MTC’s African deal completed
Kuwaiti telecoms provider Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) has completed a deal to own most of African operator CelTel, the remainder of which it intends to buy within two years, it said.

MTC said in a statement that it completed the transfer of 85 per cent of shares of CelTel, Africa’s third largest operator, and will acquire the rest later.
South African mobile phone operator MTN has taken Netherlands-based Celtel to court in a challenge against its takeover by MTC.
MTC’s executive board chairman Asad Al Bunwan said  the deal to acquire CelTel was transparent. MTC announced the CelTel takeover in late March for $3.3 billion and said it would retain it as a separate entity and keep its current management.

Symantec’s commitment
Symantec Corp, the global leader in information security, has announced its continued commitment to defending small and medium businesses (SMBs) from Internet threats and security risks through the availability of free educational tools and the upcoming release of Symantec AntiVirus 10.0 and Symantec Client Security 3.0 Business Packs.

Nokia and Yahoo in deal
Mobile phone company Nokia and Internet brand Yahoo have announced an agreement that allows millions of Nokia smartphone users to stay informed, entertained and in touch through Yahoo’s rapidly developing Internet services.
Yahoo’s data communications services such as e-mail, entertainment services such as ring tones, wallpapers and downloadable games and its Search for Mobile will be the first set of services available through Nokia devices based on Series 60, the smartphone platform.

Blue Coat launches spyware interceptor
Blue Coat Systems Middle East, a leading provider of proxy appliances, has introduced Spyware Interceptor, designed to be the industry’s most effective anti-spyware appliance for networks with 1,000 users or less.
Spyware Interceptor is built on Blue Coat’s proxy technology, and will come in an easy-to-deploy and affordable appliance form-factor. The appliance utilises Scope (Spyware Catching Object Protection Engine) technology to prevent both known and unknown forms of spyware at the gateway.

TRC gets liberal
Jordan’s Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) has opened up the kingdom’s fixed telecommunications market for 26 existing licencees as part of its liberalisation initiative.
For the first time all operators have been allowed to provide fixed-voice services, including international services, to customers throughout Jordan.
The commission has asked the existing telecom operators to move to a new licensing regime that will free them from existing constraints. This step will allow them to offer many new services to the Jordanian public, using any technology that they consider appropriate, subject to certain technical limitations.

CA appoint managers
Independent software company Computer Associates (CA) has further consolidated its position in the Arab world with the appointment of all of its senior executives in the region. The appointees, based in different regional offices, bring a wealth of international and regional industry experience to CA and come from leading multinational companies such as Alcatel, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems, CA said.