Middle East : Qtel announced its partnership with Siemens Communications to sponsor a functional 3G Wireless Telecoms Laboratory at the College of the North Atlantic at Qatar (CNAQ). Both companies are jointly investing close to QR 9 million in technologies and equipment for the laboratory.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman of Qtel; Mr. Soenke Peters, Vice President, Middle East, from Siemens Communications and Dr. Harald Jorch, President of the College of the North Atlantic at Qatar at a press event held at Qtel’s headquarters. Senior Qtel, Siemens and CNAQ officials and faculty members also attended the press event. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee and of the Joint Oversight Board at the College of the North Atlantic in Qatar.

The Wireless Telecommunications Laboratory will focus on state-of-the-art functionality, and is based on third generation technology. It will test 3G functionality and services with specific tools and equipment. CNAQ will provide access to the lab and equipment for testing, training and applied research purposes to Qtel and Siemens.

The new lab, with its unique system and approach, is believed to be one of only 2 or 3 in the Middle East and is expected to be functional during 2006.

Qtel’s Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani said, “This is the start of a new era for Qatar, as we delve into furthering research and development in new technologies such as 3G. There is a lot of young potential in Qatar and now is the right time to open such facilities in the country.

“It was only very recently that Qatar hosted a Founding Conference for Expatriate Arab Scientists where H.H Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Misned, wife of H.H the Emir and Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, endorsed the need to foster scientific research in Arab countries. We are proud to be at the forefront and in playing an important role in encouraging and supporting institutions that will help provide a favorable environment for developing a research culture in the country.

“Qatar’s students should not only have access to world-class teaching and academic facilities but must also learn to work in an environment where one day they will emerge as thought-leaders as they combine knowledge and hard work to contribute to the development of our country.”

Qtel and Siemens Communications will jointly sponsor the equipment for the Wireless Lab at CNAQ. While Siemens Communications will be in charge of the commissioning and installation, Qtel will handle the maintenance of the lab. Both companies will also undertake to train the faculty through a ‘Train the Trainers’ knowledge sharing exercise.

Mr. Soenke Peters, Vice President for Middle East from Siemens Communications said, “As a company driven by innovation and dedicated to making technology available to all, it is a great pleasure for Siemens, to work side-by-side with Qtel to make this 3G Wireless Lab a reality and to drive the telecommunications industry forward. We are proud to contribute to the education sector in the region in general and in Qatar in particular. We will continue to combine our in-depth local knowledge and global expertise in a spirit of partnership with our customers. Together we will achieve our ambitions.”

Qtel currently has several developees undergoing training at CNAQ. The developees are expected to work in the 3G wireless lab as part of their training and certification from the college.

Qtel’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nasser Marafih said, “We hope that this will encourage other vendors to partner with Qtel to open more research facilities in universities based in Qatar. As Qatar grows, so will its needs and requirements and with the development of R&D in this region, it will allow vendors to tap into the growing pool of talented graduates and help us better understand the unique requirements of this region. Such facilities will lead large scale research and development projects that will help make low cost voice and data services available around the world and also help foster international cooperation.”

Dr. Harald Jorch, President of the College of the North Atlantic at Qatar said, “CNAQ has always taken the approach of working with partnership with business, industry and other employers of our graduates to develop the best possible learning environment and program content for the workforce of tomorrow. Extending this partnership approach to include Siemens, a major supplier of our industry partner Qtel, is a milestone in cooperation for effective world-class education and training. We look forward to using this approach in the future as a model of best-practice multi-way partnerships in Business, Health Sciences, Information Technology and Applied Arts education as well as in Engineering Technology. “

Eng. Leslie Reinke, an instructor from the College of the North Atlantic at Qatar said, "This is an exceptional opportunity for the students and faculty of the College of the North Atlantic - Qatar, together with the technical staff of Qtel, to have access to the latest 3G wireless telecommunications technology in a learning environment. The College of the North Atlantic - Qatar is honored to be chosen as the site for this unique venture. It will allow trainees in short courses as well as students in the Telecommunications Engineering Technology program to gain familiarity with each component of the state of the art systems that route 3G voice and data calls.

This is a complete system using the actual equipment that is being used by service providers throughout the world, not a simulator. This approach maximizes the training quality for our students and creates opportunities for Research and Development work partnerships with CNAQ and Qtel.”

The announcement comes as a follow up to Qtel’s recent partnership with three leading educational institutions in Qatar - Texas A&M University at Qatar, the University of Qatar and the College of the North Atlantic, to conduct research and studies into third generation (3G) technologies and services. The three-phased 18 month project, funded by Qtel and the first of its kind in the Middle East, will involve 3G experts from Qtel and Electrical Engineering faculty members from TAMUQ, UQ and CNAQ. The joint programme involves short technical courses in 3G and a series of tests and procedures to characterize the functionality of 3G technology and the effects on related services.

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