Qtel to Announce New Initiatives at Mobile World Congress

Doha, February 20 (QNA) - Qtel Group is set to unveil a series of new initiatives to enrich the lives of its customers as it participates in the upcoming GSMA Mobile World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona from February 25-28. The group said in a press release Wednesday it will continue to "expand its reach and deliver innovative and essential services to more than 89 million customers in the Middle East, North Africa and South east Asia." The delegation from Qtel Group, which provides mobile Internet access to people across the developing world, will be led by Qtel Group Chairman HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, and will include teams working in some of the most interesting markets in the world, including Qtel in Qatar, Asiacell in Iraq, Indosat in Indonesia, Nawras in Oman, Nedjma in Algeria, Tunisiana in Tunisia, and Wataniya in Kuwait, the Maldives and Palestine. In a keynote presentation on "Connecting the Next Billions to the Internet," Dr. Nasser Marafih, Qtel Group CEO and Chairman of the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation, will focus on the challenges and the lessons learned by the Group. "Qtel Group believes that our services have the capability to enrich people's lives. We will be focusing on the incredible social and human impact that communication services can deliver through our participation in Mobile World Congress this year, and outlining our bold plans for new initiatives that will benefit the communities that we serve," Marafih said. Across all markets, Qtel Group is deploying leading network technologies and smart investments to enable a better customer experience. The Group has initiated a major network modernization program using the latest 3G technology (U900) and increased emphasis on Wi-Fi, resulting in improved indoor quality and a better mobile broadband data experience. In Qatar, it continues to install the Qtel Fiber broadband fiber-optic network across the country, and is preparing to commercially launch its 4G LTE mobile broadband network. Nawras and Wataniya in Kuwait have recently launched 4G networks, and Asiacell and Nedjma are preparing their 2G networks to be upgraded to 3G once they receive the government licenses. Qtel Group companies have also delivered services that promote social change, such as Tunisiana's mLearning service "Najja7ni", developed in partnership with Silatech to support young people's economic empowerment and an mHealth service for diabetics in Kuwait, Palestine and Iraq. Qtel Group's mWomen initiatives are especially impactful: Asiacell's Almas (Diamond) line has been nominated at this year's GSMA Global Mobile Awards, and Indosat's Usaha Wanita (Business Women) service targeting women entrepreneurs was launched in December 2012 in partnership with Nokia and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. The GMSA Mobile World Congress will be the largest communications event in the world this year, with more than 70,000 visitors expected. Qtel Group will be showcasing innovations and life enhancing services at the Operator Village located in the Congress square of Fira Gran Via. A leading international communications company, Qtel Group has a significant presence in the MENA region and South east Asia with a consolidated customer base of more than 89.2 million as of September 2012. Its businesses operate under various names, including Qtel, Indosat, Asiacell, Wataniya, Nawras, Nedjma and Tunisiana. The Qtel Group's principal activities are mobile telephone services, broadband solutions, digital futures and fiber technologies, serving both consumer and business markets. Headquartered in Doha, Qatar, Qtel Group is ambitiously growing its global business on the basis of its insights into the needs of customers in emerging markets. Qtel Group's ultimate parent company is Qatar Telecom (Qtel) Q.S.C., whose shares are listed on the Qatar Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. (QNA)