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VIVA Bahrain Signs Partnership Agreement with Manchester United

Manama, Bahrain - June 3^rd, 2010: VIVA Bahrain and Manchester United signed a partnership agreement yesterday that will enable the company's customers to benefit from a host of unique and exclusive services.

The signing ceremony, which took place at the Royal Golf Club in Riffa, was attended by a number of senior officials from both sides and a large contingent of media.

Alongside the signing, professional coaches from the club ran a football skills mini-workshop for 33 selected VIVA subscribes and the attending media.

The agreement is in line with VIVA 's aims of enhancing and refining the skills of young football enthusiasts in Bahrain and developing local sports by bringing in international expertise, and offering new and exceptional benefits to its customers.

Through VIVA , Manchester United fans can stay in touch with the club through a constant feed of the club's latest news and mobile content such as wallpapers, ringtones, picture messages and video highlights. In addition, they can win valuable memorabilia signed by Manchester United stars.

VIVA subscribers will also have the chance to win tickets to watch the team's matches and experience the joy of cheering on the team alongside its fans at Old Trafford.

"I am proud to announce our partnership with this prestigious football club," said VIVA CEO Ibrahim Al Omar. "Throughout its glorious 132 year history, Manchester United established itself as one of the world's most successful football clubs and inspired fans and football lovers worldwide."

"This partnership between VIVA and Manchester United delivers on our promise to offer our customers the best and most innovative services and products," he added.

In his speech, Manchester United Commercial Director Richard Arnold said he was extremely pleased that VIVA and its customers have joined the club's family of partners, saying, "The enormous popularity Manchester United enjoys in the Middle East made me feel as if I am at my second home."

"The mobile phone industry sits on the cutting edge of technological development," said Arnold. " VIVA has some truly innovative ideas for communication with the fans of the club, providing an exclusive collection of Manchester United-related contents directly to VIVA subscribers.

Arnold further remarked that Manchester United fans around the world are estimated at 333 million, 14 million of whom are in the Middle East. This, he said, encouraged the club to launch an Arabic version of its official website manutd.com, which currently receives more than half a million unique visitors per month.

Sir Bobby Charlton, former Manchester United player and legend, expressed his delight in the signing of the partnership with VIVA Bahrain , noting the "great successes the company made over a short period of time."

"We are proud of the partnership with VIVA Bahrain and glad to be here in the kingdom to help youth in Bahrain develop their football skills and support local sports," he said in his speech.

The partnership between VIVA and Manchester United is one of the company's flagship initiatives, offering its customers a variety of new and innovative choices to always stay in touch.

-Ends-

About VIVA
The Saudi Telecommunication Group provides integrated mobile, fixed and broadband communications services to over 126 million subscribers in 10 markets including Saudi Arabia. Headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Telecom Company (STC) is the largest telecommunications company by market capitalization, total revenue and number of employees in the Arab State region. Strong leadership coupled with strategic investments have increased shareholder value and enabled STC to provide 98% coverage and the introduction of new products and services (3G, 3.5G, LTE, Blackberry, IPTV, MMS) in Saudi Arabia while successfully expanding into foreign markets (Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, India, South Africa, Turkey, Malaysia, Lebanon, and Jordan). STC has also been recognized as an industry top performer by winning prestigious awards such as the King Abdul Aziz Quality Award, Transparency Award for Saudi Stock Companies and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has assigned STC strong (A+) and (A1) ratings to making STC the first telecom company in the region to attain this strong rating, and one of the top five rated telecom companies in the world. With a very strong balance sheet, modern network facilities, a customer centric organization and a committed work force, STC will continue to grow and expand both locally and internationally.

In March 2009, STC Group attained the 3rd Mobile Operation license in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This led to the launch of Viva, the new telecom company in Bahrain, on March 3rd, 2010. Viva brings a fresh approach in Bahrain pushing towards the best customer experience, keeping its customers engaged and informed while undertaking a strategic dedication towards the development of Bahrain's telecom infrastructure and keeping a true commitment towards the community with highly developed CSR programs and advanced transparent processes as it engages its strategy with Bahrain's 2030 Vision.

For more information, please visit www.viva.com.bh
Or call +973 33 124 124

For further information, please contact
VIVA
Hussain Rasool
Tel:+973 33 012346
Email: hrasool@viva.com.bh

Hill & Knowlton
Hassan Aljundi
Tel: +973 17 533532
Fax: +973 17 533370
Email: Hassan.aljundi@hillandknowlton.com

© Press Release 2010