Page 76 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2022

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

swiftly address the changing connectivity conducted demos connecting remote organised a series of 3G and 4G demos
demands of their customers.” The latest villages in Kazakhstan using SES’s first- with leading mobile network operators,
agreement highlights the deepening of generation O3b satellites, setting record- such as Kcell, proving O3b mPOWER’s
the partnership between SES and RCSC breaking speeds via satellite recorded ability to easily expand local networks with
to evaluate and bring NGSO capabilities in the country (380Mbps downlink and satellite-enabled connectivity.
to the country. In 2021, both companies 120Mbps uplink). Additionally, SES also

Mandatory Inherent Defects Insurance in Saudi
Arabia

As per report issued by Simmons & Sim- and the standard policy wording, which was sider what it is not designed to meet. We
mons; In June 2018, the Kingdom of Saudi only introduced in March 2020, remains un- also look at the potential problems with its
Arabia (KSA) became the first of the Gulf tested. In the meantime, Market interest application and highlight some of the ques-
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to in- in the product remains high, and there are tions it raises. For example: What benefit
troduce mandatory inherent defects insur- perhaps some unrealistic expectations of, does the contractor obtain from the policy?
ance (IDI) for construction projects in the and confusion about, what the policy is de- Can the contractor/designer be named as
private sector. Whilst this insurance has signed to cover, its scope, who can benefit an insured? Does the insurer retain subro-
been mandatory in KSA for four years now, from it and how it will operate in practice. gation rights? How does this cover interact
its integration has been staggered, many of In this paper, we seek to explain what risks with other insurances that might be ob-
the projects to which it applies are unlikely this policy is designed to meet and whether tained in respect of construction projects?
to have reached practical completion yet it does so and, of equal importance, con-

stc Bahrain Launches Its Latest Fiber Campaign

stc Bahrain, a world-class digital enabler, has at better prices with many benefits.” The about their fiber broadband services. The
launched its fiber campaign with exciting launch of the campaign also aims to campaign is launched in light of the new
offers to existing and new customers, educate consumers about fiber broadband study launched by the Telecommunications
including a six-month free subscription. networks and to help them distinguish Regulatory Authority that shows Bahrain’s
Customers will be able to enjoy free fiber for between various service offerings. “All fiber fiber broadband plans are the cheapest in
six months starting from BD 5.5 a month. is the same” is the theme of the campaign, the GCC. Based on the latest market data,
Those who switch to stc Bahrain will be communicating the fact that all telecom around 65 percent of households in the
given the same fiber broadband quality with operators provide fiber of equal quality Kingdom have fiber broadband services,
higher benefits and competitive prices. stc and speed, providing consumers with the compared to 42 percent in 2019, an
Bahrain is also offering twelve months knowledge they need to make decisions increase in subscriptions by 34 percent.
free stc TV (including OSN) and Shahid
VIP subscription, open to customers who
are subscribed to select stc plans. Karim
Tabbouche, Chief Consumer Officer at
stc Bahrain, said: “As more households in
Bahrain are using fiber broadband, we are
excited to be offering customers exclusive
fiber offers when they switch to stc so that
they can enjoy the same high-quality fiber
with higher benefits and competitive prices.
We are also proud to be a top choice by our
customers for our value-added offerings,
rates, quality customer service, and high-
network connectivity services. Customers
will be offered the same quality services

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