The annual event, held at the end of the first day of the Telecoms World Middle East 2009 conference, is highly regarded in the industry. Nominees were selected by an independent judging panel of international and regional industry specialists.

Matthew Wallhead, General Manager, Telecoms of Terrapinn Middle East, the leading global business media company and organizer of both the conference and awards ceremony said, "The quality of submissions for this year's awards truly reflect the vibrant telecoms industry in the region. Tonight we had the honour of celebrating the organisations which have shaped this industry and made it the exciting and dynamic business that it is.”

The complete list of winners is as follows:

Best Operator: Zain
Best Brand: Zain
Best Wholesale Carrier: Bharti Airtel
Best Managed Service: PCCW Global
Best Technological Innovation: Zain
Best Corporate Social Responsibility Contribution: Vodafone Egypt
Best Value Added Service: Etisalat
Best Project Management: Devoteam
Best Customer Care: BT
Best New Entrant: Etihad Atheeb Telecom - GO
CEO of the Year: Eng. Saud Al Darweesh - STC

Eng. Saud Al Daweesh was honoured with the CEO of the Year award for his key role as an architect of STC’s success story and for making his vision for the company a reality.

The Telecoms World Middle East conference opened on Tuesday 17th November at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Speakers and delegates from the region’s leading operators and solution providers discussed and debated a range of diverse and pressing issues including the need to strengthen the competitive framework in the region, what Middle Eastern operators can offer emerging markets in light of the opportunities brought about by the financial crisis, embracing content as a mechanism for retention and exploring models for infrastructure sharing.

Carriers World Middle East will take place on Thursday 19 November, and will provide a platform for the Middle East and international wholesale carriers to discuss strategies for setting the delivery of services to a high quality and consistent standard to reach growing client bases across the globe.

In celebration of Bharti Airtel winning the Best Wholesale Carrier Award, they will host a party at The Jumeirah Beach Hotel tonight at 5.30 pm (Wednesday 18th November).