Wataniya Telecom in Palestine signs license agreement with Palestine's Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology for second mobile operator
Wataniya Palestine Mobile Telecommunications Company, the company formed by Wataniya International and the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) to launch Palestine's second mobile services company, today signed a license agreement with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology in Palestine (MTIT) bringing the arrival of the new Palestine mobile operator one step closer.
The details of the license agreement have been in negotiation with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology in Palestine (MTIT) since Wataniya International successfully bid JD 251 million (two hundred fifty one million Jordanian Dinars) for the license to build and operate a 2G/3G mobile telecommunication service in Palestine in September 2006. Wataniya International is the company responsible for leading the pursuit of global expansion opportunities on behalf of the Wataniya Telecom group of mobile operations.
'The signing of the mobile services license agreement is another step towards realizing the vision for a second mobile services operator in Palestine,' said Ahmad Haleem, Chief Executive Officer, Wataniya International. 'Both Wataniya Telecom and the Palestine Investment Fund are committed to making the new mobile telecommunications company a national asset that will enhance the lives of users, businesses and investors alike.'
'We are convinced of the growth potential of the telecommunications sector in Palestine and it is a proud moment for us to sign this new mobile license,' said Dr. Mohamed Mustafa, Vice President of Wataniya Palestine Mobile Telecommunications Company. 'We believe that the new mobile telecommunications company, Wataniya Telecom in Palestine, really brings the best local and regional resources to bear on the task of building a world class mobile services provider in Palestine that will meet the level of the expectations of the Palestinian users and investors alike.'
Wataniya Palestine Mobile Telecommunications Company is 40% owned by Wataniya International, the manager of the operations, and 30% owned by PIF, while the remaining shares will be offered to the Palestinian public through a public IPO.
About Wataniya
Launched in December 1999, Wataniya Telecom has gone from strength to strength. Born into a monopoly telecom market, Wataniya Telecom is Kuwait’s first privately owned operator and has been a driving force in increasing the mobile communications market penetration in Kuwait to over 93 percent of the population; one of the highest penetration rates in the region.
Wataniya Telecom’s Red Carpet policy ensures that all its customers receive the red carpet treatment all day, every day. Analysis of demand and customer needs keeps Wataniya Telecom at the forefront of customer service and satisfaction. With its market leading call center, Wataniya customers have 24/7 access to Wataniya service.
A growing portfolio of content-rich services covers the entire spectrum of the mobile lifestyle with services catering to leisure, businesses, games and travel information services. Strategic partnerships with content providers such as Rotana, Yahoo!, CNN.com and Time Out magazine ensure customers get the most up to date, high quality content at the touch of a button. Wataniya Telecom has upgraded its network significantly in the course of 2005, building one of the world’s most technologically advanced and capable mobile networks.
The new network platform, supported by the rollout of a new advanced SIM card for Wataniya customers to use in their handsets, opens the way to advanced content services and applications such as M-Commerce , as well as advanced mobile enterprise services.
Recently, Wataniya signed an agreement with Nokia that gives a platform to provide the most advanced, capable and reliable network services in the region, if not world wide With operations in Kuwait, Iraq, Tunisia, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia and Algeria, Wataniya is actively expanding its presence within the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region as well in Asia. Serving over 4 million customers in its operations, Wataniya has built its success on bringing the latest communications services and capabilities to create high growth markets where people are able to work and entertain themselves in new ways using mobile communications technologies, backed by strong customer service and great value.
Wataniya is sparing no efforts in consolidating its relation with the customer base, looking continuously to provide them with the latest technologies of flexible thus high standards mobile services.