DUBAI GETS TAHITI PERLESâ A ROBERT WAN GALLERY BOUTIQUE
January 14, 2003
Dubai - Info2cell.com launches first SMS pull information services in the UAE
UAE Mobile subscribers can use smsME services by sending simple text messages to preset number
January 14, 2003UAE's first SMS (Short Messaging Service) information service via pull messages is being offered to mobile subscribers in the UAE, by Info2cell.com, the leading wireless information service provider in the Middle East and North Africa region. Info2cell has drawn on its own experience with similar services launched with Batelco Bahrain, MTC Kuwait, Fastlink Jordan and the technological expertise of its Italian partner Acotel, in its service offering.
?UAE mobile subscribers need no longer wait to read a newspaper, listen to the radio or watch TV in order to find out the latest news, financial summary or entertainment information,? said Bashar Dahabra, Founder and CEO Info2cell.com. ?Instant updates of headlines or financial and leisure information can now be pulled at will anytime on mobile phones by subscribers, by simply sending a specific command message to a preset number.??Info2cell.com's SMS push information services have already registered a record 100,000 subscribers in the Middle East region proving that there is a growing demand for the SMS information services. By introducing smsME, we are building on our earlier success to offer more enhanced services, where the customer can not only receive the information of his choice of category but also decide the receipt time for the service. The pull information services gives our customers a much greater control on the inflow of information into their mobile sets and gives them more freedom of choice,? said Dahabra.Info2cell.com's tie-up with Acotel has further strengthened its leadership position in the regional telecommunications industry.
This collaboration has also given it access to Europe's leading Wireless Application Service Provider (WASP) technology as offered by Acotel. The Acotel Group also offers enabling platforms and applications, which deliver messaging services for Network Operators and enterprises to the personal, wireless world of mobile devices.
?The mobile phone has evolved considerably from being just a voice connector between two people and much of the credit for this goes to SMS messaging. We at Info2cell.com aim to ensure that the mobile phone is utilized to its maximum potential while at the same time guaranteeing that users are not bombarded with unwanted information. The pull services are remarkably suited to this idea because they allow users to decide independently the quality of information they would like to have, in addition to being in control of the time when the information is received,? he added.
?The smsME service is being offered exclusively to UAE subscribers and is available both in Arabic and English,? said Dahabra. ?With the launch of Arabic enabled phones, GSM operators have witnessed a growth in Arabic SMS messaging, increasing traffic by up to 60 per cent and with the peak hours of SMS traffic being between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm in the evening,?
smsME currently offers a choice of four categories of information via channels grouped under the titles Headlines, Financial, Fun and Women. Each of these further sub-divide to offer specialized and particular topics so that subscribers can fine-tune their choices appropriately and obtain exact information according to personal choice.
Subscribers interested to know the latest news, business, IT & telecom or sports headlines, cricket information or the top rated breaking news of the moment can simply send an SMS message with the dedicated code to the number 4402 to receive an instant update. Subdivisions on the financial channel also enable a subscriber to query active stocks and indices or get stock and currency quotes by means of a coded SMS message.
smsME is designed to offer something for every mobile subscriber and hence Info2cell.com has introduced two lifestyle and entertainment channels. Women constitute a significant population of the UAE and they are often on the lookout for instant kitchen tips, and beauty or fashion advice. All this information is now instantly available on the mobile simply by sending the dedicated coded SMS message to the number 4401. The latest fashion tip for instance, could be about the trends for Spring 2003 or ways to highlight one's best features. In addition, advice on managing relationships, horoscopes and a listing of leisure activities in the UAE are also available on the women's channels.
Jokes, fortune cookies, horoscopes and Time out are some of the issues being dealt with in the lifestyle and entertainment segment designated fun. Launched under a dynamic system, the pull services are designed in such a manner that each time subscribers pull the content it will enable them to get a different joke or fortune cookie. Future enhancements to the SMS pull information services will include the ability to download ringtones, picture messages and JAVA games to mobile handsets.
Info2cell.com has also launched a website www.smsme.ae in order to allow subscribers to get extensive information on the various channels available through the pull service. The entertainment channels can be accessed for UAE Dh 1 per pull while the financial and News channels cost UAE Dh 2 per pull. -keralamonitor.com
15 January 2003
WHO Presents draft text ahead of final round of negotiations on tobacco conventionThe Brazilian Ambassador Luis Felipe de Seixas Corrêa, chair of the
Inter-governmental Negotiating Body (INB) of the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control (FCTC), today made public his proposed text for the global
treaty. When in effect, the Framework Convention will be an important tool in the
fight against cancers, heart disease and emphysema and for health
promotion efforts globally.
The chair's revised text will be the basis for the sixth and ultimate
session of the INB which will take place in Geneva from 17 -28 February.
Over those eleven days, delegations from WHO's 192 Member States will
negotiate a final text which will be submitted for adoption by the World
Health Assembly in May.
" We have made excellent progress thus far and I am confident we will be
able to move the process ahead to prepare the convention for adoption by
the next Assembly," said Ambassador Luis Felipe de Seixas Corrêa. "We must
move beyond country, subregional and regional perspectives and work for
the collective interest. The text I am proposing today is an attempt to
take into account the views and suggestions expressed during the last
round of negotiations. But primarily, the aim of this text is to ensure
that we end up with a treaty which is an effective tool for improving
public health."
The fifth round of negotiations took place in October last year.
Substantial progress was made then towards agreement on such key issues as
tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, illicit trade in tobacco
products, taxes, international co-operation and financial resources.
The new proposed text is drawing on the discussions with countries since
October to suggest wording which as many countries as possible can agree
on to ensure that the treaty becomes global in reach and effective in its
task to strengthen national and international tobacco control.
The FCTC is the first international health treaty under WHO's auspices. It
forms a key aspect in a global strategy to reduce the world-wide epidemic
of tobacco. Last year, tobacco killed 4.9 million people, up sharply from
estimates only two years ago, as the true toll of tobacco in developing
countries is becoming known. If action is not taken, annual
tobacco-related deaths will reach 10 million by the late 2020s. More than
70% of these will be in developing countries.
The work towards a treaty has already strengthened tobacco control efforts
in countries. In addition to the health sector, ministries of finance,
trade and foreign affairs, to name a few, have been engaged in the process
of what diplomats say is a truly multisectoral approach to health.
"With this new text, we have a solid basis for a treaty that, when
adopted, will protect public health," said Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, WHO
Director-General. "I am confident we can craft a convention which both has
muscle and that can be accepted by all."
The Framework Convention aims to create a global regulatory system that,
when in force, will stimulate, organize and supplement national policies,
as well as being in itself a multilateral regime to control the tobacco
pandemic. Once the convention has been adopted by the World Health
Assembly, further discussions will be opened to add more detailed
protocols on specific issues. keralamonitor.com
