In the highly evolving and dynamic market of Bahrain, innovation, excellence and efficiency remained the core focus of Batelco. The telco cemented its leadership with great offers and extensive customer care. Rashid Abdulla, CEO of Batelco Bahrain, talks to Telecom Review about the telco's latest developments.

What will be your main focus for Batelco Bahrain this year?

Batelco has a number of projects due for completion this year and expects to grow as it solidifies its position as Bahrain's leading integrated communications company.

The company was the first operator to launch LTE in Bahrain early 2013 and due to finish the complete roll out of LTE networks across the Kingdom of Bahrain, bringing the latest standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals to the residents of Bahrain. Indoor coverage and mobile broadband off loading also remains a key focus.

You witnessed strong competition in the Bahraini market yet you remained the leading operator. What makes Batelco the strongest player?

Batelco is the only provider delivering full integrated solutions. We can meet almost all ICT needs of the consumer or business sector and this gives us the edge in the local market.

Additionally, Batelco has a great reputation for the reliability and quality of its products and services including international services back-up with high availabilities and redundancies. We have a regional reputation for our excellent call center and service management center for the business sector.

The traditional business model for operators has changed.

Where do you see the growth opportunities for Batelco Bahrain today?

We see the growth of data, mobility and broadband as being the future of the telecom industry; accordingly, the growth of these sectors forms a key part of our strategy and Batelco has pledged a large chunk of its capital expenditure to their development. The data, broadband and mobility sectors are booming, driven by the dynamically evolving needs of consumers and businesses. Furthermore, we are relentless in our commitment to develop the infrastructure to handle future services that will meet customers' growing sophisticated needs.

Batelco is constantly enhancing its mobile broadband network. In your opinion, will mobile broadband continue to drive the telecom sector evolution?

Yes, we believe this is the way of the future for the telecom industry. Broadband mobility is becoming more commonplace and is considered a necessity by many, whereas once it was considered a luxury. Everyone at all levels of society these days, regardless of their income bracket, strives to have access to mobility, and the demand to cater to all requirements and budgets will certainly inspire operators to develop packages that offer great value and great products.

Batelco was the first to launch LTE in the Kingdom. What are your latest LTE offerings (speeds, coverage, frequencies...)?

Batelco was first to launch superfast 4G LTE in the Kingdom of Bahrain and we followed this up by upgrading the service speed and throughputs, and furthermore, we extended 4G LTE mobile internet to prepaid customers, becoming the first Bahrain-based telco to offer the service for prepaid customers.

More recently, we have added another 'first' with the launch of LTE data roaming for our customers travelling in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, customers can choose from a number of great packages which feature top-of-the-line LTE enabled devices bundled with free calls, text messages and unlimited data at great value prices to suit their requirements and budgets.

To what extent do you invest in customer care support?

Customer care is naturally very high on Batelco's agenda and we are continuously reviewing our customer relations services and improving our end-to-end KPI's. In line with our commitment, investment in Business Support Systems such as CRM will remain high on our agenda for the next two years.

Also, Batelco recently opened a state-of-the-art new call center at Batelco's headquarters in Hamala. The center features a new customised call centre solution which has been designed and developed to enhance the experience for customers dealing with the center. The center, which is the largest in Bahrain, is operational 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

The Ministry of State for Communications and Batelco has recently signed a MoU to explore the opportunity of building a National Broadband Network using Batelco's network capabilities. What can you tell us about this MoU and your fiber network?

We were recently delighted to sign the MoU with the Ministry of State for Communications, representing the government, to explore the opportunity of building a National Broadband Network using Batelco's network capabilities. We are enthusiastic to lead the rollout of fiber optic broadband across the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Today, Batelco has more than 25,000 fiber-to-home-points, and we have many households eager to get connected, but we are awaiting the final agreement outcome with the Ministry of Communication to continue this wonderful journey that will add great value to the Kingdom of Bahrain with such state-of-the-art technology infrastructure.

How do you look at the position of the Bahraini telecom sector in the region (weaknesses and positive points)?

Physically, Bahrain is an island and a much smaller geography and population than other GCC states. The competitive nature of the business in Bahrain drives innovation and ensures we are always on our toes, investing and striving to be one step ahead, not only to be first to deliver new services, but also to ensure that what we deliver is reliable and good value for money. This is a definite plus for customers who benefit from a great choice of communications packages at relatively low prices.

On a regional front, we compete against much larger operations for international business with borderless geographic boundaries. It's tough, but we feel proud that our reputation combined with our know-how and wide range of services sees us selected by major multi-national companies as their provider of choice.

Does the Bahraini market have room for a new operator?

The local market is already very saturated. In Bahrain we operate in a very competitive environment with two other major mobile providers and 13 internet providers. According to Bahrain's telecommunications regulator, the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA), the mobile market penetration had reached 182 percent by the end of 2013. Almost everyone has a smartphone and it is common for many to have more than one cell phone from different service providers.

What is next for Batelco Bahrain?

Along with the continuous development and growth of our main products and services, Batelco is also striving to be the leader in mobile commerce, cloud applications, fiber optic broadband and more.

For example, along with mobile and broadband offerings, the company aims to provide advance surveillance and security services and other features in a bundled package to add value to enhance customers' satisfaction and loyalty.

Along with this, Batelco has serious plans for adjacent services including a mobile commerce platform and cloud computing platform in partnership with major players and vendors for such applications.

© Telecom Review 2014