Batelco Upgrades 3G Network to 14.4Mbps Download Speeds

Bahrain's Batelco says that it has upgraded its 3G network to support peak download speeds of  14.4Mbps.

"This is great news for our mobile broadband customers who can now enjoy surfing the internet at speeds of up to 14.4Mbps," said Batelco Chief Executive Officer Bahrain Gert Rieder.

"The O-net Mobile Broadband service for prepaid and postpaid customers delivers wireless broadband mobility with the fastest speeds available in the Kingdom and boosts Batelco’s extensive variety of world-class products and services," added Mr. Rieder.

The company has also announced the availability of the Huawei E180, which is a 3G USB Modem that supports download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps.

"An interesting feature, setting the E180 apart from the competition, is the ability to use it as a flash memory. Its built-in card slot supports up to 8GB external memory card, turning the E180 into a portable storage device for documents, music or movies, eliminating the need for an additional USB memory stick. The external memory cards are available separately," said Batelco Group General Manager Media & Government Relations Ahmed Al Janahi.

Estimates from the Mobile World analysts shows that Batelco ended Q1 '09 with around 778,000 subscribers, and a market share of 53%. The sole competitor is MTC Vodafone.

On the web: Batelco - Mobile World

Posted to the site on 1st June 2009