Executive Interview, Strategy, Service Providers, Emerging Markets, Global: Emerging markets are one of Cisco Systems top priorities. The recent acquisition of WiMAX specialist Navini has been widely interpreted as confirmation of Cisco's intention to place greater emphasis on technologies which will be used to fuel its emerging markets growth. Last month Alec Barton met Massimo Migliuolo, Cisco's Vice President for service provider business in emerging markets to ask him where Cisco is heading...

Analysis, Trends, OSS, Fraud, global: For the fifth year running, telecom research firm Analysys has conducted a global study of operator attitudes when it comes to concerning revenue assurance and revenue leakage. Michael Schwartz looks at the key findings...

Contracts, Fibre-Optic, Submarine Cable, MENA, Africa, Asia-Pacific: Reliance Communications’ Fibre-optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG Telecom) subsidiary is set to achieve its ambition of becoming the world’s largest IP network over submarine cabling. FLAG has awarded Fujitsu the contract which will double FLAG’s size and build four new cable systems across the Mediterranean, East Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

Investment, ICT Training and Education, Turkey, MENA: Turkey has long been a country of substantial economic growth. Now Cisco, with a fully-funded and substantial programme of investment and skills training, is aiming to turn Turkey into an ICT powerhouse. Jason Deign explains how...

Investment, Latin America, Caribbean, Regional, CLA: The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean recently published a report pointing out that foreign investment in Latin America and the Caribbean increased in 2006. Whether the increase matches expectations or not is another matter. According to one leading critic it does not and many companies, particualry in the ICT sector appear to be voting with their feet...

Regulation, Taxation: Financial analyst Deloitte has revealed the countries whose rates of taxation, direct or indirect, on mobile communications are the highest in the world. Heaviest tax is in Turkey, where the taxation rate as a cost of mobile ownership is over 2.5 times the global average. Deloitte’s report, commissioned by the GSMA, is summarised in this critical review...