Zuber Mohsan
Encyclopedia
Zuber Mohsan is Managing Director of Supanet.com the fifth largest ISP
in the UK
. Also manages several overseas companies one of which is Sandcastles.ae a Dubai
based property advertising
portal. The youngest brother of five in the Mohsan family which owns several investment
companies and IT
companies which included Time Computers, Tiny Computers and Evesham Computers, which have all now closed.
The family business
es are headed Tahir Mohsan
who founded Time Computers in 1987 along with his half brother Tariq Mohammed. Zuber and brother Zia where both at high school
aged 11 and 13 when Time computers started. They belong to a family with Pakistan
i background.
Time computers grew rapidly in the first few years. Within a few short years it boasted a national retail chain of over 350 stores and the largest PC assembly factory
in the UK located at the companies head office in Burnley
. The factory which made Computers and TVs was third largest in Europe after Dell
in Ireland
and Packard Bell
in France
.
The five Mohsan brothers positioned themselves within the group in key areas. Senior managers said the family made all the decision. Zuber's role within the company was geared towards the IT and development. In 1995 at the age of 19 he was listed as one of the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional
s in the UK. At the age of 20 he was the CIO
of the group.
In 2000 whilst remaining as CIO of the Time Group Zuber took over as MD of Supanet.com the ISP which has over a million customers. He implemented a new modem
into Time and Tiny PCs that stopped customers from dialing premium rate numbers
by accident and was optimized to run faster on the Supanet network. The new modem side effect and advantage to Supanet was that the modems where only allowed to dial Supanet. This was seen as a negative by many industry leaders and the envy of other ISPs as Time computers was a popular choice for first time PC buyers.
This was changed in late 2003 when Wanadoo
owned by France Télécom
did a deal to replace Supanet on Time PCs. Wanadoo who had their ISP software on PCs sold through DSG International recently lost the franchise
to AOL
, and where desperate to land the deal with Time. The moved surprised the industry. The deal was very private and rumored to be in the millions, some say it was Zuber who did the deal others say it was Brian Lynn the Group MD who later did the management buyout
, although this has not been confirmed.
Supanet remains as one of the largest independently owned ISPs in the UK that still has control of its own network.
In 2007 Zuber joined his brother Tahir in Dubai where he is the CEO of www.sandcastles.ae. The family international business and assets are considered to be worth over $1.5bn.
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Also manages several overseas companies one of which is Sandcastles.ae a Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
based property advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
portal. The youngest brother of five in the Mohsan family which owns several investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
companies and IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
companies which included Time Computers, Tiny Computers and Evesham Computers, which have all now closed.
The family business
Family business
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being....
es are headed Tahir Mohsan
Tahir Mohsan
Tahir Mohsan is the founder of Time Computers, Supanet, Tpad and currently manages several investment companies from his base in Dubai.Tahir Mohsan was born and educated in Blackburn and is one of five brothers...
who founded Time Computers in 1987 along with his half brother Tariq Mohammed. Zuber and brother Zia where both at high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
aged 11 and 13 when Time computers started. They belong to a family with Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i background.
Time computers grew rapidly in the first few years. Within a few short years it boasted a national retail chain of over 350 stores and the largest PC assembly factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in the UK located at the companies head office in Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
. The factory which made Computers and TVs was third largest in Europe after Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Packard Bell
Packard Bell
Packard Bell is a Dutch computer manufacturer and a subsidiary of Acer. The name was previously used by Packard Bell, an American radio manufacturer founded in 1926. In 1986, Israeli investors bought the name for a newly formed personal computer manufacturer. Originally the company produced...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The five Mohsan brothers positioned themselves within the group in key areas. Senior managers said the family made all the decision. Zuber's role within the company was geared towards the IT and development. In 1995 at the age of 19 he was listed as one of the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft Certified Professional is a program of Professional certifications awarded by Microsoft. Individual certifications are awarded upon passing of one or more exams. The MCP program itself is designed for both IT Professionals and developers. Beneath the MCP program is a variety of more...
s in the UK. At the age of 20 he was the CIO
Chief information officer
Chief information officer , or information technology director, is a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals...
of the group.
In 2000 whilst remaining as CIO of the Time Group Zuber took over as MD of Supanet.com the ISP which has over a million customers. He implemented a new modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
into Time and Tiny PCs that stopped customers from dialing premium rate numbers
Premium-rate telephone number
Premium-rate telephone numbers are telephone numbers for telephone calls during which certain services are provided, and for which prices higher than normal are charged. Unlike a normal call, part of the call charge is paid to the service provider, thus enabling businesses to be funded via the calls...
by accident and was optimized to run faster on the Supanet network. The new modem side effect and advantage to Supanet was that the modems where only allowed to dial Supanet. This was seen as a negative by many industry leaders and the envy of other ISPs as Time computers was a popular choice for first time PC buyers.
This was changed in late 2003 when Wanadoo
Wanadoo
Wanadoo is the former name of the ISP division of Orange SA, which is a subsidiary of France Télécom. It operated in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritius, Madagascar, Lebanon, and Jordan...
owned by France Télécom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
did a deal to replace Supanet on Time PCs. Wanadoo who had their ISP software on PCs sold through DSG International recently lost the franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
to AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
, and where desperate to land the deal with Time. The moved surprised the industry. The deal was very private and rumored to be in the millions, some say it was Zuber who did the deal others say it was Brian Lynn the Group MD who later did the management buyout
Management buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
, although this has not been confirmed.
Supanet remains as one of the largest independently owned ISPs in the UK that still has control of its own network.
In 2007 Zuber joined his brother Tahir in Dubai where he is the CEO of www.sandcastles.ae. The family international business and assets are considered to be worth over $1.5bn.