Warid to invest US$ 25 million towards network expansion (Pakistan)
Mobile telecommunication firm Warid Telecom is planning to invest an additional US$ 25 million this year towards network expansion and improvement, as said by Sriram Yarlagadda, the Warid chief executive officer and the director for telecom business.
Yarlagadda said that they would concentrate on their core business of brand building, boosting customer base, new area coverage and network expansion. He added that they have limited capabilities to run the call centres. This is not a core role for telecoms world over. Further, they are not best placed to run the concept.
He also said that they needed to bring experts in this field like Spanco to help enhance the kind of service they want to offer their customers. Yarlagadda added that Spanco will expand the call centre base, which will help provide superior quality customer care service to boost our customer satisfaction. Further, he said that the company will concentrate on growing market share and revenues.
Alan Harper, the Eaton Towers chief executive, said thatEaton Towers’ expertise in tower management and commitment to top quality service will allow Ugandan operators to focus on providing innovative mobile services and expanding its subscriber base. At the same time, their ownership and management of the telecoms network infrastructure will ensure that the local networks will continually be enhanced and expanded, whilst maintaining low operating costs for the mobile operators. He added that these partnerships, with local operators, bring significant benefits to all parties.
PTA to auction 3G licence on 29 March 2012 (Pakistan)
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is reportedly planning to auction the 3G licences on 29 March 2012. According to reports, the authority will auction three licences, each with a base price of US$ 210 million. Further, as per sources, bidders will be required to deposit US$ 31.5 million as an initial deposit.
Reports reveal that Mohammed Yaseen, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has said that licence would be offered for 8-15 years to both existing as well as new operators. However, operators currently not offering services in the country will be able to commercially launch their services only after March 2013.
As per PTA, the existing operators include Mobilink, Telenor , Warid Telecom, Zong and Ufone.
Warid Telecom launches mobile money service (Uganda)
Mobile operator Warid Telecom has launched a mobile payment service titled Warid Pesa which will allow users to convert cash to electronic money and vice versa. As per company reports, users will be able to use the electronic money to pay for goods and services via their mobile phones.
According to reports, Warid Pesa also caters to the large unbanked population by enabling users to simply deposit money into their Warid Pesa account as well as transfer the electronic money to other mobile users who can re-convert the same to cash.
As per sources, Shailendra Naidu, Chief Commercial Officer, Warid Telecom has said that not only will this service provide users with another choice, but that it is also an easy, convenient and quick money transfer service across all networks.
Warid Telecom launches international roaming service: Roam Info (Pakistan)
Warid Telecom, a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi Group & SingTel Group, has recently launched its new international roaming service ‘Roam Info’. This short code based SMS service allows users travelling to international destinations to receive detailed tariffs of any foreign mobile operator before they leave Pakistan. Subscribers of Warid Telecom are required to send an SMS to 4747, providing them with details to help choose an operator once they have landed in the country abroad.
Further, it also offers in-flight roaming with Aero-mobile and On-Air that allows subscribers to use their mobile phones during flights and marine time roaming that facilitates sea travelers. Warid offers its users an international roaming network that connects to 249 International partners in 148 countries for 2G roaming followed by 164 partners in 102 countries for GPRS/Data roaming. Warid also offers its prepaid users a pre-activated roaming that is available in major countries across the globe.
Warid launches SIM Jagao offer for inactive customers (Pakistan)
Warid Telecom has launched a SIM Jagao offer for its inactive customers.
The company is aiming at offering incentives to inactive customers. For all those Warid customers who have not used their Warid SIM since January, they can start using their SIM to receive free minutes and SMS worth 10% of every recharge for the next three months.
These can be used for making calls and sending SMS to any network. In addition to this, Warid SIM Jagao is complimented by Warid Bol Anmol Reward Program through which Warid subscribers will become eligible for the Bol Anmol bonus minutes at the end of the SIM Jagao offer.
MTN Uganda warns to suspend connections with UTL
MTN Uganda has warned to stop accepting phone calls from its network to Uganda Telecom (UTL) over claims of unpaid bills for termination charges. The company claims it owes US$8.4 million from its commercial rival.
According to MTN, calls between the two networks could be severed as early as next week if the debt is not paid. MTN customers will therefore be unable to place direct calls to UTL subscribers and vice-versa.
As per Fatuma Nalubawa, a Uganda Telecom spokesperson, the company is looking into the matter and will deal with it appropriately. It was a small disagreement but it will be sorted out.
UTL has also been in dispute with Warid Telecom and Airtel Uganda over unpaid termination fees.
Essar Kenya appoints Madhur Taneja as new CEO
Essar Kenya has appointed Madhur Taneja to replace Atul Chaturvedi as the company’s new CEO.
Taneja has been the CEO of Warid Telecom in Uganda. Chaturvedi, who has been at the helm of Kenya’s third mobile operator for less than a year, moves out to take up what he says are other assignments.
Chaturvedi confirmed his exit and stated that he is in the country until the end of March to take some important projects to conclusion. Essar group has a 51% stake in Warid Telecom, with operations in Uganda and Congo.
SingTel subscriber base rises 34% in 2010 (Singapore)
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. has announced that its mobile subscriber base expanded 34% to 383 million users in 2010.
SingTel had 368 million mobile phone users at the end of September 2010 and 285 million as of December 2009.
According to the company, the subscriber base of its Indian associate Bharti Airtel Ltd. rose 6% in 2010 to 199.6 million users across its operations in 19 countries including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and across Africa.
In India, Bharti’s mobile customer base increased 28% to 152 million users in 2010, while that in Africa rose 5%.
It added that SingTel’s Indonesian associate PT Telkomsel added 15% more customers, taking its mobile customer base to 94 million.
SingTel, Southeast Asia’s largest telecommunications firm by revenue, holds significant stakes in six foreign mobile operators: Bharti Airtel, PT Telkomsel, Thailand’s Advanced Info Service PCL, Pakistan’s Warid Telecom, the Philippines’ Globe Telecom Inc. and Pacific Bangladesh Telecom.
IBM grabs $80M outsourcing deal in Bangladesh
If sources are to be believed, International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) has received a contract worth $80 million from India’s Bharti Airtel Ltd. to manage the telecommunications services provider’s technology operations in Bangladesh.
According to sources, under the 10-year contract, the U.S. software maker will manage Bharti Airtel’s information technology and data center operations, as well as look after the security of the Indian company’s network in Bangladesh. The deal also involves transferring employees and technology from Bharti Airtel’s in-house technology team in Bangladesh to IBM.
Bharti Airtel, India’s largest by subscribers, entered the Bangladesh market in January this year by acquiring a 70% stake in Warid Telecom International Ltd. for $300 million from United Arab Emirates-based Abu Dhabi Group. Bharti has more than 194 million subscribers across 19 countries, including Bangladesh.
Warid Telecom offers mobile services in all of Bangladesh’s 64 districts and has 3.6 million users as of September.
