rival operators, these ISPs could provide increased access without the expensive and drawn-out procedure of laying new underwater cables – potentially meaning an end to download limits. In a statement to the GDN, Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) revealed that efforts were already underway to resolve the issue. “The TRA is investigating allegations by licensed operators relating to alleged restrictions of access to international capacity,” the statement read.

Internet Threshold Sparks Protests. Not in Bahrain (yet)

Egypt Internet users protested against “Fair Usage Policy” in from of ISPs demanding that such policy should not be imposed. According to the new policy, internet users will only be allowed to download 25 Giga bytes per month which then will be throttled to 128 Kb. Protesters called for a boycott by using forums, Facebook and other websites.

Raw Deal for Bahrain Internet Users

INTERNET prices in Bahrain appear on the surface to be similar – if not cheaper – than those in other Gulf countries.

However, a comparison of what customers are getting for their money suggests people in Bahrain are getting a raw deal.

For example, Qtel’s BD20 Internet service in Qatar might be double the price of Batelco’s BD10 package, but it is four times faster and customers can download as much as they like – while a Batelco customer has a broadband limit of 2GB a month.

War on Internet Piracy in Bahrain

BAHRAIN’S telecom watchdog declared war on Internet piracy yesterday, vowing to ensure intellectual property rights were respected by all the country’s users. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced it was preparing to work closely with the Culture and Information Ministry after several international companies expressed concern over their intellectual property being illegally shared by users in Bahrain.

TRA chairman Dr Mohammed Al Amer told the GDN that intellectual property rights were an important part of Bahraini law and the TRA was preparing to step up action against those who flout the regulations.

“Bahrain has a policy which regulates and rules intellectual property in the kingdom and that is vital to maintain healthy business relations in Bahrain,” he said.

“There are a number of companies – although revealing them is not appropriate at this time as it may be premature – that have voiced concern but we are currently awaiting further information.

Skype HQ Planned in Bahrain

Internet phone software pioneer Skype has begun negotiations to set up its Middle East headquarters in Bahrain.

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) chairman Dr Mohammed Al Amer yesterday revealed the Luxembourg-based company had already contacted the watchdog about operating in the kingdom.

“Their interest is serious and negotiations are ongoing,” he told a Press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa.

Source: Gulf Daily News

Push For Better Internet Quality in Bahrain

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has signed a contract with Epitiro to design, build and operate a permanent broadband test platform in Bahrain. The aim is to continuously monitor and report on the service quality of Internet and broadband service providers…

Through this quality of service measurement, the TRA is aiming to provide the consumer with information on Internet quality of services to assist in their choice of provider. Making such information publicly available should encourage operators to ensure they maintain a high level of service and fulfil customers’ expectations. 

Fully automated testing will provide both the TRA and consumers with information on many factors which affect the quality of the customer experience for both domestic and international connectivity, including download and upload speed, web browsing speed and other critical parameters. Specific retail broadband packages from all licensed operators will be tested and results will be made available to consumers on a quarterly basis in the form of graphical displays, thereby allowing people to easily compare results between licence operators. In addition, the quality achieved by the industry in Bahrain will be benchmarked in a dynamic way compared to the quality achieved by operators in other parts of the world, including Far East, Europe and the US.

Source: Gulf Daily News

Speed Test Results – 3 Results

Batelco: Professional 10Mb
Advertised Speed:

• Download: 10 Mb
• Upload: 512 Kb

Batelco: Medium 1 Mb
Advertised Speed:

• Download: 1 Mb
• Upload: 256 Kb

Bahrain Internet Speed Ranking

According to the test conducted by Internet users in Bahrain on Speedtest.net , Bahrain is ranked104 in terms of download speed.

When you compare this speed to other Gulf countries average download speed, Bahrain ranks 3rd after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. UAE and Oman are ranked 4th and 5th respectively. No data was available for Qatar.

The download speed of the Gulf Countries as follow:

1. Saudi Arabia 1.96 Mb
2. Kuwait 1.83 Mb
3. Bahrain 1.56
4. UAE 1.39
5. Oman 1.03

As you can depict in the chart below from Speedtest.net, Bahrain is 62% lower that Asia’s average and 71% lower than global’s average.

Here are couple of facts that needs to be put into prospective. According to Bahrainedb.com, Bahrain ranks: