Zimbabwe mobile operator Telecel has denied a report by the telecom regulator that the company lost 375,000 customers in the first three months of this year.

A routine statistics update from the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) gave the subscriber figures for the three mobile networks as: Econet – 6.4 million, NetOne – 1.6 million, and Telecel – 1.5 million.

However, Telecel said that its active customer base was 1.8 million at the end of March, which would put it at the same level as the figure for the end of 2011.

In a statement though, Telecel’s managing director John Swaim said that the company had gained customers, when in fact, based on their own figures, the customer base seems to have been flat over the three month period.

According to POTRAZ, Econet added 714,000 subscribers during the course of the first quarter while NetOne added 144,000 users.

Virgin Group and regional mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Friendi Group today announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement for the Middle East and Africa. Subject to local authority clearances, the two groups will merge their regional telecom operations to create a combined entity to be called Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa (VMMEA), which will develop and operate mobile telecommunications businesses across the region.

Virgin Group operates Virgin Mobile-branded MVNOs across eight countries including South Africa, and the agreement with Friendi Group will see Virgin Group become the single largest shareholder in the combined VMMEA entity, having contributed its stake in its South African entity, Virgin Mobile South Africa, and some cash to the new entity. Virgin Group will hold a large minority stake in VMMEA upon completion of the transaction.

Left – Mikkel Vinter, founder and CEO of Friendi Group, right – Richard Branson, founder and CEO of Virgin Group

Virgin Mobile South Africa was launched in 2006 as a 50:50 joint venture between the Virgin Group and local mobile operator, Cell C.

In February 2011, Cell C sold its stake, with Virgin Group picking up an additional five per cent and Calico Investments of the Bahamas acquiring the remaining 45 per cent. Virgin Mobile South Africa counts approximately 400,000 active subscribers.

Friendi Group operates MVNOs in Oman and Jordan, and a ‘B-brand’ channel in Saudi Arabia, and has always expressed interest in advancing across the region since its launch in 2006. Friendi Group’s founder and CEO Mikkel Vinter will lead the newly established VMMEA, which will be headquartered in Dubai.

“We are obviously pleased to have reached this agreement with Virgin Group, which I believe comes at an opportunistic time with respect to the development of MVNOs in our region,” Vinter told Comm. exclusively. “With large markets such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt moving towards the implementation of MVNOs this is a fantastic time for the region’s most recognised and experienced players to come together and offer the best services available.”

Vinter said the current operational entities under VMMEA shall maintain their respective brand names, though going forward; either or both brands may be used in a new market, depending on the demographic being targeted.

Virgin Group has attempted to operate in the Middle East previously, having launched Virgin Mobile branded services in partnership with Qtel in Qatar in 2010. Within 18 months of launch the service was disbanded on instruction of the telecom regulator in Qatar, on the grounds that Virgin Mobile was not licensed to provide reseller services in the country.

Airtel, the largest telecom network in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reconfirmed that more than US$1 billion has already been invested in the network over the years, and the operator plans to invest a further US$ 615 million over the next three years.

Airtel’s network covers 60 per cent of the Congolese population and the company has also expressed willingness to take up a 25 per cent participation of a company to be established to manage the optical fibre network in the country.

Vodafone has unveiled a new self-branded budget smartphone, which it claims “offers an unprecedented combination of high performance and low cost in a package attractive to the large majority of consumers currently missing out on the smartphone revolution.”

The Vodafone Smart II will launch initially in the UK costing £70 (US$108), and will be launched in other Vodafone markets and partner markets this summer priced under €99 (US$123).

The Android-based device has a HGVA capacitive touchscreen, a 3.2MP camera, an 832MHz processor and 512MB of RAM – a feature set that would have made the device a high-end smartphone three years ago, the operator claims.

"The Smart II is one of the most important devices we have ever introduced," said Patrick Chomet, Vodafone’s Group Terminals Director. "We believe the Smart II could represent a tipping point in the evolution of the market, bringing a new wave of consumers to the supermobile world for the first time."

Qtel and United Development Company (UDC), master developer of The Pearl-Qatar, today signed an agreement that will see Qtel acquire the full communications infrastructure of The Pearl-Qatar, which was previously wholly-owned by UDC.

Qtel will own and operate the network, enabling residents to enjoy voice, high-speed broadband Internet and Mozaic TV entertainment services in their homes and offices.

The Pearl-Qatar is an urban development in Doha. It incorporates private and modern living on an Island spanning over four million square-metres of land, offering a tailored range of residential solutions. Developed by UDC, the island is located 350 metres offshore of Doha’s prestigious West Bay District and is one of the largest real-estate developments in the Gulf.