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22 August 2015
Jeddah: The Saudi mobile industry holds bright prospects due to the visionary and pragmatic leadership of the Communications and Information Technology Commission.
In fact, Saudi Arabia was the first with important innovations, from opening up to competition, to number portability and now licensing mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), says Karim Benkirane, CEO of Virgin Mobile.
What's more, Saudi Arabia is one of the most connected societies in the world with one of the highest smartphone penetration rates alongside all other Internet enabled devices. Two-thirds of people have more than one Internet enabled mobile devices. People in Saudi Arabia love talking, but even more they love social media and video. Data penetration rates will only continue to increase, more than expected. People care about the mobile phone and they want it to be better, Benkirane told Arab News in an interview.
He said Virgin Mobile ensured that the company's every starter pack comes with three SIMs -- one for voice and data, and two data-only SIMs. "That allows our members to manage all their mobile needs on one account - no more multiple plans, or buying a new data SIM every time data runs out because it is too difficult to recharge.
Over 30 percent of the subscribers have activated more than one SIM, simplifying the way they use and manage their account, he said, adding that the mobile phone is also an important part of youth culture, whether that is Snapchat, YouTube, or talking to friends. "We want to be part of and encourage Saudi youth culture. Our Virgin Mobile Creative Collective, which is made up of youth culture pioneers, enables us to do just that."
He added that after being licensed to operate across the Kingdom in 2013, Virgin Mobile Saudi Arabia launched its service in November 2014, "thus becoming the first of a new type of mobile company revolutionizing the Saudi telecommunications market."
Benkirane said: "We opened up our innovative number booking service even before we launched. Since then, we have been signing up members and delightfully surprising them with great service, offers and experience. We now have a network of Virgin Mobile stores, and our product is available throughout the country with retailers from Carrefour to Othaim. Also, we have a great young team and we are all working hard to make mobile better."
Claiming Virgin Mobile's number booking service is innovative, he said: "Rather than selecting from a handful of SIMs in a store, prospective members at Virgin Mobile can choose from a million 0570 numbers on our website. We did this because numbers matter to people. In fact, from research we have done, well over half of people in Saudi Arabia believe that numbers have special meanings."
Over four in 10 people want to choose their mobile phone number. Over 25,000 people look at the company's number booking website every day.
He said he believes that Saudi Arabia's next generation mobile service can only be created by the current generation of talented Saudi youth. "So we started by recruiting the best young people we could. We found them through an innovative social media recruitment campaign. Over 70,000 people responded with applications, which was a great result and enabled us to pick the best people," Benkirane said.
Asked whether Virgin Mobile has its own infrastructure across the Kingdom, Benkirane stated that Virgin Mobile is the first of a new type of mobile phone company in Saudi Arabia, called a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). "MVNOs have revolutionized the telecoms markets in many countries in Europe, North America and Asia, bringing more competition.
This is good for consumers, and for society as a modern economy depends on effective telecommunications.
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is leading the way by licensing MVNOs such as Virgin Mobile."
The Communications and Information Technology Commission has been visionary in its management of the industry for many years, so it is not surprising that Saudi Arabia is doing this first, Benkirane said, adding that MVNOs buy wholesale access to existing infrastructure. "In our case this is through STC's network. That means we are able to focus all our work at Virgin Mobile on developing the best possible products and experience for our customers."
Virgin Mobile is one of the world leaders in this type of mobile phone service, Benkirane said. Saudi Arabia was the 12th country in which Virgin Mobile marked its launch and it claims to have pioneered the industry in the UK back in 1999.
Virgin Mobile is also part of the Virgin Group, which is one of the coolest on the planet. That means it offer amazing experiences, like the trip to Sir Richard Branson's private Caribbean Island, which it gave away to a member earlier this year.
"We have designed Virgin Mobile for the young and the young-at-heart. Our team is made up of young people, and we have spent a lot of time understanding how young people live and use mobile. The first thing is young people use mobile a lot. One-in-four people use their mobiles for over eight hours a day and on average people use other devices like tablets for three hours a day."
Benkirane added that Virgin Mobile's social media communities have become some of the fastest growing in Saudi Arabia. It has 350,000 likes on Facebook and 133,000 followers on Twitter.
Social media is also a great way to provide excellent customer service. "You can post a service question to us on social media and we will always reply within 20 minutes."
Asked how Virgin Mobile would compete with other telecom service providers in the Kingdom, Benkirane said: "We have great respect for our competitors. Competition is good for consumers, which means that everyone gets better. That can only be a good thing for people. We also think it is good for society because excellent telecommunications is the foundation of a modern efficient economy. Fair and straight-up pricing, heartfelt service, and a great customer experience are the core of our business philosophy."
Jeddah: The Saudi mobile industry holds bright prospects due to the visionary and pragmatic leadership of the Communications and Information Technology Commission.
In fact, Saudi Arabia was the first with important innovations, from opening up to competition, to number portability and now licensing mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), says Karim Benkirane, CEO of Virgin Mobile.
What's more, Saudi Arabia is one of the most connected societies in the world with one of the highest smartphone penetration rates alongside all other Internet enabled devices. Two-thirds of people have more than one Internet enabled mobile devices. People in Saudi Arabia love talking, but even more they love social media and video. Data penetration rates will only continue to increase, more than expected. People care about the mobile phone and they want it to be better, Benkirane told Arab News in an interview.
He said Virgin Mobile ensured that the company's every starter pack comes with three SIMs -- one for voice and data, and two data-only SIMs. "That allows our members to manage all their mobile needs on one account - no more multiple plans, or buying a new data SIM every time data runs out because it is too difficult to recharge.
Over 30 percent of the subscribers have activated more than one SIM, simplifying the way they use and manage their account, he said, adding that the mobile phone is also an important part of youth culture, whether that is Snapchat, YouTube, or talking to friends. "We want to be part of and encourage Saudi youth culture. Our Virgin Mobile Creative Collective, which is made up of youth culture pioneers, enables us to do just that."
He added that after being licensed to operate across the Kingdom in 2013, Virgin Mobile Saudi Arabia launched its service in November 2014, "thus becoming the first of a new type of mobile company revolutionizing the Saudi telecommunications market."
Benkirane said: "We opened up our innovative number booking service even before we launched. Since then, we have been signing up members and delightfully surprising them with great service, offers and experience. We now have a network of Virgin Mobile stores, and our product is available throughout the country with retailers from Carrefour to Othaim. Also, we have a great young team and we are all working hard to make mobile better."
Claiming Virgin Mobile's number booking service is innovative, he said: "Rather than selecting from a handful of SIMs in a store, prospective members at Virgin Mobile can choose from a million 0570 numbers on our website. We did this because numbers matter to people. In fact, from research we have done, well over half of people in Saudi Arabia believe that numbers have special meanings."
Over four in 10 people want to choose their mobile phone number. Over 25,000 people look at the company's number booking website every day.
He said he believes that Saudi Arabia's next generation mobile service can only be created by the current generation of talented Saudi youth. "So we started by recruiting the best young people we could. We found them through an innovative social media recruitment campaign. Over 70,000 people responded with applications, which was a great result and enabled us to pick the best people," Benkirane said.
Asked whether Virgin Mobile has its own infrastructure across the Kingdom, Benkirane stated that Virgin Mobile is the first of a new type of mobile phone company in Saudi Arabia, called a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). "MVNOs have revolutionized the telecoms markets in many countries in Europe, North America and Asia, bringing more competition.
This is good for consumers, and for society as a modern economy depends on effective telecommunications.
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is leading the way by licensing MVNOs such as Virgin Mobile."
The Communications and Information Technology Commission has been visionary in its management of the industry for many years, so it is not surprising that Saudi Arabia is doing this first, Benkirane said, adding that MVNOs buy wholesale access to existing infrastructure. "In our case this is through STC's network. That means we are able to focus all our work at Virgin Mobile on developing the best possible products and experience for our customers."
Virgin Mobile is one of the world leaders in this type of mobile phone service, Benkirane said. Saudi Arabia was the 12th country in which Virgin Mobile marked its launch and it claims to have pioneered the industry in the UK back in 1999.
Virgin Mobile is also part of the Virgin Group, which is one of the coolest on the planet. That means it offer amazing experiences, like the trip to Sir Richard Branson's private Caribbean Island, which it gave away to a member earlier this year.
"We have designed Virgin Mobile for the young and the young-at-heart. Our team is made up of young people, and we have spent a lot of time understanding how young people live and use mobile. The first thing is young people use mobile a lot. One-in-four people use their mobiles for over eight hours a day and on average people use other devices like tablets for three hours a day."
Benkirane added that Virgin Mobile's social media communities have become some of the fastest growing in Saudi Arabia. It has 350,000 likes on Facebook and 133,000 followers on Twitter.
Social media is also a great way to provide excellent customer service. "You can post a service question to us on social media and we will always reply within 20 minutes."
Asked how Virgin Mobile would compete with other telecom service providers in the Kingdom, Benkirane said: "We have great respect for our competitors. Competition is good for consumers, which means that everyone gets better. That can only be a good thing for people. We also think it is good for society because excellent telecommunications is the foundation of a modern efficient economy. Fair and straight-up pricing, heartfelt service, and a great customer experience are the core of our business philosophy."
© Arab News 2015
