As Jeff Daniel learns, the very latest telecommunications technology isn’t necessarily found in Western countries.

It’s not so long ago that travellers from the West, wanting to make a phone call back home from some less developed country in the world, could be left tearing their hair out in frustration. Back street booths, poor quality and unreliable connections were commonplace and were easily disparaged as examples of lack of technological development.

Bridge Energy’s balanced portfolio of exploration and production oil and gas projects across the North Sea makes it an attractive investment as it sets out to list in London as well as Oslo.

Barrick Gold’s Granny Smith mine in Western Australia has already been in operation for 21 years. General manager Julie Shuttleworth talks to Gay Sutton about the enormous potential for expansion.

Robert Baissac, CEO of TPC Limited, one of Tanzania’s largest enterprises in the sugar sector, talks to Jayne Alverca about the unique potential of the industry to support East Africa’s development goals.

Sugar is a staple output of Tanzania’s agricultural sector and has a key role in supporting the country’s economic development. Nestling in the alluvial valleys below Mount Kilimanjaro is the 16,000 hectare estate of TPC Limited, which produces almost one third of Tanzania’s total sugar output.

Bazlan Osman, group chief financial officer of Telekom Malaysia, talks to Jayne Alverca about the company’s achievements and challenges in one of the world’s most competitive markets.

2011 has been an excellent year for Telekom Malaysia (TM). Despite fierce competition, the company has continued to attract new customers and maintained its leadership position in the broadband segment with 1.7 million customers in June 2011, showing growth of almost 12 per cent over the previous year. 

Jeff Daniels looks at what Peugeot in South Africa is doing to change perceptions and win a greater share of the market.

In South Africa, the perception of all things French is positive but pricey. Think of such iconic representations of France as food, wine, perfume and fashion and nobody disputes their quality. It’s just that they are often thought of as being in a price bracket that is more gift than everyday commodity.

Otto Energy has been producing oil from its assets in the Philippines for the last three years, and has fantastic prospects going forward: it is all about balance, say its senior executives.

The Arab Spring has been a time of both excitement and uncertainty for many companies operating in the Middle East. Despite this, Switzerland-based food and confectionary company Nestlé is investing some $160 million into its manufacturing, distribution and skills base in Egypt, and progressing a new initiative to promote nutrition education among children.

Supplying services to South Africa’s mid-market appliance and retail sector, Laser Logistics has been re-engineering its business and developing a comprehensive logistics capability. CEO Warren Hewitt explains to Gay Sutton how this has been achieved.

AT&T has indicated for the first time that its proposed merger with T-Mobile USA may not go ahead.

Dallas, Texas-based AT&T and T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom have announced the withdrawal of their merger application from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), following an announcement this week by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski that he was moving to block the deal.

Such a move would create a major obstacle to the merger in the near term.