Virgin Mobile and Jawraa Lebara awarded Saudi MVNO licences

Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa (VMMEA) today announced that the Communications and Information Technology Commission of Saudi Arabia (CITC) has approved the grant of a MVNO licence to the Virgin Mobile Saudi consortium.

The CITC started the MVNO licence application process in early 2013, and this process has now been concluded with the award of the licences.

VMMEA already serves over one million customers across its five operations, positioning the company as the undisputed leader in the MVNO sector in the Middle East and Africa region.

Following the award of the MVNO licence in Saudi Arabia, the VMMEA consortium is now poised for the commercial launch in Saudi Arabia that is expected during the first half of 2014.

VMMEA was one of three companies to win licences in January 2014. Five companies had bid for the Saudi MVNO licences, and along with VMMEA, Jawraa Lebara was a winning bidder, partnered by Mobily; while Dubai-based retailer Axiom Telecom was the winner of a third licence and will purchase capacity from Zain Saudi Arabia. VMMEA’s network provider partner is Saudi Telecom (STC).

Jawraa Lebara was also awarded its operational licence, though it is understood that Axiom Telecom has not been, apparently because the consortium has some issues with its shareholder structure.