A Christmas Message From Connect44

At this time of year it is easy to forget about those less fortunate than us. Last Christmas Connect44 helped to raise the awareness of the crisis in Darfur, Sudan as well as the Nazareth House project for the homeless in South Africa.

This year Connect44 will again be donating much needed funds to two charities instead of sending Christmas cards, (EUR 1’000 for each project). Our aim is to raise the awareness of these crisis’ around the world and to help those who are suffering due to these tragedies. Everyone deserves to have hope at this time of year and any help they can get is a step closer to making this a reality.

Zimbabwe Children’s Appeal

The collapse of public services, including water and sanitation infrastructure in Zimbabwe has led to the worst cholera outbreak in the last two decades. Around 500 people have already died and the number of cases has risen to over 10,000. The districts of Harare and Beitbridge have reported the highest number of cases of deaths so far.

The outbreak brings fresh dangers to women and children who are already weakened by food shortages and reduced access to health care. It also increases the vulnerability of those living with HIV and AIDS. Unlike cholera outbreaks in the past which occurred in rural areas, this outbreak is mainly occurring in crowded urban areas and is therefore spreading faster and becoming more difficult to contain. With the start of the rainy season the situation will only get worse.

Flooding in India and Nepal

The state of Bihar in India has been hit by the worst floods in 50 years, which started after the Kosi River broke a dam in Nepal and breached mud embankments in Bihar a week ago. Over 1,000 villages in 13 districts of north Bihar have been affected, causing large-scale displacement. According to government figures, up to two million people will be affected. The official death toll is 55, although this figure is rising.

More than 70,000 people have also been displaced in Nepal. The floods have caused extensive damage and disruption to roads, water, and electricity supplies in the affected areas. Essential commodities, including food, are now being transported by boat. UNICEF is responding with water, shelter and medicines as families crowd into relief camps in one of India’s poorest states. The displaced families will not be able to return to their homes for another couple of months until the embankment is repaired.

Everyone here at Connect44 would like to thank you for your continued support and co-operation throughout 2008. We wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year.

Nokia Siemens Networks and Qatar Telecom to Collaborate on Mobile TV Network in Qatar

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has agreed to collaborate with Nokia Siemens Networks, to deploy a DVB-H-based mobile TV network in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar.

The network will be the first commercially ready project of its kind, according to the two companies and will use OMA Bcast Smart Card Profile technology to integrate content management rights into existing wireless video infrastructures.

Nokia Siemens Networks has agreed to provide Nokia N96 handsets to test the software that will enable payment models and interactivity options on the forthcoming mobile TV network.

Ericsson today (September 17, 2008) opened up a new Global Service Delivery Center (GSDC) in Pakistan, which will help Ericsson’s global service delivery strategy. The centre, based in Lahore will support Ericsson’s global leadership position in managed services and form a regional base for offerings in consulting and education for emerging markets.

Following the recently the announced opening of GSDCs in Lebanon and Romania, the Lahore center is another step in Ericsson’s strategy for developing global and local service and delivery capabilities. The GSDCs are designed to ensure business readiness for the global market with more focus on emerging markets, where most subscriber growth will take place in the next five years.

“This centre will be yet another reason why customers globally continue to recognize Ericsson as a clear leader in the telecom services industry,” says Fredrik Strand, vice president and general manager Service Delivery and Operations, Business Unit Global Services. “Ericsson has a global organization of over 29,500 service professionals all working efficiently with the same processes, methods and tools to ensure that we deliver high quality services to our customers.”

The telecoms market has seen rapid development throughout this fast growing region over the last few years. The establishment of the Lahore centre will recognise the competences and capabilities that Ericsson has developed in building and operating large, complex telecom environments.

“Pakistan has the sixth largest population in the world. The opening of the GSDC will further develop our service delivery capabilities in this region,” says Zibber Mohiuddin, president and country manager, Ericsson Pakistan. “This expertise center will not only reinforce Ericsson’s commitment to the country but will also be the first of its kind in Pakistan,” he says.

The inauguration of the new GSDC in Lahore was celebrated in the presence of high-level officials from the telecommunication sector and the management team of Ericsson Middle East, headed by Bo-Erik Dahlström.

Connect44 - new website online.

The Connect44 team are pleased to announce the opening of our brand new web site. As you can see we have had a complete makeover and added some great new features to the site, which will help our telecom engineers and consultants find their next contract in the telecommunications industry.

We now have our very own telecoms job board, where we will post the latest telco vacancies at Connect44 everyday. If you wish to be notified automatically when a new job is posted on the site, visit our Jobs By Email Page. Fill out the form and you will be notified via email when a contract comes in that matches your profile.

If you need to talk to one of our account managers you can take advantage of our Free Callback service on the site. Just fill out the form and a member of the connect44 team will call you back at a convenient time to discuss your next contract.

Your feedback is always welcome, so if you have any comments or suggestions, please email me at paul.pacitti@connect44.com

Enjoy the site!