MyAdhan Blog

Link: Qatar: SMS-based service soon to ensure mail delivery

A new SMS-based, 24X7 modern postal service is likely to be introduced in Qatar by next year. George Scott-Campbell, director of IT Services at General Postal Corporation (Q-Post), told Gulf Times that the service, Q-Post24, would end the problem of people not getting mail sent to their office P O Box address. Subscribers to the service would be notified through a text message when a mail or parcel reached the post office, he said. The service would have outdoor lockers at supermarkets, petrol stations and similar places. Q-Post had already sold advertising space on the giant boxes. The boxes can be accessed by an electronic card. The parcel will have a PIN number, which will be sent through SMS. Using the card and the PIN, the locker bins can be opened and the parcel collected. Scott-Campbell said a Gulf company wanted to supply the hardware for the service, which was originally developed in Britain as a business-to-business service known as ParcelXchange. According to the manufacturers, ParcelExchange is a cost-effective and sustainable solution for the ‘last mile’ in the delivery process. l More than 2,000 delegates from 191 countries are expected to participate in the 25th congress of the Universal Postal Union, to be held in Doha in 2012. Yesterday, Qatargas offered “financial support” for the conference at a meeting attended by Ali Mohamed Ali al-Ali, chairman and general manager of the General Postal Corporation, Q-Post official Ali Kubaisi, and Qatargas chief operating officer (administration) Ghanim M al-Kuwari. The UPU congress, held once in four years, formulates strategies and policies of world postal services for the following four years. Established in 1874, the UPU has its headquarters in Berne, Switzerland. It is the primary forum for co-operation between postal-sector players and helps to ensure a universal network of up-to-date products and services. atar was elected to the UPU’s 41-member Council of Administrators (CA) at the last congress held in Geneva. It was also chosen as vice chair of the CA of Asia. Qatar would therefore be involved in formulating policies and strategies for the next four years, Scott-Campbell said. Despite the growing popularity of telecommunication and electronic media the volume of letters in Qatar was still growing by 2% to 3% annually, he said.