14-15 April in Kuwait

Kuwait April 7, 2014

Wataniya Telecom, member of Ooredoo Group, announced today it will be hosting the 39th GSM Arab World annual meeting, due to take place in Kuwait at the Sheraton Hotel, from the 14th to the 15th April, 2014. The move represents Wataniya's firm belief in supporting the organizations ongoing efforts to drive telecoms development and innovation in the area. The event is set to bring together leading representatives from across the telecom industry to discuss the future of mobile services in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Eng. Abdulaziz Fakhroo, GM & CEO of Wataniya Telecom and former chairman of GSM Arab World, commented: "Wataniya Telecom is pleased to host such an event in Kuwait for the second time. Back in December 2006, Wataniya hosted the 31st GSMAW meeting. Today, we are honored to host the 39th meeting as part of our commitment to bring the mobile ecosystem together from various representatives from the telecom sector aimed at adding value to our Arab region".

Fakhroo added "The region is a diverse and exciting market. The meeting always provides an excellent forum for the telecom industry in the Arab world to come together, share ideas and debate the future of mobile communications in the region. The GSMAW will provide valuable insight into how telecoms organizations can react and adapt to the future challenges and opportunities this changing market will carry along the way."

"The event is an excellent opportunity for operators to meet with each other and with our partners from the Arab world, shedding light upon the new horizons, the latest developments as well as the recent challenges in the dynamic world of telecommunications." Fakhroo concluded.

Ziad Al-Hassoun, Chairman of the  GSMAW, said "We are delighted that Wataniya Telecom will host the 39th GSM Arab World meeting. Wataniya's support and participation in regional events is acknowledged and appreciated. In this meeting, experts from the Arab operators and the GSM Association will speak and participate in panel discussions".

The GSMAW is one of the GSM Association's six Regional Interest Groups (RIGs) in which the mobile industry can address issues relevant to particular geographies.

Al-Hassoun added "Our goal in this meeting is to stand together as Arab operators and members of the telecom sector to discuss our industry's future challenges, and to debate the right approach to overcome these challenges."  

The MENA market comprises a mixture of high-income countries with relatively mature telecoms markets, and countries that are experiencing strong growth. While mobile voice services continue to be an important revenue stream, in recent years, operators have been shifting their strategies to focus on driving demand for mobile data services. Some of the key focuses at GSM Arab World #39 will be the LTE Roaming, the regulatory landscape in the Arab States as well as identifying opportunities for social and economic impact and stimulate the development of scalable, life-enhancing mobile services like mHealth and mMoney.

For more information on the event please visit: www.gsma39.com

-Ends-

About the GSM Association 
The GSM Association represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSM Association unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators with more than 230 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organizations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities.

About GSM Arab World
Representing more than 20 operators in the Arab region, GSM Arab World promotes and facilitates the development of GSM-based services, seeks to enhance investments in network infrastructure and aims to drives innovation, growth and expand consumer choice. GSM Arab World runs a web site designed to help consumers compare roaming tariffs in the Arab region.  

The GSM Association's Regional Interest Groups (RIGs) provide forums in which the mobile industry can discuss and address issues that are specific to particular regions or the regional angle on global issues. GSM Arab World #38 will follow 37 previous successful summits in the region. The GSM Association has Regional Interest Groups in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Arab World, Africa and North America.

About Wataniya Telecom:
Commercially launched in December 1999, the Company's share price as of 31 December, 2013 was KD 1.76, giving a market valuation for NMTC (Wataniya Telecom) of KD 0.89 Billion (USD 3.1 Billion).

For more information about Wataniya Telecom, please visit www.wataniya.com,
or follow them on Twitter www.twitter.com/wataniyatelecom,
or check latest updates on www.facebook.com/wataniya
or get the latest news on Wataniya's blog, www.wataniya.com/blog
or Instagram @wataniyatelecom

About Ooredoo:
Ooredoo is a leading international communications company delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate East managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses across markets in the Middle, North Africa and Southeast Asia. As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people's lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential. Ooredoo has a presence in markets such as Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestine, the Maldives and Indonesia. The company was named "Best Mobile Operator of the Year" at the World Communication Awards 2013.The company reported revenues of $ 9.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2013 and had a consolidated global customer base of more than 95 million people as of 31 December 2013. Ooredoo's shares are listed on the Qatar Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. 

Twitter: @Ooredoo
Facebook: facebook.com/ooredoogroup
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ooredoo
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ooredoogroup

© Press Release 2014