Many people are looking forward for this new decade, especially that door will be closed on 2009 which has not been the easiest of years for businesses from all sectors, and that the economic downturn has cost a lot of people their jobs. Despite the fact that the telecom industry showed some resilience, many operators have witnessed a difficult year in terms of revenues and many vendors closed out the year announcing job cuts.

The first issue of the new decade brings you the scoop of appointing Ghassan Hasbani as the CEO of STC’s international operations. This move follows the appointment of Engineer Saud Al Daweesh as Group CEO in June 2009.

Ever since Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) took over the management of Alfa – the brand name of the Lebanese mobile network, the company started to gain back its leadership in the Lebanese market with its new revitalized brand, cutting edge technology and portfolio of innovative services. Our cover story for this month highlights Alfa’s latest changes through an extensive interview with Mr. Samer Salameh, CEO of Alfa.

On the technology side, the Embedded Mobile initiative has been on a roll for a year now and development of devices are already underway. Operators and vendors have considered the development of applications and infrastructure that are involved in the development of the expected huge surge of communication amongst different devices by 2020. In our pages, we tackle the GSMA’s Embedded Mobile program.

On the regulatory side, in recent years, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s policymakers and regulators have succeeded in creating vibrant and dynamic telecommunications sectors. Find in our pages a study conducted by Booz & Co that highlights the next step for MENA Regulators following the changes occurring in the industry and the economy.

Finally, with the current situation gripping the globe in relation to climate change, every industry including the telecom industry is finding every innovative way to contribute to the betterment of the environment. Learn in this issue how to turn your mobile green!

So far, it is predicted that 2010 will turn out to be the year for LTE. Anyway, it is still too early to say but no doubt this year will offer us much of interest with major companies changing their strategies and objectives.