24 February 2004
PARIS — Alcatel and Orascom Telecom will launch the first commercial GSM network in the central region of Iraq including Baghdad. The contract is part of the global agreement signed between Orascom Telecom and Alcatel, further enhancing their ongoing relationship in the Middle East and Africa.
The latest offspring of Egypt’s Orascom Group of Companies, Orascom Telecom with 10 licenses covering the region, has positioned itself as a leading telecommunications conglomerate in emerging markets of this region.
Starting with MobiNil in Egypt, Orascom Telecom continued to expand its network to cover Algeria, Tunisia, Pakistan, Congo, Chad, Zimbabwe, DRC, Ivory Coast, and just recently acquired Iraq.
The company’s subscriber base has continued to grow to reach over six million subscribers as a result of its aggressive strategy to be the primary GSM network operator in the region.
In the framework of the contract signed in September 2003 with Orascom Telecom, Alcatel is one of the major suppliers of this new Iraqi network. The first phase of the network installation started in October 2003. On Nov. 25, 2003, Alcatel succeeded in making the first phone call on the new network. Orascom Telecom is hoping to reach one million subscribers in the first two years.
The new network based on Alcatel’s Evolium solution, comprises a core Network Sub-System (NSS), including a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) as well as an Intelligent Network platform for value-added services and revenue-generating applications such as Voice Mail Service (VMS) and a Short Message Service Center (SMS-C).
Alcatel is responsible for installation and commissioning of the network in addition to supporting the network operations. The Alcatel Evolium family supports GSM, GPRS, EDGE and UMTS technologies that can integrate future 3G mobile data applications.
“Alcatel has proven to be a very flexible and supportive partner of Orascom Telecom,” said Naguib Sawiris, chairman of the board, Orascom Telecom. “With the full support of Alcatel we have been able to meet this new challenge and provide enhanced GSM services to the Iraqi people in record time.”
“This new contract reflects a significant milestone in our partnership with Orascom Telecom,” said Marc Rouanne, chief operating officer of Alcatel’s mobile communications activities. “Taking advantage of our deep knowledge of the Iraqi telecommunications industry, we are convinced that this cutting-edge network will contribute to help Iraqis accelerate the reconstruction of their country.” — M.Y.B.I.
PARIS — Alcatel and Orascom Telecom will launch the first commercial GSM network in the central region of Iraq including Baghdad. The contract is part of the global agreement signed between Orascom Telecom and Alcatel, further enhancing their ongoing relationship in the Middle East and Africa.
The latest offspring of Egypt’s Orascom Group of Companies, Orascom Telecom with 10 licenses covering the region, has positioned itself as a leading telecommunications conglomerate in emerging markets of this region.
Starting with MobiNil in Egypt, Orascom Telecom continued to expand its network to cover Algeria, Tunisia, Pakistan, Congo, Chad, Zimbabwe, DRC, Ivory Coast, and just recently acquired Iraq.
The company’s subscriber base has continued to grow to reach over six million subscribers as a result of its aggressive strategy to be the primary GSM network operator in the region.
In the framework of the contract signed in September 2003 with Orascom Telecom, Alcatel is one of the major suppliers of this new Iraqi network. The first phase of the network installation started in October 2003. On Nov. 25, 2003, Alcatel succeeded in making the first phone call on the new network. Orascom Telecom is hoping to reach one million subscribers in the first two years.
The new network based on Alcatel’s Evolium solution, comprises a core Network Sub-System (NSS), including a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) as well as an Intelligent Network platform for value-added services and revenue-generating applications such as Voice Mail Service (VMS) and a Short Message Service Center (SMS-C).
Alcatel is responsible for installation and commissioning of the network in addition to supporting the network operations. The Alcatel Evolium family supports GSM, GPRS, EDGE and UMTS technologies that can integrate future 3G mobile data applications.
“Alcatel has proven to be a very flexible and supportive partner of Orascom Telecom,” said Naguib Sawiris, chairman of the board, Orascom Telecom. “With the full support of Alcatel we have been able to meet this new challenge and provide enhanced GSM services to the Iraqi people in record time.”
“This new contract reflects a significant milestone in our partnership with Orascom Telecom,” said Marc Rouanne, chief operating officer of Alcatel’s mobile communications activities. “Taking advantage of our deep knowledge of the Iraqi telecommunications industry, we are convinced that this cutting-edge network will contribute to help Iraqis accelerate the reconstruction of their country.” — M.Y.B.I.
© Arab News 2004
