Muscat, APRIL 9 - Omani Qatari Telecommunications Companv SAOG (Ooredoo) says it has inked a deal with mobile reseller FRiENDi Mobile that would effectively boost its customer base by 21 per cent. The mobile operator said in a filing to the Muscat Securities Market (MSM) that it has signed an agreement with FRiENDi Mobile (Connect Arabia LLC), part of the Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa group, to provide mobile services to FRiENDi customers.
“The Agreement enables the migration of FRiENDi Mobile customers to Ooredoo’s mobile network to benefit from Ooredoo’s leading 4G Supernet network, speed, high quality and coverage. The Agreement makes FRiENDi Ooredoo’s largest wholesale business customer in the Sultanate and increases Ooredoo’s customer base by 21 per cent which in turn will increase the revenue,” the operator stated. The agreement, which is valid for seven years, is subject to the approval of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), it added. Later in a press statement, Ooredoo said the migration of FRiENDi mobile’s subscribers to Ooredoo’s mobile network is scheduled to start during the first half of May 2019.
Ian Dench (pictured), Ooredoo Oman’s Chief Executive Officer said, “As the first and most successful Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in Oman, FRiENDi mobile has earned a strong reputation in providing competitive services and world-class customer care to its customers. We are delighted to be partnering with FRiENDi mobile. This agreement is a true testament to the industry-leading credentials of our 4G Supernet network.”
Salma al Maawali, Chief Executive Officer at FRiENDi mobile stated, “After having operated in the Omani market for exactly ten years this month, we are extremely excited to now partner with Ooredoo to bring our business to new heights. We are convinced that our customers will benefit from Ooredoo’s exceptional network coverage and speed, and we are looking forward to providing our customers with several amazing offers once we launch our services on Ooredoo’s network.”
Ooredoo’s customer base crossed the 3-million mark at the end of 2018 to reach a total of 3,013,688 subscribers, according to the operator’s Annual Report for 2018. The fixed service customer base increased by 24.5 per cent to 146,368 customers in Q4 2018 compared to 117,535 in the same period of 2017. The mobile post-paid customer base grew by 7.0 per cent to 237,523 customers compared with 222,040 customers in end of 2017.
The mobile pre-paid customer base for Q4 2018 decreased by 3.7 per cent to 2,629,797 compared to 2,732,069 for the same period of last year and the decrease was driven by the standardisation of welcome pack offers by the operators based on the guidance from the regulator, it said.
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