| FRiENDi mobile gets final approval |
MUSCAT FRiENDi mobile on Saturday (June 21) received the final license from Oman’s Ministry of Transport and Communication as a mobile re-seller. The company plans to launch mobile telephony services in the Sultanate later this year.
Mohamed Bin Yousuf Bin Alawi, chairman of FRiENDi mobile, Oman, said, “This is an exciting time for the residents of Oman. The government’s decisions towards further liberalising the telecom market and opening up for more service providers will mean that the consumers will see a variety of new services and better prices.”
“Because our technology allows us to use the existing networks, we will have an excellent coverage from day one. This approach will guarantee the quality of coverage, which, we believe, is the most important factor for any mobile user.”
After the initial approval for the licence was granted in January 2008, FRiENDi mobile has prepared for its Oman operations, said the company, which has its office in Al Khuwair. Antti Arponen, CEO of FRiENDi mobile, said, “Just as in other parts of the world, the arrival of FRiENDi mobile will shift the market from a one-size-fits-all principle to a segmented market approach, with new targeted propositions for specific groups of customers”.
“In Europe there are more than 200 mobile service providers which create a healthy and exciting market, and in turn lead to the consumers getting real service-related benefits,” added Arponen.
FRiENDi mobile’s management has broad cross-functional experience with high-profile regional and global mobile service providers. The company is financially backed by shareholders from Oman, the MENA region and other countries, the CEO said.
Arponen said, “For months we have had our international team of mobile experts working in our Oman office setting up the equipment, products, sales outlets, and refining the marketing activities.
Now that the final licence has been granted and our launch is nearing, we are also becoming a major employer looking for young, dynamic individuals in Oman to join us from the very start of our exciting journey. We are also fully committed to the government’s Omanisation plans, and will launch with a very high percentage of Omani employees,” he added.
FRiENDi mobile group is currently establishing operations in 16 countries across the MENA region, as what is known in the industry as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).
The MVNO operational model has delivered significant benefits to consumers, telecom operator partners and the economic welfare of countries around the world, said the company. Oman is the first country in the region to introduce the MVNO model in the mobile telecom sector, the company added.
Oman Tribune
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