Zain Saudi Arabia recorded a net loss of SAR820 million (US$219 million) in Q309, down from the SAR857 million net loss recorded in Q209 but up 26 per cent from the SAR649 million net loss recorded in Q308, according to a statement on the Saudi stock exchange. Zain also said that the Saudi unit recorded revenues of SAR825 million in Q309, up 18 per cent quarter-on-quarter, and that its subscriber base now accounts for more than 15 per cent of the Saudi mobile market.

Omani MVNO Majan Telecom has made some adjustments in the local management structure so that Niklas Nielsen is no longer so involved in the local operation in Oman. He now rather focuses on developing new opportunities.

Majan Telecom, which operates under the brand name Renna in Oman, declared from the very beginning of its incorporation that it wanted to focus heavily on making a successful launch in Oman, and use this as a stepping-stone to expand regionally. Having launched commercial operations earlier this year, and enjoyed customer take-up beyond the company’s expectations, Majan Telecom felt confident to enter the next phase of its regional development.

Nielsen has thus handed over the role as CEO of the local operation in Oman to Joakim Klingefjord but will also maintain his role as CFO. Fredrik Nystrom will continue as CMO. This change in structure will enable Nielsen to develop new opportunities while keeping an eye on the business in Oman from the group level.

“The move goes very well in hand with the general opening up of the markets for MVNOs where we feel positive winds blowing with several operators having picked up their progression,” commented Nielsen. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the next signed MVNO agreement before summer next year,” he added.

Friendi Group, a pan-regional mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) has announced an equity investment by Oman based Dolphin International LLC and global top-10 venture capital firm ePlanet Ventures.

Dolphin International LLC is a privately owned Omani company established in 1985 that holds a diverse portfolio of investments in banking, infrastructure, education, healthcare, bio-technology, advertising, real estate, construction, surgical products and energy.

ePlanet Ventures is a venture capital company with 10 offices across Asia, North America and Europe. It has funded over 90 innovative high-growth companies worldwide, including landmark investments such as Baidu, Skype and Focus Media. ePlanet has already participated in an earlier round of funding in Friendi Group.

“We have raised this additional double-digit US dollar millions equity to further improve our financial readiness for launching multiple MVNO operations in quick succession across the region, now that we have validated the MVNO model in the region with the launch of our operation in Oman”, said Mikkel Vinter, founder and CEO of Friendi Group.

In the middle of June, Etihad Atheeb Telecom launched its Go fixed line service, thereby becoming the first of the new breed of licensed national fixed-line operators to do so. Go has rapidly rolled out its WiMAX network to four provinces in the kingdom and CEO Ahmad Sindi details the factors that give him optimism regarding his business moving forward

Ahmad Sindi would like to offer Saudi subscribers a range of offers and a quality of service they have not experienced elsewhere

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A deal that would herald the launch of a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in Jordan is imminent, according to Jordan Telecom Group’s chief strategy officer Philippe Vogeleer. Speaking to Comm., Vogeleer said there is a particular MVNO that has been able to make a business case for itself, and that Jordan Telecom is in advanced discussions with the party.

“Some MVNOs have launched services in the region, and a great deal of experience has been learnt from it, allowing mobile operators like us to see concretely the benefits of tying up with an MVNO,” Vogeleer said. “We saw one MVNO entering an agreement that targeted Indians in Oman and the MVNO was successful because it had the correct distribution method, establishing a call centre that speaks Hindi and not English. Frankly we don’t have time to develop these things in-house and we believe there is potential for these niches,” he added.

Philippe Vogeleer says MVNOs in the region have grown in experience and stature

Friendi Group and i2 were licensed by Jordan’s TRC about two years ago to introduce reseller services in the country, but the two companies have been unable to secure a commercial agreement with any of Jordan’s three GSM operators. One significant sticking point to reaching such an agreement is the lack of protection offered to network operators should they open their networks up to an MVNO. As the TRC’s position stands at the moment, should a network operator agree to allow one MVNO to operate on its network, it is required to offer other prospective licensed reseller players the same terms, with the onus being placed on the operator to justify not signing up an additional MVNO player.

While Vogeleer is negotiating with the prospective MVNO under a non-disclosure agreement and is thus unable to reveal the party’s identity or the nature of their negotiations, a process of elimination points to Friendi Group, the MVNO that operates in Oman and which in July announced the launch of a programme called Reach Out, allowing customers in Oman and those out of the country to make calls between India and Oman at competitive call rates.