Telecom – High-speed Wireless
Happily married to my beautiful wife Celine, and father to my beautiful daughter, Maya; I am a lover of technology, science fiction and the history (and future) of the Human race. I began my career in Information Technology, which led me to become a contractor in Iraq in April 2004 working on projects with the DoD and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) as an Ernst & Young (EY) Consultant. The projects were the Iraqi Debt Reconciliation Project and the Forensic Investigation into the UN’s Oil for Food Program. In Iraq, I developed an obsession with high-speed wireless technologies (Telecom), more specifically lasers to backhaul data.
That is when I began thinking of bringing high-speed wireless Internet to the people in the region and began developing a business plan for a regional broadband operator. This was in 2006, before the advent of the iPhone and way before 4G LTE. So, I left EY to pursue my endeavor and met a group of individuals with a similar vision, but with much more expertise in the field. That idea eventually became Kulacom, which had operations in Bahrain and Jordan.
Industry Disruption – Mobile Broadband Beginnings
In Jordan, we built the first alternative international gateway and brought IP prices down by 60% in the market. When we launched WiMAX, it was the first wireless end-to-end network in the world, and one of the first Mobile WiMAX networks. The network was backhauled by Millimeter-Wave radios that backhauled traffic at 1Gbps. I actually pioneered the millimeter-wave technology in Jordan and convinced the TRC to change its policy on the 80 and 90Ghz range to allow the usability of the technology. The network was built for “Unlimited” downloads, and the product was a great success.
We also launched the region’s first Data Center, making the company the country’s first integrated telecommunications company offering Home Broadband, Corporate Leased Lines, Voice, and Data Center services. The housing market crash in 2008 and the global credit crises that came after, affected the financial markets and access to capital became tough, especially for start-ups such as Kulacom.
In 2009, it was apparent that the Internet was going to be the new medium for communications. We were already ahead of the curve and spearheaded the industry, encouraging the operators to invest and build 3G, which is a precursor to 4G LTE. Having the big guys compete for customers forced us into transitioning ourselves into a mobile operator, but we would tackle the market from a different angle – as a mobile broadband operator.
Our transition into the 4th Mobile Operator in the country would have been beneficial for the government, the market, and the people. It was going to be a converged fixed and mobile LTE network that would have raised the quality in the country forcing the other operators to improve their networks to compete. Unfortunately, it did not work out at the end, albeit being so close.
Telecom, SEO, & Digital Marketing
Post-Kulacom, I have focused on my strengths in marketing and recognizing new trends. Digital Marketing is the future, and every successful company needs to have a detailed digital marketing strategy that includes Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Content Creation, Content Marketing, and Social Media Management. I still have a keen interest in telecommunications, but digital marketing is how I can express myself creatively.
We now offer Telecom, SEO & Digital Marketing services, serving several happy clients. If you are looking for SEO, and Digital Marketing services in any industry, we can help you achieve your goals of growing your brand and increasing your sales.
Contact me here or here to discuss your business needs. I can also be hired on Upwork.
