Qtel Olympics portal wins gold for visitor numbers

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The site, which was launched following requests from local sports enthusiasts, provided a track-side view of one of the most exciting Olympic Games in living memory, offering a mix of news, medal tallies and the latest results.

Among the most popular areas on the portal were those dedicated to Qatar's squad of 22 athletes - the largest in the country's history - as well as the running news service.

Adel Al Mutawa, Executive Director of Group Communications, Qtel, said:

'People today use their phones for much more than conversation. This new generation of mobile phones enables people to access the latest news and entertainment, and Qtel continues to make the broadest variety of content available for our customers.'

Such a significant response for a bespoke portal service reflects both the intense interest generated by the XXIX Olympiad in Qatar, as well as the extent to which residents are now using GPRS and 3G-enabled mobile phones to access new content.

A recent report from the Arab Advisors Group, '3G Cellular Services in the Arab World,' positioned Qatar among the leading countries in the region for providing 3G cellular services.

Reflecting the strong interest in sport in Qatar, Qtel has extended its Unlimited Live TV service for Mozaic Mobile to include the Al Kaas Qatar sports channel.

Now, for as little as QR5 per day, customers can use 3G-enabled phones to access a range of English and Arabic channels, including Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English, The Cartoon Network and Al Kass.

'One of the major areas of interest for many customers is live coverage of sporting events and with the Al Kass sports channel via Mozaic Mobile, customers can follow live games wherever they are,' added Al Mutawa.

Customers can access Live TV from their mobiles by browsing wap.mozaic.qa and navigating to the Live TV section. Alternatively, customers can simply SMS the activation command to 2973 for a variety of packages.

As a special promotional offer, 3G mobile users will get their first day subscription for free. This allows customers to try the service and decide which package suits them best.