Skype to Open First Middle East Office

Manama, Bahrain (TML) - Online communications operator Skype is setting up its first Middle East base in an effort to expand its client base, the company announced Monday.

The reputation of the business

“We were obviously keen to attract Skype to Bahrain given the reputation of the business and the success it has had in recent years,” Al Khalifa told The Media Line. “Fundamentally, they were attracted to set up their regional representative office here by Bahrain’s liberal and advanced ICT [information and communication technology] infrastructure and policies.”

“We have invested in our infrastructure and people to maximize our strategic position as the gateway to the Gulf, which together with our strong track record, robust and effective regulation and low operating costs, will continue to offer international businesses an attractive base to access the Gulf’s trillion dollar economy,” Al Khalifa added.

The impressive upward trend started last year

“Bahrain consolidates the impressive upward trend started last year, with another eight-place improvement and a performance driven by an extremely ICT- and business-friendly market environment,” the 2009-2010 report read.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), the technical term for voice communications via the Internet, is also illegal in Lebanon. In accordance with the 2002 Lebanese Telecoms Act, over the last couple months officials have been shutting down a number of VoIP services similar to Skype. To date Skype has not been affected by the regulations in Lebanon.