Teletimes April 2011.pdf
Teletimes April 2011.pdf
Teletimes April 2011.pdf
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Qtel Group shakes hands with Skype<br />
Operator will offer Skype services on its wi-tribe service in Jordan, Philippines<br />
The Qtel Group has signed a<br />
commercial agreement with<br />
Skype to promote the company<br />
and its related products over<br />
Qtel’s mobile broadband<br />
subsidiary wi-tribe in Jordan<br />
and the Philippines.<br />
Under the agreement wi-tribe, a<br />
provider of wireless broadband<br />
internet, will enable customers<br />
to download Skype software.<br />
“The Qtel Group’s strategy for<br />
innovation is driven by the<br />
needs of our customers, and<br />
enabled by partnerships with<br />
like-minded companies. We<br />
recognise the changes taking<br />
place in the market and the<br />
increasing customer demand<br />
for rich communications<br />
solutions, and so have decided<br />
to partner with Skype - one of<br />
the pioneers in the industry.<br />
This is a first-of-its-kind in<br />
our Middle East region and we<br />
look forward to working closely<br />
with Skype to deliver the best<br />
possible customer experience,”<br />
said Dr Nasser Marafih, Group<br />
CEO, Qtel.<br />
Skype had 145 million average<br />
monthly connected users as of<br />
December 31st 2010, according<br />
to according to TeleGeography in<br />
January 2011. The company says<br />
that Skype-to-Skype calling<br />
minutes in 2010 were equivalent<br />
to approximately 20% of total<br />
global international PSTN and<br />
Skype-to-Skype calling minutes.<br />
With the signing of the<br />
agreement, more users in the<br />
Middle-Eastern and Asian<br />
regions will enjoy accessibility<br />
to Skype features such as free<br />
Skype-to-Skype calls, instant<br />
messaging, low cost calls to<br />
landlines and mobiles as well as<br />
Group Video Calling.<br />
“We’re very excited to be<br />
working with the Qtel Group<br />
and wi-tribe,” said Russ Shaw,<br />
vice president and general<br />
manager for Mobile, Skype.<br />
“wi-tribe is a high performance<br />
wireless internet experience<br />
with a customer-centric<br />
approach, much like Skype. We<br />
believe that Skype and serviceproviders<br />
can complement each<br />
other to bring greater value<br />
for consumers - and have seen<br />
successful examples of this<br />
around the world. We look<br />
forward to working closely<br />
with the Qtel Group to progress<br />
the wi-tribe partnership and<br />
support the growth of the<br />
internet ecosystem within the<br />
Middle-Eastern and Asian<br />
regions.”Skype and wi-tribe<br />
will be distributing Skype credit<br />
vouchers for customers in the<br />
Philippines and in Jordan as a<br />
partnership launch offer. The<br />
free vouchers are designed to<br />
enable customers to place free<br />
calls to landlines and mobiles<br />
over Skype using the wi-tribe<br />
mobile broadband network. T<br />
Qtel in strategic tieup with iHorizons<br />
Qatar Telecom (Qtel)<br />
has signed a strategic<br />
alliance deal with iHorizons,<br />
a key provider of business<br />
solutions and IT services in<br />
the region, to develop and<br />
market a number of advanced<br />
technology solutions and<br />
business services.<br />
Recognising the ongoing<br />
development of Qatar’s<br />
economy, the two companies<br />
will cooperate on world-class<br />
business solutions aimed<br />
at supporting companies in<br />
specific industries and growth<br />
sectors.<br />
The alliance will see the two<br />
companies align their product<br />
development roadmaps and<br />
technology architectures in<br />
order to provide a faster timeto-market<br />
for new solutions,<br />
as well as bespoke service for<br />
key customers.<br />
Khalid Abdulla Al Mansouri,<br />
executive director, Business<br />
Solutions, Qtel, and Mohamad<br />
Takriti, CEO of iHorizons<br />
signed the agreement.<br />
It is one of the first<br />
agreements of its kind<br />
between two leading Qatari<br />
companies, a major regional<br />
operator and a leading provider<br />
of business solutions and IT<br />
services, said a Qtel statement.<br />
Khalid Abdulla Al Mansouri,<br />
executive director, Business<br />
Solutions, said: “Qtel is<br />
placing strong emphasis on<br />
ensuring that our customers<br />
receive the highest quality of<br />
business services and support.”<br />
Mohamad Takriti, CEO of<br />
iHorizons said: ‘The world is<br />
witnessing rapid convergence<br />
between telecom and IT<br />
services, and businesses and<br />
consumers expect leading<br />
edge solutions and flawless<br />
customer service. Therefore,<br />
iHorizons is teaming up with<br />
Qtel to develop, market,<br />
and operate such converged<br />
solutions.’For over 15 years,<br />
iHorizons has been providing<br />
advanced technology solutions<br />
in the region. Many large<br />
enterprises are outsourcing<br />
their IT operations to iHorizons<br />
in the areas of software<br />
development, managed<br />
operations, technical support<br />
and advanced technology<br />
consulting. Founded in 1996,<br />
iHorizons has offices in Doha,<br />
Dubai, Amman and Riyadh, as<br />
well as two labs for research<br />
and development. T<br />
52 www.teletimesinternational.com<br />
15Apr - 14May 2011
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