Qtel Qatar will be among the first in the group to rebrand as Ooredoo at a major launch in Doha next week.
Recently, Qtel Group and its operating companies worldwide have been unified under a new brand – Ooredoo – as part of the international communication company’s major initiative on the global stage.
The new brand was unveiled by company chairman HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani at a launch event at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
Each of Ooredoo’s operating companies in emerging markets across the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia will adopt the new brand during the course of this year and in 2014.
These companies, in which Ooredoo already has a controlling interest, include brands such as Qtel in Qatar, Indosat (Indonesia) Wataniya (Kuwait), Nawras (Oman) Tunisiana (Tunisia) and Nedjma (Algeria).
Qatar is among the key markets for Ooredoo with its company Qtel remaining a market leader in 2012.
Qtel Qatar’s consolidated customer base stood at 2.5mn last year compared with 2.4mn in 2011.
This year Ooredoo (Qtel Qatar) will cross a milestone with the commercial launch of 4G LTE mobile broadband network. Qtel is in the “final testing stage” of the 4G LTE mobile broadband network.
During this testing period so far, Qtel said it had “gained tremendous positive feedback” from customers who have used its network and devices.
The 4G LTE network provides speeds that are three-to-six times as fast as the current 3G network, enabling customers to instantaneously access high-bandwidth content. Customers are able to watch high-definition video, transfer large files, view multimedia-rich websites and use interactive mobile apps.
Qtel had earlier said its QR200mn LTE project would deliver mobile speeds of up to 150 Mbps and support a knowledge-based economy.
Under the Qtel 4G LTE project, some 900 base stations will be deployed across the country, delivering the best penetration for 4G coverage in the GCC region. “Implementation will begin immediately, adding to the strength and speed of Qtel’s broadband network, which is already one of the best in the region.”
Gulf Times
