270,000 KD for What?
I found this in today’s Kuwait Times. I think maybe I am out of touch . . . I haven’t heard of anyone sending or receiving a telegram for a long time. I don’t believe my husband’s office even uses a telex anymore? Am I missing something?
Kuwait Times: 20 January 2008
Telegram, Telex services
Kuwait: The Ministry of Communication is planning to create a new telegram and telex service system. The system will cost KD 270,000 and will be using modern equipment and up to date methods. A contract for creating the system was first given to a Bahraini company, but then the ministry decided to create the system themselves. The ministry will start working on creating the system two weeks from now.
Anyone? Anyone?
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telegrams, or Borqiya (single tense), are often used here as means of condolences when a person wants to pay respects but is unable to attend the funeral. The Amir uses them a lot as well to congratulate/condole people overseas.
thats all i know about the telegram system.
How about you send me one? yknow, for educational purposes 😛 hehe
Mrm 🙂 That’s the problem with telegrams, isn’t it? It’s rarely good news.
The Emir really sends telegrams of congratulations, too? (I bet people save them and bring them out years later to show people. I bet they’re considered pretty special)
So like in Kuwait, right now is it a private telegraph company, and do they deliver to a person’s door?
Telegraph and telex is run by Ministry of Communication. They are also sent for weddings and births, so not always a barer of bad news. They all get delivered to your door.
They are considered the formal way of contacting someone. I think its dying out though with SMS and emails and left to older generations as a reliable messaging system.
Telegrams still exist?!
lol ! what year is this ?
Looks like the Ministry of Communications is going through the “vintage is hot” phase
They should spend that money on VOIP services , so that they stop throwing people out of the country trying to save money
Rayboy, you are so right, some ISPs in kuwait offer VOIP/IP telephoney services, the numbers start with 223, 224, or 225. Only companies use them, I believe that 223 is provided by KEMS, 224 is by Qualitynet and 225 is by Fasttelco.
If im not mistaken, Telex is still used by Airline companies.
personally, i have never used the telegram system so dont know anything about it. But maybe cos it is based on high security as they can be easily spied on, they could cost that much. As high ranking politcians use it, as MM said, security is a must. Then again, i have no idea what am talking about… just a guess.
Nibaq and Mrm – between the two of you, I am getting the idea that it is ceremonial, and special, and an SMS or phone call would not be the same. These telegrams are probably saved and treasured. And I remember reading in Qatar about messages being sent to wish one another happy Eid, and Ramadan blessings – is that also part of this?
Enigma – Yep, but I haven’t gotten one!
GreY – Saving an SMS honestly isn’t the same as having a telegram to frame or to show your friends, is it?
Rayboy – I don’t think they want us to know about VOIP, although everyone I know has it.
Bader – mine has a stateside prefix, believe it or not!
Fonzy, is that true? Telegraphs are more secure? Telexes are more secure?
We still use them to send congrats on weddings, new born babies…etc. and condolences and such!
So as much happy as sad – that’s a good thing. Do you go to a Western Union office or something? How is that done, how is a telegram sent?