MyAdhan Blog

Link: Bahrain: Zain to link Saudi Arabia with several countries

Zain Bahrain, which enjoys a 40 percent market share of the mobile market in Bahrain, is seeking to enhance its market share in mobile, voice, data and WiMax services in 2008 and beyond, a top official at Zain Bahrain said yesterday. Mohammed Zainalabedin, general manager, Zain Bahrain, in his maiden media briefing after taking over from Ahmed Al-Shatti as a country head, said that Zain Bahrain was the first Greenfield operation from the Zain Group outside Kuwait, the headquarters of the mother company MTC. Zain Group was first in the world to launch the “borderless mobile telephony” by linking Bahrain, Jordan, Sudan and Iraq through an integrated system called the One Network. “This is one of the most technologically advanced services linking the cross-border consumers of Zain at incredible prices. One Network is the world’s first borderless mobile communications network which is becoming a major attraction not only to Bahrainis but also to over 13.5 million other Zain customers in Iraq, Jordan and Sudan and shortly the service will be made available in Saudi Arabia. One Network enables consumers to top-up their mobile phone credits with locally purchased scratch cards from 200,000 points of sales.” Reacting to the third mobile operator’s license to be issued by TRA in Bahrain by year’s end Zainalabedin said that it would bring more competition to the existing market. Zain Bahrain, he said, is known as jewel within Zain Group and will continue to serve as a vital pillar for the entire group. Zain Bahrain is keen on an IPO, for which he said company consultants have been working over the last few months. He also mentioned that Zain Bahrain would be listed on the Bahrain Stock Exchange as part of the strategy. Highlighting the salient features of the Bahraini market, he said: “With 40 percent of the market share we are on the path of a continuous growth customer base and average revenue per user at the end of the first quarter stood at $30, which is amongst the highest in Zain Group.”