Ooredoo

Ooredoo
Public[1]
Traded as DSM:ORDS
ADX: ORDS
LSE: ORDS
Industry Telecommunications
Headquarters Doha, Qatar
Areas served
 Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Palestine, Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar
Key people
 Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani (Chairman) Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani (CEO)
Revenue QAR 33,207,209,000 (2014)[2]
QAR 3,080,458,000 (2014)[2]
QAR 2,528,387,000 (2014)[2]
Total assets QAR 97,999,347,000 (2014)[2]
Total equity QAR 30,468,513, 000 (2014)[2]
Number of employees
 17,000 (2014)[2]
Website www.ooredoo.com
www.ooredoo.com.qa (Qatar)

www.ooredoo.dz (Algeria)

www.indosatooredoo.com (Indonesia)

www.asiacell.com (Iraq)

www..ooredoo.com.kw (Kuwait)

www.ooredoo.mv (Maldives)

www.ooredoo.com.mm (Myanmar)

www.ooredoo.om (Oman)

www.ooredoo.tn (Tunisia)

Ooredoo Group (formerly Qtel) is an international telecommunications company headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Ooredoo provides mobile, wireless, wireline, and content services with market share in domestic and international telecommunication markets, and in business (corporations and individuals) and residential markets. It is one of the world’s largest mobile telecommunications companies, with over 114 million customers worldwide as of September 2015.[3]

Partly state-owned, Ooredoo has operations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, including Algeria, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Myanmar, Maldives, Oman, Palestine, Qatar and Tunisia. Ooredoo's shares are listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.[4]

Ooredoo has a market capitalisation of QAR 24.2 billion as of September 2015,[5] and was named “Best Mobile Operator of the Year” at the World Communication Awards 2013.[6]

History

Qtel Group and all its operating companies worldwide were officially unified under Ooredoo Group in February 2013, as part of the company’s strategy to combine its assets in order to form a global business within the telecommunications industry.[7] The name Ooredoo is Arabic for “I Want”, chosen “to reflect the aspirations of Ooredoo customers and the core belief that Ooredoo can enrich people’s lives and stimulate human growth in the communities where it operates."[8]

Ooredoo has experienced significant growth over the last six years, transforming from a single market operator in Qatar to an international communications company with a global customer base of more than 114 million customers worldwide (as of September 2015)[3] and consolidated revenues of QAR 24.2 billion for the first nine months of fiscal year 2015.[5]

Citing strong organic growth, prudent investments and the growth and loyalty of its customers, Ooredoo has been the fastest-growing telecommunications company in the world by revenue since 2006 and its enterprise value has more than tripled since 2005.[7]

Governance

Board of Directors

The members of Ooredoo’s Board of Directors are as follows:

Name Position[9]
Sheik Abdulla Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani Chairman
Ali Shareef Al Emadi Deputy Chairman
Mohammed Bin Issa Al Mohannadi Member
Turki Mohammed Al Khater Member
Dr. Nasser Marafih Member
Hareb Masoud Al Darmaki Member
Nasser Rashid Al-Humaidi Member
Omer Abdulaziz Al-Hamed Al-Marwani Member
Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo Member
Hamad Saeed Al Badi Member
Ibrahim Al Mahmoud Member

Chairman

H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani

Sheikh Abdullah is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Ooredoo[9] and his main focus is the restructuring and regional expansion of Ooredoo.[10] Since the launch of Ooredoo’s expansion strategy in 2005, Sheikh Abdullah has steered the growth of Ooredoo from being a single nation telecom operator to a Group with a global presence in 17 countries, spanning from North Africa, Middle East to South East Asia.[10]

Sheikh Abdullah has played a key role in directing Ooredoo’s growth and its vision of enriching people’s lives along the way by using social impact to drive financial performance.[11] By working with widely respected international organisations, Sheikh Abdullah has supported Ooredoo’s work across a series of key areas, including the empowerment of women and provision of mobile finance for the unbanked. In March 2014, Sheikh Abdullah was appointed to the World Bank Group Advisory Council on Gender and Development.[11] His appointment is a reflection of Ooredoo’s engagement in women’s initiatives across its footprint, and also H.E.’s personal engagement with these issues.[11]

Sheikh Abdullah is Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Investment Authority and a Member of the Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investment. Additionally, he was the Chief of the Royal Court (Amiri Diwan) from 2000 to 2005.[12] Sheikh Abdullah was previously a Member of the Planning Council in Qatar[12] and serves on the Board of a number of leading telecommunications companies.[12] Sheikh Abdullah completed his graduate studies at the Staff and Command College in Egypt before joining the United States Army War College in Carlisle, PA where he graduated in 1998.[10]

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Nasser Mohammed Marafih

Dr. Nasser Marafih has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Ooredoo Group since 2006.[13] In his role as CEO, Dr. Nasser has spearheaded Ooredoo's global growth in recent years to expand to 15 operations in Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia, including Ooredoo's acquisition of Wataniya Telecom, Ooredoo's strategic partnership with ST Telemedia in Singapore, as well as the company’s purchase of a controlling stake in Indosat of Indonesia.[14]

Dr. Nasser started his career at Ooredoo in 1992 as expert advisor from the University of Qatar and was involved in the introduction of the first GSM service in the Middle East in February 1994.[12] He joined Ooredoo Qatar in February 1994 as a Director for Strategic Planning & Development and led a number of strategic projects including the introduction of the Internet service in Qatar in 1996 and the privatization of Ooredoo Qatar from a government owned company to a publicly listed company in 1999.[14]

Dr. Marafih serves in as a board member in a number of other Ooredoo Group companies including Ooredoo in Myanmar and Asiacell in Iraq.[14] In addition, Dr. Marafih serves as Chairman of the Board of the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation and as a member of the Board of GSMA.[14] He is also the chairman of the South Asia, Middle East, North Africa region's SAMENA Telecommunication Council.[14] Born in Doha, Qatar, Dr. Nasser holds a Master of Science and a Ph.D in Communication Engineering from George Washington University, USA.[13]

Operating Companies

Middle East

Ooredoo Qatar

Qtel was formally established under Law No. 13 of 1987.[15]

In 2006, Qtel launched 3G services and announced a series of initiatives, including an equity partnership with AT&T in NavLink, international high- speed mobile data (GPRS) roaming services and the launch of IP (Internet Protocol) and telephony services.[16]

In 2010, Qtel launched its Mobile Money service and upgraded its 3G network.[17]

In 2012, Qtel continued its roll-out of the nationwide Qtel Fibre network, offering packages with download speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s and HDTV. Qtel also began the trial phase of its 4G LTE mobile broadband service.[18]

In February 2013, Qtel officially rebranded as Ooredoo.[7]

In 2015, Ooredoo Qatar announced the launch of Ooredoo SuperNet in one of the most significant network evolutions in Qatar’s history. The company introduced three-band carrier aggregation, building on its position of being the first and only company to combine 20+10 MHz bands on its 4G+ network.[19]

Ooredoo Oman

Ooredoo Oman was formerly known as Nawras, which was launched in Oman in 2004.[20] The company has been listed on the Muscat Securities Market since 2010.

In November 2014, Nawras officially rebranded as Ooredoo Oman.[20]

Ooredoo Oman provides landline voice services to business and residential customers. It also provides a range of prepaid and post-paid mobile phone plans, and broadband internet service, both home and mobile (3G+).

The home broadband and voice service is powered by WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) technology. Ooredoo Oman was first to deploy 3G+ in Oman and is the only operator to deploy WiMAX commercially in Oman.[21]

In October 2015, Ooredoo Oman was recognised as one of Oman’s Top 20 Performing Companies for the fifth consecutive year.[22]

Ooredoo Kuwait

Ooredoo Kuwait’s operations began in December 1999 as Wataniya Telecom when it launched wireless services as the second operator in the country.

In March 2007, Ooredoo acquired Kuwait’s Wataniya Telecom for US$3.8 billion.[23]

In May 2014, Wataniya Telecom officially rebranded as Ooredoo Kuwait.[24]

Asiacell (Iraq)

Asiacell, the first mobile telecommunications company in Iraq, was established in Sulaymaniyah in 1999.

In August 2007, Asiacell bid and won a 15-year national license, becoming the GSM telecom operator with the largest long-term network coverage in Iraq. To handle new business operations, Asiacell also simultaneously established new executive offices in Baghdad, Basra, and other major cities in Iraq.[25]

North Africa

Ooredoo Algeria

Ooredoo Algeria’s operations began in 2004 as Nedjma, positioned as the first multimedia operator in Algeria.

In November 2013, Nedjma officially rebranded as Ooredoo Algeria.[26]

Ooredoo Algeria introduced the first EDGE network in the country in 2004 and launched 3G services in Algeria in December 2013.[27]

Ooredoo Tunisia

Ooredoo Tunisia was founded in May 2002 and began commercial operations in December the same year.

In April 2014, Tunisiana officially rebranded as Ooredoo Tunisia.[28]

Southeast Asia

Ooredoo Maldives

Ooredoo Maldives’ operations began in February 2005 as Wataniya Maldives, after it was selected during a competitive bidding process with three other companies.

In December 2013, Wataniya Telecom officially rebranded as Ooredoo Maldives.[29]

Indosat - Indonesia

Indosat was founded in 1967 and began as a commercial international telecommunications service provider (IDD) in September 1969.[30] It is partially owned by the Indonesian government.

Ooredoo Myanmar

In June 2013, Ooredoo was chosen as one of the two successful applicants among 90 bidders to be awarded a license to operate in Myanmar, considered one of the Asia’s last remaining greenfield telecom markets.

Formal licenses were granted in January 2014, and Ooredoo pledged an investment of $15 billion to develop Myanmar’s telecoms sector, with plans to cover 75 per cent of the population in five years.[31]

Awards

Recent Awards

2013:

Capacity Global Carrier Awards named Ooredoo Best Middle Eastern wholesale carrier for delivering successful services within a global marketplace.[32]

Ooredoo was named Best Mobile Operator at World Communication Awards in recognition of the significant progress achieved in 2013, become the leading provider of 4G services in the GCC, launching 4G mobile broadband networks in Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.[33]

2014:

Ooredoo group’s major investment in 4G and fiber technology received the Technology Investment of the Year award at CommsMEA Awards.[34]

The success of the company’s rebranding and broadband innovation won Ooredoo the “Operator of the Year” honour at the TMT Finance ME Awards.[35]

2015:[36]

GSMA’s Connected Women: Leadership in Industry Award was awarded to Ooredoo for initiatives aimed at growing the female digital economy.[37]

29 awards and the Grand Stevie were presented to Ooredoo at the International Business Awards (IBAs).[6] Recognition of Ooredoo's telecom industry leadership in emerging markets came in the form of three Gold Stevie Awards including being named the Middle East and North Africa’s Most Innovative Company of the Year.[38]

Social Responsibility

Ooredoo believes in mobile technology and mobile broadband as a way to enable social and economic progress. In all of the markets that it operates Ooredoo

Ooredoo’s social responsibility initiatives are aligned closely with the United Nations Global Goals set out in 2015, specifically to eradicate extreme poverty, improve the lives of people and create an all-round healthier world for tomorrow.[39]

Empowering Women

Ooredoo has committed to help women overcome social and economic barriers which restrict their development.

Through Ooredoo’s Asiacell subsidiary in Iraq, Ooredoo is challenging low mobile penetration amongst women. With the Almas scheme, more than 2 million women have been connected to friends and family.[40]

Enabling Youth

Ooredoo’s enabling youth programme seeks to improve the life chances of young people by using technology to help them realise their potential. In Myanmar, Ooredoo has transformed public libraries into hubs for the community where essential technology skills can be learnt.[40]

Mobile Health Clinics

Ooredoo Mobile Health Clinics work to improve healthcare across the globe, particularly in underserved communities. In 2013 Ooredoo partnered with The Leo Messi Foundation and pledged to reach over 2 million young people across Algeria, Indonesia, Myanmar and Tunisia by 2016.[41] This is being achieved through clinics that travel to rural communities to provide free medical treatment and education.

Disaster Relief

Ooredoo works to provide assistance and emergency relief aid to those affected by natural disasters in the markets in which it is active. During a water crisis in the Maldives in 2014, Ooredoo created a Water Crisis Helpline to provide information about the crisis to concerned or affected citizens. The company deployed technology to locate water trucks distributing bottled water across the island, combining this with communications technology to share the location with citizens.

Partnerships

Ooredoo partners with leading organisations in the technology and telecom sectors to promote inclusive access to digital services, exploit synergies and share resources.

Facebook

Ooredoo’s Indosat Free Basics, a mobile broadband service launched exclusively in partnership with Facebook.[42] In doing so, Ooredoo has given over 1 million people in Indonesia access to the internet. Internet.Org is a Facebook-led initiative aimed at making internet access available to the two thirds of the world’s population who have never been connected to the internet before.

Rocket Internet

Ooredoo partnered with Rocket Internet to launch Asia Pacific Internet Group to jointly develop eCommerce and other digital services in Asia.[43] Ventures range from online retail and marketplaces to payment services in markets as diverse as Myanmar to Australia.

Telefonica

Ooredoo partnered with Telefónica to find synergies in key areas such as technology projects, common approach to multinational clients for M2M, managed mobility and data services, staff development and training programs, international wholesale and various others.[44]

MIT Media Lab

Ooredoo partners with the MIT Media Lab to support cutting-edge research and development of an “Innovation Ecosystem” in Southeast Asia. Over the years, the partnership has developed a new generation of solar-powered compact base stations and launched mobile value-added services such as mobile money and mobile health.[45]

Sponsorships

Leo Messi has worked with Ooredoo since 2013 as their global brand ambassador.[46] As part of the partnership, Ooredoo and the Leo Messi Foundation have developed and sponsored projects to stimulate human growth and development across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Ooredoo also launched a campaign called ‘Simply do wonders’ where fans across the world were encouraged to upload videos of their street skillsonto an Instagram account.[47]

Ooredoo also launched a campaign called ‘Simply do wonders’ where fans across the world were encouraged to upload videos of their street skills onto an Instagram account.[47]

Ooredoo has sponsored the French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain since 2013.[48] The football club and Ooredoo have collaborated on football community coaching programmes for youth around the world to support human growth. Ooredoo and Paris Saint-Germain also launched a digital campaign called ‘Fans do wonders’ where fans around the world were connected with Paris Saint- Germain’s star players using Ooredoo’s internet network.[49]

Ooredoo and Paris Saint- Germain also launched a digital campaign called “Fans do wonders” where fans around the world were connected with Paris Saint-Germain’s star players using Ooredoo’s internet network.[49]

The Paris Saint-Germain Academy by Ooredoo clinics, run by Evolution Sports Academy, are designed to educate, motivate and encourage young football players, and potentially connect them with a range of new life opportunities.[50]

Alternate logo

References

  1. ↑ Ameinfo.com: Public companies in Qatar
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Annual Report 2014" (PDF). Ooredoo. Retrieved 2015.
  3. 1 2 MBA Skool.com: QTel
  4. ↑ "Oman sets up ICT regulator, to end Qtel monopoly", Telecompaper Africa/Asia November 8, 2006
  5. 1 2 [[1] http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ooredoo-group-picks-up-an-impressive-29-stevies-300167667.html "Ooredoo Group Picks Up an Impressive 29 Stevies"] Check |url= value (help).
  6. ↑ "Ooredoo Group Signs Five Year Framework Agreement With Nokia For Advanced Mobile Broadband Network".
  7. 1 2 3 "Qtel Rebrands As Ooredoo in Major Global Intiative".
  8. ↑ "Qtel Rebranding Calling Dr. Dre".
  9. 1 2 "Ooredoo Annual Report" (PDF).
  10. 1 2 3 "AlThani".
  11. 1 2 3 "Trade Arabia".
  12. 1 2 3 4 [9http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=11503460&privcapId=27869250&previousCapId=58146919&previousTitle=Barwa%20Bank "Bloomberg: Title"] Check |url= value (help).
  13. 1 2 "Bloomberg, CEO".
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Leadership Board".
  15. ↑ "Qatar Telecom". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  16. ↑ "Qtel launches managed IP telephony service". www.telecompaper.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  17. ↑ "OOREDOO - ORDS | 2010 | | Gulfbase". www.gulfbase.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  18. ↑ "Qtel launches LTE trial ahead of end-year launch". https://www.telegeography.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09. External link in |website= (help)
  19. ↑ "Ooredoo begins biggest network upgrade in Qatar". www.thepeninsulaqatar.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  20. 1 2 "Nawras rebrands as Ooredoo". Times of Oman. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  21. ↑ "Secure Login". nawras.om. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  22. ↑ "pr | Al Bawaba". www.albawaba.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  23. ↑ "KUNA :: Wataniya deal closed at USD 3.8 billion 14/03/2007". www.kuna.net.kw. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  24. ↑ "Wataniya becomes Ooredoo, a global brand - Telecom player now operates in 15 countries, serves 97,000,000 customers - Kuwait Times". Kuwait Times. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  25. ↑ "GulfTalent". www.gulftalent.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  26. ↑ "Qatar’s Ooredoo rebrands Algerian telco Nedjma". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  27. ↑ "Ooredoo: Best 3G+ network in Algeria". www.telecomreview.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  28. ↑ "Tunisiana completes Ooredoo rebranding". www.telegeography.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  29. ↑ "Wataniya rebrands as Ooredoo - Haveeru Videos". Haveeru Online. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  30. ↑ "Indosat: About Us".
  31. ↑ "Exclusive: Ooredoo CEO Dr.Nasser Marafih On Rebranding, Taxes And 2022 World Cup | Gulf Business". Gulf Business. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  32. ↑ "Full list of Capacity Global Carrier Awards 2013 winners". www.capacitymedia.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  33. ↑ "World Communication Awards 2013 - The Winners". Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  34. ↑ "Ooredoo Receives Major Awards from CommsMEA". www.enterprisechannelsmea.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  35. ↑ "Error Page". Gulf-Times. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  36. ↑ "MBAPF, Ooredoo Launch "Beyond Access" Program". Myanmar Business Today. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  37. ↑ "Myanmar Wins Women's Empowerment Award".
  38. ↑ Reports, Gulf News Journal. "Ooredoo takes grand prize at International Business Awards". gulfnewsjournal.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  39. ↑ "United Nations 2016: 17 Goals to Transform Our World". United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  40. 1 2 "Error Page". Gulf-Times. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  41. ↑ Barton, James. "Ooredoo Launches New Wave Of Mobile Health Clinics in Indonesia - Developing Telecoms". Developing Telecoms. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  42. ↑ "Ooredoo & Facebook Partner to Launch Free Internet Services in the Maldives". Reuters UK. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  43. ↑ Russell, Jon. "Rocket Internet Doubles Down On Asia With Aggressive New Launch Strategy". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  44. ↑ "Telefonica, Ooredoo announce strategic partnership". www.telecompaper.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  45. ↑ "Ooredoo Joins MIT Media Lab for ICT Innovation". Myanmar Business Today. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  46. ↑ Administrator, System. "Messi becomes brand ambassador for ‘Ooredoo’". Emirates 24|7. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  47. 1 2 "Ooredoo celebrates World Cup success". Gulf-Times. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  48. ↑ "PSG sign major sponsorship deal with Ooredoo - Sports Sponsorship news - Soccer Europe - SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  49. 1 2 Ooredoo. "Ooredoo Launches 'Fans Do Wonders' Global Campaign with Paris Saint-Germain". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  50. ↑ "Ooredoo extends coaching clinic with Paris Saint-Germain Academy - Kuwait Times". Kuwait Times. Retrieved 2016-02-09.

External links

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