www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Qtel, the Qatari mobile operator, reportedly said that it has interest in Portugal Telecom’s stake in Moroccan mobile operator, Mobitel. Bankers are working on financing to back bids for a potential 64.4% stake in Meditel.
Portugal Telecom owns 32.2% stake in Meditel is up for sale along with Spain’s Telefonica’s 32.2%. ‘Qatar Telecom confirms its interest in the process initiated by Portugal Telecom SGPS SA regarding the sale of their stake in Medi Telcom, Meditel,’ the firm said in a statement.
‘The intentions of the remaining shareholders in Meditel are still unclear, and, as such, Qtel will continue to monitor the situation until the facts becomes clearer,’ the statement said.
On 08.31.09, In Mobile, By Editor
On 08.31.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Etisalat, the Middle Eastern mobile operator has reportedly unveiled that it has enough funds to pay in order to acquire the Moroccan mobile operator, Meditel. The list of bidders for the deal includes Oger Telecom, a telecom group controlled by the Saudi Oger Group, Qatar Telecommunications (Qtel) and Etisalat, the bankers close to the deal said. Confirmed bids are due by September 14 and a decision is expected later that month.
On 08.24.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Pleasingly different communications provider Nawras today announced another first for Oman with the launch of its latest innovative offer. During the holy month of Ramadan all Nawras customers will be able to call a Nawras number they choose, such as a close friend or family member, all day from 5 a.m. until 5 p.m. for a one-off daily fee of only RO 2. Once the RO 2 fee is paid for the day all calls to the selected Nawras number will be free until 5pm.
Aziz Al-Harrasi, Consumer Segment Manager, said “this is truly a great offer for Nawras customers. To be able to call a friend or family member on the Nawras network for up to 12 hours per day for only RO 2 is incredible value. For
customers with a lot to say this would equate to only 2.8 Bz per minute! We hope this will be beneficial to families with friends or family members spread across the Sultanate, enabling them to get closer to each other during the holy month of Ramadan.”
Ajel, Postpaid customers simply need to send a free SMS to 90606 listing only the specific Nawras number they are requesting to call as part of the offer. Mousbak, Prepaid customers simply dial *141# followed by language, tariff options, F&F, and then select the Ramadan offer from the available bundles. Customers will receive a SMS message to confirm that the number they have selected has been set-up correctly and that the RO 2 charge has been made to their account. Once confirmation has been received customers will be able to make as many calls as they like to their selected number without any additional cost, until that day’s subscription ends at 5pm. The offer is limited to 1 Nawras number per customer per day, however customers may select a different number to call on each day they subscribe to the promotion. (more…)
On 08.24.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Qatar Telecom has reportedly said that its $1.5 billion Forward Start loan facility is currently in general syndication.
“Qtel’s US$US 1.5 billion Forward Start Facility previously announced in March 2009 is currently in general syndication. Upon official completion and approval further details will be released,” the company said in a statement.
It was in March, that Qtel had hired banks for the US$1.5 billion loans which will replace a US$2 billion deal maturing in November. The company may increase the credit line by 33% to US$2 billion,two bankers involved in the financing reportedly said in an interview to media.
On 08.20.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Hala customers can connect with friends and family overseas for free this Ramadan, with Qtel providing bonus international call minutes and bonus SMS with every Hala top-up worth QR30 or more.
Starting from Friday 21 August, customers topping up their account will not only get the standard credit bonus that comes with Hala top-ups, they’ll also get bonus international SMS and minutes to use to call their loved ones and share Ramadan greetings.
The number of bonus international minutes provided will rise with the higher value of Hala top-ups, so that customers can get as many as 61 international call minutes to reach out to people anywhere in the world, any time.
Dr. Nasser Marafih, Chief Executive Officer, Qtel, said: “We’re very pleased to provide our Hala customers with a Ramadan offer that will help keep them in touch with their families and friends throughout the Holy Month. All of our customers can now enjoy free overseas calls and SMS. This offer has been deliberately designed to reach out to every Hala customer, so that customers on the lowest incomes and those who want to speak for long periods feel equally confident that they can reach out to their loved ones around the world.” (more…)
On 08.16.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Qtel is offering a special rate for sending Picture and Video Messaging (MMS) for the Holy Month of Ramadan, with customers now able to send greetings and wishes to over 700 mobile operators globally and locally in Qatar for only QR 0.90.
MMS has become a popular way for people to share greetings with friends, allowing them to combine pictures, audio and video with a long text message. In the Holy Month of Ramadan, many people send Islamic imagery and verses from the Qur’an, along with congratulatory messages, in the first days, as well as Eid Greetings during Eid al-Fitr.
(more…)
On 08.16.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Qtel, the Qatari mobile operator, has posted Q2′09 net profits of 1.044 billion riyals, up 58.6% from Q2′08. The total revenue for the operator for Q2′09 rose to 4.230 billion riyals compared to 1.644 billion in Q2′08, the firm reportedly revealed.
On 08.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The text message reads, “Congratulations, you have won a Hummer 2009″ and then provides a fifteen digit number to call to collect the prize, starting with 0042 366.
However, the SMS alert is not an authorized contest in Qatar, and Qtel believes that the people behind the message are seeking to lure people into calling a premium overseas number with expensive per-minute international call charges, and trying to collect private and financial details when the call is put through.
Qtel is working to trace and block the lines that are provided in the SMS message. However, typically the gangs behind these scams change numbers and locations and continue to send the fraudulent messages.
This is the second attempt detected this year to send fraudulent messages requesting people to call numbers starting with the prefix 0042 366 – the international calling code for Liechtenstein, a country with a population of less than 36,000 people.
In both attempts, Qtel believes these are sophisticated operations targeted specifically at the people of Qatar, using Call Forwarding to disguise the call’s country of origin.
Qtel is reminding customers that no legitimate contests licensed in Qatar will use SMS to contact winners and request they call a premium or overseas number. In addition, when customers use their call forwarding feature, they should always verify the number before they forward their phone.
As well as safeguarding their mobile numbers, Qtel also advises customers to exercise caution when they receive calls or messages from unknown numbers.
On 07.31.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Qtel is offering Shahry Value Pack customers the lowest international call rates ever enjoyed in Qatar or the wider region.
Qtel is enhancing the value offered by Shahry Value Packs, which enables customers to make international calls using their monthly free minute allowance. As a result, effective call rates with Shahry Value Packs are now as low as 29 dirhams per minute.
The promotion runs from midnight Thursday, through to 30 September, and is being automatically made available to every existing Shahry Value Pack customer. (more…)
On 07.27.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Qtel today launched a fantastic roaming offer for people taking a vacation this summer, with some of the most affordable rates for using your Qtel phone while abroad.
With thousands flying off for rest and relaxation this summer, Qtel has used its international reach to create a Summer Roaming Zone that provides great rates in popular destinations like the Maldives, Thailand, Austria, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, Egypt, Tunisia, and more. (more…)