Batelco, Bahrain's leading telecommunications company, was presented with the Telecoms Technology Investment in Mobile Networks of the Year award for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at the 3rd annual CommsMEA Awards held at the Grand Hyatt Dubai on Dec. 15. The CommsMEA Awards set out to celebrate and pay tribute to the telecoms industry professionals and operators that have shown outstanding performance and results in key market segments. The prestigious Telecommunications Technology Investment award recognizes the operator that has not only invested a substantial sum in technology but also ensured that its investment has delivered a return for its customers. “We are delighted to have achieved this recognition in taking this year's award for leading Telecoms Technology Investment in Mobile Networks for the Middle East and Africa region,” said Batelco General Manager Media and Government Relations Ahmed Al Janahi. “Batelco has invested heavily in its 3.5G network to ensure that the Kingdom of Bahrain is among the leading countries in the telecom field in the region. The judges were particularly impressed with Batelco's smooth deployment and successful implementation of its technology investment, which has allowed it to become a 3.5G network leader in the GCC. The deployment of this 3.5G mobile network has enabled Batelco to offer its customers value added services such as video applications (video calls, video mail, video conference and O portal (www.o.com.bh)) and high speed data transfer (Batelco Mobile Broadband O-net), leading to extraordinary growth in a short time frame. The awards were judged by an independent panel of regional telecommunications experts. “This accolade rounds out a slew of awards picked up by Batelco in recent months,” noted Al Janahi. “Batelco Group won the Best Customer Care in the Middle East award at the 2nd annual Telecoms World Awards held in Dubai last month. Batelco ranked first in the Middle East and 2nd in the World at the 2008 Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging (PIXI) Awards, held recently in Chicago, US. Batelco won awards for Best Fixed 3G, 4G, Wireless Broadband - WiMax, HSDPA, UMTS, LTE and Best FMC “Convergence” Operator, in the Architect Award category of the inaugural SAMENA Regional Awards 2008 which took place in Jordan last month. Batelco is the leading integrated communications' provider in Bahrain and a key telecommunications players. Batelco serves both the corporate and consumer markets in the most liberalised and competitive environment in the Middle East, and remains committed to delivering cutting-edge telecommunications to its customers in Bahrain and the MENA region. The Company's management and staff are driven by an enthusiasm for delivering the best customer experience based on innovation, affordability and reliability of products and services. Batelco offers complete, end-to-end telecommunications solutions for its residential, business and government customers. The comprehensive solutions portfolio covers mobile services, international roaming, broadband Internet, among others. __