JEDDAH, 17 October 2006 -- Mobily filed a complaint with the Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) yesterday against Saudi Telecom Company (STC) for using the name of one of its services and criticizing the company's national coverage.
The service in question, "Raqme" (My Number), allows STC mobile users to switch to Mobily while retaining the phone number they were using with STC.
An ad campaign kicked off by STC this week asks: "What is the use of Raqme without complete coverage?"
Mobily is contesting STC's use of the "Raqme" trademark. According to the law, the CITC must approve any direct references to competitors' services in advertising campaigns. "The CITC was not given prior notice of STC's new ad that uses the same logo and color that Mobily used in advertising for its 'Raqme' service," a Mobily source who preferred to remain anonymous told Arab News yesterday. The source said that it is obvious to anyone who sees the advertisement that STC is making a clear reference to Mobily's "Raqme" service.
"And how can the STC criticize Mobily's coverage when Mobily is using STC's towers for coverage. They are then criticizing their own coverage," the source added. "We cover all the cities, major villages and highways in the Kingdom," said Humoud Al-Ghobaini, Mobily public relations manager. "We use STC towers only for the far away villages."
STC, which provides mobile coverage for 96 percent of the Kingdom, said that their new ad also points out that customers can switch from Mobily to STC and keep their numbers.
"This ad was to show the services we provide," said Saad Zafir, STC media affairs and marketing manager. "The competition between us and Mobily is a fair one, and, after all, it's the survival of the fittest."
By Lulwa Shalhoub
© Arab News 2006
