Category: Our News

In a signing ceremony held at Elite Resort and Spa, Muharraq, Elite Hospitality Group’s Chief Operating Officer Mr Sarosh Aibara, said: “In today’s environment, internet plays a large role in our lives. Keeping in-line with Elite Hospitality Group’s technological vision, we stay abreast of new advancements and dynamically invest on this for the growth of our organisation and the convenience of our valued guests with the up to date release of broadband technology. We have opted to upgrade by connecting with the Internet technology bringing the internet to life with faster speeds, no line dropouts, and an always-on connection. With this in mind we are pleased to have selected Kalaam Telecom as our service provider.”

Kalaam Telecom’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Veer Passi said: “We are pleased to be selected as Elite’s partner and to deploy a one-stop ICT solution based on Next Generation Premium Technology in all their properties. The centralized data and bandwidth management solution is fully redundant ensuring 100% connectivity at consistent speeds with no down-time. Further, Internet speeds can be increased as and when required through ‘bandwidth-on-demand’ feature, which is ideal for seasonal or cyclic nature of the hospitality industry. Kalaam Telecom’s expertise-in implementing a scalable solution that will not only meet Elite’s immediate requirement but also take care of their requirement for the forthcoming years without the need for more investment-is the key factor that sets us apart as a ICT service provider.”

Avinash Phandis our Chief Financial Officer said: “Kalaam Telecom was chosen for its innovative, cost-effective and expandable solutions that met Elite Hospitality Group’s standards. This move will further enhance our efforts to delight our guests, as also improve our central reservations network and our internal communications”

“This ICT-based solution provides immense flexibility to Elite and well-equips them to meet the ever-demanding, need for internet speed in this very competitive hospitality industry. It will act as a service-differentiator for the Elite Group, to whom, customer satisfaction is paramount. We look forward to a successful business partnership wherein we both continue to set high benchmarks in customer satisfaction, in our respective industries,” concluded Veer Passi.

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. Kalaam Telecom’s pioneering international calling card, k-talk launches “Talk & Win” loyalty campaign at the peak of their 5th anniversary celebrations. “K-talk was the first and foremost calling card to be introduced in the Bahrain market in October 2005, and has been doing successfully well for the past 5 years, thanks to our loyal customer base.

On the occasion of our 5th anniversary, we are pleased to be giving our customers an opportunity to win more than 800 prizes through this „Talk and Win’ Campaign! K-talks 5th Anniversary celebrations started with the unveiling of our new K-talk card design in the beginning of the year, together with the launch of the „best minutes to India‟ campaign, followed by a two-month campaign (in June and July) offering amazing rates to top calling-destinations Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan. K-talk will continue to provide great value and service at very affordable rates” said Veer Passi, Chief Operating Officer, Kalaam Telecom.

The ‘Talk & Win’ campaign, which commences from 6th October and will end on 6th December offers K-talk international calling card users the chance to win a mega-prize – LCD TV; free tickets to India on Jet Airways; DVD Players, Digital Cameras, Mobiles phones and many more prizes besides K-talk calling cards.

Customers who buy and use a K-talk calling card (any denomination), are required to fill in their name and mobile number fields printed at the back of the K-talk card and drop it into one of the “Talk & Win” collection boxes that are installed at all BFC (Bahrain Financing Company) Branches at Adliya, Arad, Bahrain Mall, Bokhawara (‘West Riffa’), City Centre, Country Mall, Exhibition Road, Gudaibiya, Hamad Town, Hidd, Juffair, Lulu, Manama, Muharraq, North Muharraq, Riffa (‘East Riffa’), Salmabad, Salmaniya, Sanad, Seef Mall, Sitra, Souq, Waqf Building (Church) or additionally at any of the major k-talk resellers (visit www.kalaam-telecom.com for a complete list).

Four major draws will be held and the winners announced in the Gulf Madhyamam on Thursdays 21st October, 4 November, 25th November and 9th December. Further winners will also be contacted individually on their mobiles to collect their prizes.

Commenting on the launch of the promotion Mr. Jubin Koshy, Retail Sales Manager, Kalaam Telecom said, “The „Talk and Win‟ Campaign is all about rewarding our customers. We have always provided our customers with the best minutes and voice quality in the market and we will continue to maintain our domination in this segment. I am sure with k-talk‟s reputed brand complimenting the prizes being given away, “Talk & Win” will be a resounding success.”

Over the past five years, Bahrain This Month has written regularly about the state of the telecommunications market in the Kingdom. While the fireworks in the earlier years have given way to a period of relative calm, that looks about to change.

In some respects 2011 is a make or break year; it is set to be a tipping point. There are critical policy decisions to be made that will significantly shape the industry in the short- to medium-term, and perhaps, even the overall economy. In some quarters there is a renewed sense of optimism that the playing field will be a lot more level than it has been.

The developments that are driving this optimism are number portability, additional international connectivity, local loop unbundling and the release of the National Broadband Network (NBN) implementation strategy.

The comments from Veer Passi, Kalaam Telecom chief operating officer (page 86) suggest that, even after the wholesale price reductions demanded by the TRA from Batelco, VIVA offers competitive pricing in the wholesale market. It suggests a softer approach, where who is dominant or possesses market power is not the primary point of determination. Rather, it should be the presence of other operators in the market with equivalent dominance/power, who could balance out the market and keep it ‘in check’.

Operating in the most competitive of times, Kalaam Telecom has sustained its business model, become profitable and continues to deliver value to its clients. The past year has been an eventful one for Kalaam Telecom, as it has been for the telecom sector at large within the Kingdom.

“Consequent to the entrance of the third mobile operator in early March 2010, Kalaam was able to realign its strategy to take advantage of the resulting market dynamics,” says Veer Passi, Kalaam Telecom chief operating officer. “Not only have we expanded our market share in the corporate sector, but we also became EBIDTA positive in our fifth year of operation.”

“The aggressive marketing buzz created in the retail segment actually helped us in promoting our services to corporate businesses. The timing was just right; as corporations, faced with the current economic scenario, were looking for cost-saving options. It allowed us to gain momentum. Our established line of business solutions was well received by these clients, as they now had a practical option to help lower their communications costs.”

2011 Vision

“As we look ahead, we plan to expand the capacity and reach of our wireless and wired infrastructure,” advises Veer. “We will also participate in the Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) project, currently being finalised by the TRA.”

In the meantime, Kalaam intends to capitalise on the momentum achieved so far, continuing to grow its customer base through strategic marketing and to maintain the brand’s promise to be customer-focused, quality-driven and consistently provide value-based solutions.

“In the immediate future,” Veer adds. “Kalaam is hosting an inBusiness stand at both the Food and Hospitality Exhibition, at Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, from February 8-10, and the Middle East Financial Technology Market Show on April 18-19. So, please come down and see — we’d be delighted to talk to you”

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain: Kalaam Telecom, in a forward-thinking move, released their latest corporate campaign for 2011 in 3D! Now screening at Bahrain International Airport (BIA) till 31st December 2010, Kalaam’s 3D animated advert is showcased in three 42-inch 3DTV screens and requires no special glasses to view. Hosted by Balfour International Group, the 3D experience kiosks installed in both the arrivals and departures concourses broadcast continuous footage of vivid visuals and animated adverts that provide the 3D effect based on Phillips’ Wow 3D technology.

“We were keen to present the innovative spirit of Kalaam Telecom in a unique way. The 3DTV viewing experience without special glasses provided us with an ideal opportunity to launch our 2011 corporate campaign: “Experience the Kalaam Advantage” in this fresh approach to advertising. We are excited to be among the first telecoms to be involved in reaching our audience through this powerful 3D medium brought to Bahrain by Balfour Group International”, stated Veer Passi, Chief Operating Officer of Kalaam Telecom Bahrain.

“After many years of development, 3D screen technology is now surpassing all expectations in terms of impact for the advertiser and the general consumer. After successful launches of the 3D experience in the UK, the UAE, India and Germany, Balfour has now brought the 3D experience to the Kingdom of Bahrain,” says, Charles Firebrace, Head of Business Development, Balfour International Group.

“Creating an animated 3D corporate ad was an exciting challenge for us especially as we had no idea how the effects would come through‟, added Anna Kelly, Communications Manager at Kalaam. “As an alternate voice and data service provider, Kalaam Telecom’s 2011 corporate campaign focuses on the five-fold advantage Kalaam provides a customer. To highlight this message, through images that provide the depth required for the 3D effect in a 15 second spot was daunting, at first, but we are now very pleased with the released advert. It‟s quite engaging to see Kalaam’s message in 3D with the elements of the brand projected and floating in front of the TV screens.”

The 3DTV Screens are located at opposite Gate 12 in the Departures concourse and at the Green Channel Exit in the Arrivals Lounge at the Bahrain International Airport.

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain: Kalaam Telecom (B.S.C), one of the leading voice and data services provider has appointed BBK, a pioneer in commercial and retail banking as its cash management partner. The formation of this new relationship will aim to accelerate Kalaam’s receivables through accepting bill payments of its corporate clients over-the-counters in all BBK Financial Malls and branches allowing easy access to its customers through its wide presence across the country.

“We selected BBK for its demonstrated comprehensive cash management suite of services for corporate, which compliments Kalaam’s existing an d potential customer base,” said Veer Passi, Chief Operating Officer (Acting) & Chief Financial Officer of Kalaam Telecom. “We believe BBK’s branch network combined with the Cash Management solution offers our customers additional locations to settle their bill payments and simultaneously accelerates our receivables.”

“This partnership is one of a number of strategic commitments to ultimately enable our customers to better manage their working capital. At BBK, we focus on being innovative in providing services that increase efficiencies in managing the corporate financial supply chain,” said Sh. Rashed Al Khalifa, GM – Business Group, BBK.

“Now in our 5th year of operations, we at Kalaam strive to enhance our customer’s experience by providing hassle-free payment options to make post-paid bill payments easier,” continued Veer Passi, “we also offer multiple payment modes including an easy-to-pay online payment option on Kalaam’s website wherein all our corporate clients can login to their account and pay their bills through a simple customer-friendly interface.”

In addition to BBK’s extensive branch network, Kalaam Telecom partners with Bahrain Financing Company (BFC) and Bahrain India International Exchange (BIIECO), allowing Kalaam’s customers to make bill payments through more than 50 conveniently located centers.

Kalaam Telecom, one of Bahrain’s leading alternative operators, has migrated to a full NGN solution using the DIGITALK SIP Application Server.

The growing acceptance and trust of VoIP technology in the region means that Kalaam Telecom has been able to optimise service offerings and are now able to more effectively grow and serve their subscriber base with a reduced operational cost model while being able to offer new revenue generating services on top of existing service offerings.

.The NGN DIGITALK Multiservice Platform (a SIP based Application Server) offers enhanced redundancy, security and load-sharing capabilities due to the integral Session Border Controller, enabling Kalaam to have confidence in uptime and solution availability to further enhance customer service quality and strengthen loyalty.

DIGITALK have extensive experience in migrations from legacy TDM to NGN infrastructures with many operators seeing the cost benefit of moving to an NGN.

Suleiman Maani, CEO of Kalaam commented “We were looking to take better advantage of the cost savings available by investing in NGN infrastructure and we had very tight deadlines in order to maintain service levels. DIGITALK’s project team were very flexible in reducing the standard project and installation times with a very successful switch-over.”

Mark Ashdown, EVP of DIGITALK added “As we see further adoption of SIP within network operators, the transition to NGN technology continues to gather momentum. Our relationship with Kalaam Telecom is a fine example of where strong vision is matched with a robust and scalable solution to ensure a cost effective service is delivered for all for the long term.”