Iran and GCC in key telecoms link-up

An agreement involving the GCC countries and Iran which would help control mobile services spillover has been reached, it was announced yesterday. The GCC nations and Iran have reached a co-ordination agreement on the use of specific frequency bands for preventing and resolving spillover and harmful interference to the mobile service and optimising the use of the frequency spectrum by the countries in agreement. Minister of State for Telecommunications Affairs Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said that such co-operation is critical for guarding the interests of consumers. "If we don't enact stronger co-operation in the region, Bahraini consumers who live near the borders may have their mobile phone switch over to a carrier in a neighbouring country, which means they'd be billed for long-distance rates. This agreement will help eliminate these concerns." Technical and administrative measures had to be adopted to resolve the interference issue in the above-mentioned frequency bands and radio services, due to special meteorological conditions in the region and radio ducting which can increase the probability of interference. At the same time, the prediction of propagation of electromagnetic waves becomes more difficult. The ministry also announced that following a meeting with the GCC Telecom Bureau director general Mahmood Sayyar, Bahrain had been chosen as the permanent location of the bureau's headquarters. Shaikh Fawaz expressed his appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad for the land granted for the office, which is a part of his reform and development vision for the kingdom. Albawaba