Archive for May 8th, 2009

Experiences Of A Norwegian Telenor Trainee In Pakistan

Published by Babar Bhatti on May 8, 2009 under Business, Education, Emerging Markets Telecom, Pakistan, Security, Telecommunications, Telenor, blogging

Telenor has a trainee program where young professionals are recruited from all over the world and trained at one or more of Telenor’s locations.The Telenor Trainee site has a feature which allows trainees to write blogs. Ole Johan Furset, one of the trainees from Norway, who spent 6 months in Pakistan in 2008 and wrote blog posts about his experiences. Ole Johan Furset has a Masters degree in Economics and Business Administration. Ole writes about why he chose to do an assignment in Pakistan.

The main reason I chose to go to Pakistan was that this was probably the country in Telenor’s portfolio which is most different from my own country, in most respects. Also it’s a country that today stands in the centre of world attention and seeing this country and culture from inside has taught me much, even about Norway.

Very true, When I started my graduate studies in Tokyo, I felt the same way – its a discovery, unlike any other. You think about your language, culture and the reasons why you do things in a certain way.

Ole summarizes his experiences in this farewell blog post.

I have taken part in a very interesting project, I have met very friendly and skilled colleagues, I have met people with whom I have felt very welcome, I have become accustomed to the Pakistani food, and I have seen many different places and exciting places far outside the typical tourist track of a Norwegian. But I have also heard three bombs which have killed people, the most recent one last Saturday.

All in all my positive experiences have by far outweighed the negatives, and to the degree I have had any bad experiences, I still wouldn’t be without as I have been able to learn tremendously from these. I’ll wind up my stay in Pakistan, saying that I have had six months that I will never forget, six months which has given me loads of learning about telecom, people, and the Pakistani culture.

This program shows that Telenor is committed to professional development of their employees and values diversity of work experience.

Fake Cell Phones From China Can Be Dangerous

Published by Babar Bhatti on May 8, 2009 under Business, China, Emerging Markets Telecom, Mobile Companies, Mobile Phones, Telecom News

New York Times wrote an interesting piece about the large number of counterfeits and no-name knockoffs produced in China. This goes beyond the business issues. There are health hazards associated with these phones, due to excessive radiation or exploding batteries.

The article notes that “Technological advances have allowed hundreds of small Chinese companies, some with as few as 10 employees, to churn out what are known here as shanzhai, or black market, cellphones, often for as little as $20 apiece.”

Alarmed by the rapid growth of counterfeits and no-name knockoffs, global brands are pressing the Chinese government to crack down on their proliferation, and are warning consumers about potential health hazards, like cheap batteries that can explode.

So far, however, China has done little to stop the proliferation of fake mobile phones, which are even advertised on late-night television infomercials with pitches like “one-fifth the price, but the same function and look,” or patriotic appeals like “Buy shanzhai to show your love of our country.”

Last month, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology did warn consumers about the hazards of shanzhai phones, saying “their radiation usually exceeds the limit.” China’s consumer protection agency says faulty mobile phones were the No. 1 consumer complaint last year.