Batelco and Qtel sign MoU extending cooperation agreement (Middle East)
Following the successful partnership agreement signed between Batelco – the Kingdom’s leading integrated telecommunication services provider, and Qtel, Qatar’s leading telecommunications provider, in August last year, the two companies have recently signed an MoU.
This MoU complements the previous partnership agreement and is in line with Batelco’s ambitious strategy that aims to extend the company’s global reach through successful partnerships with key regional and international players.
The deal is meant to expand cooperation between Batelco and Qtel in areas that cover Products and Services including Voice, Internet, Data, Facility Management & Mobile; Application & Content Services; Business Solution Services; Sales and Marketing collaboration; Carrier Services such as Roaming, Voice & Capacity; and Facility Management Services.
Batelco General Manager Enterprise Division Adel Daylami said that such strategic bi-lateral understanding is vital for Batelco to achieve its prime goal of providing its customers in all segments with the best services wherever they are.
He added that this MoU will enable both parties to provide cutting-edge, end-to-end services to local and international business based in Bahrain and Qatar.
Daylami further said that business customers, in both Bahrain and Qatar, are now enjoying the numerous benefits resulting from the agreement signed last year between Batelco and Qtel and will enjoy more in the future thanks to this MoU.
The MoU is expected to make a difference for customers of both companies, in terms of quality and range of services to be delivered via the reliable, state-of-the-art networks of the two operators.
Ahmed Al-Derbesti Chief Wholesale & International Officer, Qtel, said that they have a partnership of long standing with Batelco, and this MoU opens the door to providing more quality products and services to our customers in Qatar. Qatar’s telecommunications needs are growing daily, in both the consumer and business markets, and agreements such as this keep them well ahead of demand and focusing on the changing needs of their customers.
Qtel launches mhealth service (Qatar)
Telecommunications provider Qtel has reportedly launched a mobile health service enabling users in Iraq, Palestine and Kuwait to receive personalized health tips on their mobile phones. According to reports, the telecom operator will organize mhealth workshops in partnership with GSMA in an attempt to raise awareness and reach out to more customers.
As per sources, the operator believes that mobile health helps provide people living in remote areas access to necessary medical information. Reports reveal that Dr. Craig Fridericks, Director (Health), GSMA, said that they are working with mobile network operators (MNO) worldwide to highlight how they can implement mHealth initiatives into the market that will offer significant health and lifestyle benefits to end users.
Etisalat still eyes Iraqi market (UAE)
Etisalat is still looking for an alternative after its US$12 bn bid to buy control of Zain was abandoned. Irregular speculation that it would bid for a stake in Korek Telecom was stopped earlier this month when France Telecom finally brought a minority stake in the company.
The only existing route into the country would be either a trade sale by one of the other two networks, controlled by Zain and Qtel – or bidding for the country’s fourth mobile license which should be sold later this year for around US$2 billion.
According to Ahmed Bin Ali, group Senior Vice President of corporate communications, they are looking at all opportunities. If they think it is worth it, they are on the same speed of expansion whenever there is a chance to do so.
Etisalat, which is majority-owned by the government, is pushing to expand its overseas operations to offset declining revenues in the UAE, where it no longer holds a monopoly.
Vivendi to expand network in Middle East (France)
Vivendi is currently in discussions with telecommunications companies and banks in the Middle East to expand its operations in the region, after opening an office recently in Dubai.
According to Jean-Bernard Levy, Vivendi’s chairman, they are working with partners that have not been disclosed. It’s a young office and they hope to announce more partnerships within weeks and months. They are working to make it happen.
The group, which among many assets owns Universal Music and a majority stake in French pay-TV company Canal+, also holds a 53% share in Maroc Telecom in Morocco. In 2010, Vivendi also signed a content deal with Qatar’s Qtel through Universal Music.
The company has a solid path to growth in the MENA region, Mr Levy added, confirming the music video website Vevo will launch in the Middle East by the end of June and the UK within weeks, as joint venture between Vivendi, Abu Dhabi Media and Sony Music.
Vevo has so far been limited to North American consumers, who are able to choose from 26,300 music videos uploaded by major artists so far. Unique viewers to the site which launched in December 2009 – had reached 43.7 million as of June 2010.
Mr Levy stated that it has been a tremendous success and this will help consumers from the Middle East to access thousands of videos and music content.
Ucell inks bilateral agreement with Smart Mobile and Telecom New Zealand (Uzbekistan)
Uzbekistan-based mobile services provider Ucell has added new roaming partners. Ucell has signed a bilateral agreement with Latelz in Cambodia (Smart Mobile) and Telecom New Zealand.
The company will now allow prepaid users to roam on the Viva network in Kuwait, on Qtel’s network in Qatar and on Telekom Deutschland’s network in Germany.
Moreover, Ucell added Telecel in Bolivia as a GPRS and 3G roaming partner.
Qtel slashes calling rates to South Asia
Qtel has announced that it has lowered the calling rates for international calls to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka so that people can connect during the Spring Festival of Holi.
The new offer means that Hala customers can call India, Nepal and Sri Lanka for US$0.10 per minute.
Qtel reports record 2010 revenue of US$7.5 billion
Qatar Telecom (Qtel) announced that 2010 full year Group revenue increased 13.1% to end 2010 at QAR27.2 billion (US$7.47 billion), as the Group’s consolidated customer base reached 74.1 million (FY 2009: 60.4 million).
Distributable earnings for 2010 including profits from the Nawras IPO taken directly to retained earnings increased by 21.3% to QAR3.4 billion (US$927.5 million). Earnings per Share (EPS) for 2010 grew 2.2% to QAR 19.69.
As part of the Group’s diversification strategy, Qtel has maintained solid operational and financial progress, successfully balancing the management of competitive pressure to maintain market share in mature markets with the ongoing development of operations in growth markets.
Key highlights of the year include the roll-out of Fibre-to-the-Home in Qatar, the successful implementation of a value-driven strategy by Indosat in Indonesia, strong revenue growth in Algeria leading to a first annual net profit for Nedjma, the successful defence of market leadership position in Tunisia, the launch of fixed line and home broadband services by Nawras in Oman and continued subscriber growth for Asiacell in Iraq.
The Group also successfully launched IPOs in Oman and Palestine, saw strong support for a 10-year Bond for Indosat and for the Qtel Group’s bond sale, which was more than ten times oversubscribed.
Qatar Telecom (Qtel) provides a full range of telecommunications services in Qatar and across its presence in 17 countries. Our vision is to be among the top 20 telecommunications companies in the world by 2020 through expansion in both the MENA region and South East Asia.
Qtel announces partnership with Skype (Qatar)
The Qtel Group has announced a commercial agreement with Skype, whereby its mobile broadband subsidiary Wi-tribe, will promote Skype and its related products over Wi-tribe’s networks in Jordan and the Philippines; two key markets for Wi-tribe.
As per the agreement, Wi-tribe; a provider of wireless broadband Internet, will enable customers in the respective markets to easily download Skype software and connect with their family and friends.
According to Dr. Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Qtel, the Qtel Group’s strategy for innovation is driven by the needs of their customers, and enabled by partnerships with like-minded companies. They recognize the changes taking place in the market and the increasing customer demand for rich communications solutions and have decided to partner with Skype – one of the pioneers in the industry. This is a first-of-its-kind in their Middle East region and they look forward to working closely with Skype to deliver the best possible customer experience.
To start the partnership, Skype and Wi-tribe will distribute Skype credit vouchers for customers in the Philippines and in Jordan. These vouchers will enable customers to enjoy free calls to landlines and mobiles over Skype using the Wi-tribe mobile broadband network.
Syria sets minimum bid price for 3rd mobile operator license
Syria’s Deputy Minister of Telecommunications, Mohammad Al-Jallali, has stated that the country’s upcoming auction for the country’s third mobile network license is set to have a minimum reserve price of US$122 million. Etisalat, France Telecom, Qtel, Turkcell, Saudi Telecom have been pre-qualified for the license auction.
The country is also expected to announce the establishment of an independent telecoms regulator before the license auction starts.
According to reports, the country is estimated to have had just over 9.1 million mobile phone subscribers at the end of March 2010, which represents a population penetration level of 44%.
The two current operators will have to buy out their current BOT agreements and convert to a conventional license agreement. The buyout price has been previously reported as being around US$500 million.
Qtel inks strategic alliance with KT (Qatar, Korea)
Qatar’s incumbent telecom operator, Qtel has signed an agreement with Korean telco, KT Corporation, to jointly develop products targeting companies involved in the development of smart cities, including developers, infrastructure companies, and government agencies.
According to Khalid Abdulla Al Mansouri, Executive Director of business solutions at Qtel, alliance will drive the development of the knowledge-based economy in Qatar.
As per the agreement, the two companies will also create an integrated management solution that will enable developers to manage development operations and offer value-added services for businesses and residents in the new developments.
According to Dr Kim Hansuk, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Global Business unit, KT Corporation, smart city developments are transforming urban environments around the world, helping to reduce energy use and transforming the range of services provided.
One of the services being developed is a Smart City command centre, which is a central platform that enables developers to monitor and manage all services across the state of Qatar through a unified control point.
The two companies are also exploring the potential of digital signage services, security and intelligent building, remote healthcare and remote learning services.
Qatar already has more than 10 master projects under the smart cities development.
