Zain launches High Speed Data Access across ‘One Network’
May 11, 2009
- Pioneering platform allows travelling customers to enjoy fast and easy access to internet, emails and other data services without roaming surcharges.
- Service launched separately in Middle East and in East Africa with cross-continent connectivity later in 2009.
- First mobile operator in the world to introduce cross-border local, GRX- based data access, ensuring faster speeds than traditional internet roaming
In another world-first, leading mobile network operator, Zain, announced today that it has launched cross-border data services across the Middle East and in East Africa on its award winning ‘One Network’ platform. The data service is yet another demonstration of Zain’s commitment to expand ‘One Network’s’ revolutionary service in terms of geographical coverage and product offerings, this time by being the first mobile operator in the world to successfully introduce cross-border local GRX-based data access, an innovative technical solution which ensures faster access speeds at cost effective local rates than traditional internet roaming.
From today, in addition to being able to move freely across geographic borders without roaming call or sms surcharges and without having to pay to receive incoming calls, all Zain customers, both pre-paid and post-paid, either in the Middle East or in East Africa, can easily and quickly access internet, email, MMS, BlackBerry service and other Zain Portals.
In the Middle East the countries that benefit from this data service are Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait (soon), Saudi Arabia and Sudan while in East Africa the countries are Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. By the end of 2009 all other African ‘One Network’ countries will join and benefit from this data service at which time cross-continent connectivity will be implemented.
“The benefits and synergies of having one brand are taking shape as we deliver and fulfil our promise to be first, daring and different,” said Dr Saad Al Barrak, Zain Group CEO. “‘One Network’ revolutionized and replaced the concept of roaming and changed the way people communicate with its borderless mobile voice service. Including data services will add a new dimension to the customer experience.”
The new service will give millions of Zain customers, who regularly use, and benefit from, ‘One Network’ the opportunity to use additional data services including the newly-launched Zain Create, which enables customers to buy and download the latest music and videos.
For the first time, this data service will soon include and welcome Zain customers in Kuwait to the ‘One Network” platform who will also benefit from this specific data offering only when crossing borders into other Middle East ‘One Network’ countries, (other offerings such as voice calls not yet available due to regulatory issues in Kuwait). Customers travelling to Kuwait from other Middle East partner countries will also benefit from this new data service only. It is planned that Kuwait will commercially launch the service by the end of May 2009.
As with ’One Network’, customers do not have to pre-register for the data access service, move to a special tariff, change their handset settings or pay any subscription fees. They simply take their phone to any of the Middle East or East African operating countries they visit, use it as they would in their home country and be charged the same data rates for data access as a local customer in the country they are visiting. Additionally, at any given point of time Zain customers can credit their accounts with locally purchased top-up cards in any of Zain’s numerous points of sale across the region.
Zain will continue rolling out High Speed Data Access across the rest of the nations served by ‘One Network’ during 2009.
-ENDS -
Note to Editors: More on “One Network”
Over 500 million people in 19 countries are now connected across Africa and the Middle East in one borderless mobile network covering an area more than twice the size of Europe. The service has revolutionized and replaced the concept of roaming in Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait (data only), Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda and fully changed the way how people are communicating with friends, colleagues and family members while away from home. Not surprisingly more than 10 million customers have used the service at least once since it was introduced.
All Zain customers (pre-paid and post-paid) in Africa and the Middle East being part of and using “One Network” will enjoy the benefits of being treated as a “local” customer wherever they are. Customers can make calls and send messages at local rates when communicating with a travelling Zain customer who will receive incoming calls free-of-charge and be able to make calls back home at local rates. Pre-paid customers can also top up their phones with recharge cards bought from either their home country or more than one million outlets available in one of the 18 One Network countries. The One Network service is automatically activated upon crossing the geographic border into one of the countries, with no prior registration required or sign-up fee.
It is planned for all other Zain operations in the Middle East and Africa to join ‘One Network’ subject to governmental and regulatory approvals.
About Zain
Zain is a leading emerging markets player in the field of telecommunications aiming to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by 2011. Today it is the 4th largest mobile network in the world in terms of geographic presence with commercial operations in 23 countries spread across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 64.7 million active customers (as at 31 March 2009).
Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages the network on behalf of the government operating as mtc-touch. In Morocco, Zain in a joint venture owns 31% of Wana Telecom.
The company offers innovative services in its markets such as One Network, the world’s first borderless mobile telecommunication network enabling customers to receive calls and sms without charge and to make them at local rates throughout many countries in Africa and the Middle East.
The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). Zain is listed in the Financial Times’ Global 500 Index which ranks the world’s largest companies based on market capitalization (http://www.ft.com/reports/ft5002008). For more, please visit www.zain.com or email info@zain.com
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