China Mobile International wants to work in close co-ordination with UAE telcos du and Etisalat as it enters the Middle East market with its first regional office in Dubai.
"Du and Etisalat are offering a full range of services to customers … working closely with them, we would be a bridge between UAE telcos and enterprises, especially of Chinese origin," said Li Feng, chairman and chief executive of CMI, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Mobile, the world's largest telecom operator by number of subscribers.
He said that the company will look to improve communication and understanding between local operators and Chinese customers. “Chinese customers can buy more services if there is better understanding,” Mr Li said.
China is the largest trading partner of the Emirates, while the UAE is the second-largest trading partner and the largest export market for China in West Asia and North Africa. In 2017, bilateral trade volume reached $41 billion (Dh150.5bn), according to Ni Jian, China’s ambassador to the UAE.
"Entry of CMI in the Middle East will have a far-reaching impact on the promotion of information and communications industries in the region," said Mr Ni, who also sees this move as a push towards enhancing bilateral trade.
Arrival of a Chinese telco major in the region could also connect large numbers of Chinese tourists visiting the Middle East to CMI services in the future.
In 2017, the number of Chinese tourists visiting the UAE exceeded a million for the first time, and nearly 3.5 million used the UAE as a transit point.
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CMI's parent company had a 4.5 per cent jump in revenues amounting to 740.5 billion Chinese yuan (Dh392.4bn), according to Statista.
“In the Middle East, we have three main objectives: to work more closely along with regional carriers, to provide value-added services and to speed up the technology development in this region,” said Mr Li.
To provide better services to meet the growing demand in the global telecoms market, China Mobile established CMI in 2010, mainly responsible for the operation of international business.
Based in Hong Kong, CMI provides a range of services including Internet of Things, voice, data, roaming and has expanded its footprint in 20 countries.
"We are certain to see Chinese companies and trade influencing the ICT industry considerably over the coming years … and we consider CMI's entry as a significant step towards that direction," said Ammar Malik, managing director of Dubai Internet City.
‘White Elephant’
Director: Jesse V Johnson
Stars: Michael Rooker, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Olga Kurylenko
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
SPECS
Engine: 2-litre direct injection turbo
Transmission: 7-speed automatic
Power: 261hp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: From Dh134,999
Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation 2 to 5
Rating: 5/5
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
