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Wireless Federation » archive for 'Saudi Telecom'

KTC announces its wireless brand name ‘Viva’ (Kuwait)

  • September 18th, 2008
  • 1:48 pm

According to a local media report Kuwait Telecom Company (KTC) has announced its wireless brand name ‘Viva’ and said that it will start commercial operations by the end of 2008. CEO of Viva’s parent Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Saud Bin Majed Al-Duwaish said that Viva would spare no effort to keep pace with the fast-developing world of telecommunications technology to bring its clients the latest innovations. According to Viva CEO Najeeb Al-Awadi, it was not easy to be the third mobile company to enter the Kuwaiti market.

   

Saudi Telecom plans 3000 job cut, to catch up with expenses made for foreign expansion (Saudi Arabia)

  • September 15th, 2008
  • 5:36 am

Saudi Telecom is planning to cut nearly 14% of it’s workforce at home and also wants to double it’s efforts for it’s expansion abroad after it saw rejection in Moroc Telecom stake, by French firm Vivendi.
The telco’s Chief Executive Saud Al-Duweish had hopes from Vivendi, after the decline of selling Moroc Telecom stake that it would change it’s mind, and showed interest in the Algeria Telecom’s privitisation.
The operator is under immense pressure to improve it’s profitability as there is a huge competition among regional telco’s, like Kuwait’s Zain, as well.
Saudi Telecom for foreign expansion has spent nearly $6 billion in the past 15 months. In order to catch up with the expenses, the group plans to cu it’s expnses by 15% and to cut 3,000 jobs out of its workforce of 21,000, or 14 percent.
Al-Duweish said he is still interested in participating in the privatisation of Algeria Telecom.
“We will always be interested in Algeria, which is a country with huge potential.”

   

18 companies to bid for Sotelma (Mali)

  • August 29th, 2008
  • 10:48 am

18 companies have been finalised to bid for the national operator Sotelma. The government increased the price to XOF 200 billion for the incumbent operator, from XOF 80 billion.

Possible bidders include:

  • MTN
  • Vodafone
  • Zain
  • Deutsche Telekom
  • Tunisie Telecom
  • Maroc Telecom
  • Portugal Telecom
  • Saudi Telecom
  • Sudatel

Saudi Telecom-ManU signs marketing deal (Saudi Arabia)

  • August 18th, 2008
  • 10:32 am

According to a report, Saudi telecom has agreed a GBP 10 million marketing deal with English football giant Manchester United. The report said that this five year deal will give Saudi Telecom the rights to use the reigning Premiership and European champions’ logo and imagery in its marketing within Saudi Arabia, where football has been growing in popularity over the last few years. As per the agreement, Saudi Telecom will be able to offer subscribers content such as video clips and news about the team. The deal is followed with the Manchester United’s four-day trip to the kingdom earlier this year, for which the team was paid an estimated GBP 1 million.

Mobile phone networks to be privatised soon (Lebanon)

  • August 13th, 2008
  • 1:57 pm

According to local media report, Lebanon’s parliament has approved the new ‘national unity’ cabinet line-up, which is now expected to announce a commitment to privatise the country’s two mobile phone networks. Originally, the privatisation was set for the month of february but suffered delay caused by political deadlock.  The sale of controlling stakes in the GSM mobile companies, MIC1 and MIC2, might now be delayed until after parliamentary elections set for May 2009 said Lebanon’s Ministry of Telecommunications.

MIC1 is currently branded Alfa and managed by a joint venture between DeTeCon International, part of the Deutsche Telekom group, and Saudi Arabia’s FAL Holding. MIC2 is currently managed by Kuwait’s Zain Group under the MTC Touch Lebanon banner. It is anticipated that telecoms including Zain, Etisalat, Orascom, Qatar Telecom and Saudi Telecom to take part in the upcoming auction.

Saudi Telecom seeks 25 percent stake in Omantel (Oman)

  • July 23rd, 2008
  • 1:16 pm

In order to strengthen its market position both in the Sultanate and abroad, Omani Government announced to sell off a part its stake. Following to this Saudi Telecom Co., the Arab world'’’s largest phone company is set to bid for 25 percent stake in Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel).

The stake in the state-controlled telco is valued at $1.15 billion at current market prices. The government, which currently owns 70 percent of the company’s shares, would give an investor economic and voting rights in the firm, according to Ministry of Finance.

The Omani government will present a short list of buyers for the stake by the end of July as per recent updates.

Consent to carrier sale and 3rd mobile operator in Kuwait

  • July 22nd, 2008
  • 6:42 am

Kuwait gave the final nod for the privatisation plans of loss-making Kuwait Airways Corp [KA.UL] (KAC) and to set up a third mobile operator. Kuwait’s parliament in January approved a long-delayed government plan to sell 40 percent of the carrier to the public and 35 percent to a long-term investor within two years.

Communications Minister Abdulrahman al-Ghunaim said that the privatisation was expected to be concluded at the end of next year or earlier depending on a planned evaluation of the carrier’s assets.The plan still has to be approved by the Gulf Arab state’s emir, who usually signs government-endorsed bills. The cabinet approved plans for a third mobile operator in the Gulf Arab state, of which 50 percent would be sold in an initial public offering to citizens, he further added.

Saudi Telecom 7010.SE, which last year won the third mobile licence, will hold a 26 percent stake in the company which is expected to launch operations later this year.

The new company, in which the government will retain a 24 percent stake, will compete with Mobile Telecommunications Co (ZAIN.KW: Quote, Profile, Research) (Zain) and National Mobile Telecommunications Co (NMTC.KW: Quote, Profile, Research) (Wataniya), a unit of Qatar Telecommunications Co (Qtel) QTEL.QA.

Japan’s DoCoMo sets eyes on Middle East wireless market (Japan)

  • June 20th, 2008
  • 2:37 pm

NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s largest wireless operator said it’’s in talks with Middle East carriers- Qatar Telecom QSC, Emirates Telecommunications Corp. and Saudi Telecom Co., as the company intends to expand its overseas business.

While speaking in an interview, Toshinari Kunieda, senior vice-president of Global Business at DoCoMo expressed the company’s keenness in the Middle East and Africa and didn’t rule out the possibility of future partnerships with the Middle East carriers.

A stake in a Middle East firm would ensure DoMoCo an easy access to markets of Egypt and South Africa. Emirates Telecommunications and Saudi Telecom, the Arab region’s two largest phone carriers, operate in countries such as Egypt and Indonesia, while Saudi Telecom has customer base in countries like Turkey and South Africa.Earlier in the month, DoMoCo acquired 30 percent stake in Bangladesh’s mobile-phone carrier TM International Ltd. for $305 million.

   

Saudi Telecom buys 35% of Oger Telecom for USD 2.6 billion (Saudi Arabia)

  • January 21st, 2008
  • 1:51 pm

Saudi Telecom Co has agreed to acquire a 35 percent stake in Oger Telecom for USD 2.6 billion. Oger, which is controlled by Lebanon’s Hariri family, had been in talks to sell a stake to Vivendi, but the negotiations ended late last year without a deal. For the Saudi operator, the deal builds on its recent expansion abroad, which also includes a stake in Malaysia’s Maxis. Oger Telecom controls the mobile operators Cell C in South Africa and Zapp in Romania, as well as Turk Telecom and other fixed-line activities in the Middle East.

   

STC joins Kuwaiti bidders (Kuwait)

  • September 3rd, 2007
  • 3:06 pm

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has joined the growing list of firms interests in bidding for Kuwait’s third mobile licence. 26% of the new cellco is being offered by the Kuwaiti government; another 50% will be offered to the public, while the government will retain a 24% interest. Bids are due by 7 September, with at least 15 companies reported to be interested, including UAE-based Etisalat, Orascom of Egypt and Batelco of Bahrain. The new cellco will join MTC-Vodafone Kuwait and Wataniya in a market which is currently home to more than 2.5 million subscribers.