Skype, the internet telephony company has confirmed it will be setting up its Middle East headquarters in Bahraini capital Manama, to better target internet users in the Middle East and Africa.
Skype said Bahrain’s liberal and advanced ICT infrastructure and policies and its geographic position providing unparalleled access to the Gulf’s trillion dollar market were key reasons for establishing a regional office in the kingdom.
Skype, which allows users to make voice and video calls over the internet for free or at a fraction of the usual price, is actually illegal in a number of Gulf countries like the UAE, Kuwait and Oman, to protect telcos’ lucrative monopoly over international calls.
However, despite the ban, Skype remains a very popular option for users in the region, especially expatriates, to communicate with family and friends, through their laptops or PCs, or at internet cafes providing the service on their computers.
Skype’s CEO Josh Silverman said that “… as a Gateway to the Gulf, Bahrain is the ideal location from which to support our global strategy of making Skype available to as many people as possible wherever they happen to be. The Middle East and Africa has a young, tech savvy population and we believe that Bahrain will play a central role in making Skype even more popular in the region.”
The news was announced earlier today at a joint press conference with the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB).
does any now know where the office would be set up in Bahrain?
They've said it'll be in Manama, but haven't mentioned any specific location there.
Any idea on when they are planning to start their operations??