‘One Network’ linked across MEA as Celtel changes to Zain

As reported by Comm. late last month, on August 1 Zain Group, the mobile operator servicing over 50 million customers in 22 countries across the Middle East and Africa, announced it had re-branded its entire African operations from Celtel to Zain. The move coincides with the linking of ‘One Network’ across two continents.

Zain Group CEO, Al Barrak describes the synergies that will be driven under the single Zain banner

14 country operations across Africa immediately rebranded to Zain, namely: Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Zain will launch its mobile operation in Ghana later in 2008.

“By rebranding to Zain, we are bringing together our African and Middle East operations under a single, strong and unique identity. We believe the Zain brand provides an optimal platform upon which to build a top 100 global brand with the ultimate goal of better serving our customers,” commented Saad Al Barrak, Zain Group’s CEO at a press conference held in Nairobi. “It builds upon the success of our African operations and will propel the Zain Group towards becoming one of the top ten global mobile telecommunications companies by 2011.”

To mark the launch of its new identity across Africa, Zain also announced the creation of the world’s first cross-continental borderless network, extending and linking its ‘One Network’ service between Africa and the Middle East. The service will be available to 500 million people stretching from the west coast of Africa to the Middle East, covering an area larger than the US. One Network allows Zain customers affordable cross-border communications.