Zain wins Global Telecoms Business innovation award with 'One Network'

The announcement was made today at the Global Telecoms Business Awards in London.

The ground breaking 'One Network' service reduces the cost of making telephone calls by allowing customers to communicate freely across geographical borders and continents without roaming call surcharges and without having to pay to receive incoming calls wherever they travel in the 16 countries that currently participate in Zain's One Network.

In addition the customers are able to top up their prepaid accounts with airtime purchased from more than 1 million sales outlets in any of the countries in which One Network is operational.

Originally launched by Zain in September 2006 to its customers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, the service was extended to a further nine African countries Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan and more recently to Zain's Middle East operations in Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia meaning that up to 500 million people in Zain's markets stretching from Manama in Bahrain to Freetown in Sierra Leone can be treated as 'local' customers should they have a Zain mobile line.

One Network has transformed the mobile industry worldwide and millions of Zain customers have already used this service.

In acknowledgement, Zain CEO Dr Saad Al Barrak said:

"This award is testament to the considerable investment and commitment to a project that connects customers across the many countries in which Zain operates. The GTB Innovation Award also honours those whose hard work has gone into the One Network initiative, which delivers on our promise to provide unique and innovative products and services for Zain customers."

One Network helps families and friends stay connected wherever they are in the Zain One Network world.

It also helps communities develop and economies expand by making communications easier and more affordable for people to keep in touch, supporting cross-continent trade and enterprise.

"This is the essence of the Zain brand promise to create 'A wonderful world' " commented Dr Al Barrak.

He further added "One Network helps fulfill our promise to deliver to our customers a unique and rewarding Zain brand experience through the products and services we offer. The attractiveness of and continual expansion of the 'One Network' will play a key role in Zain attaining its year 2011 targets of attaining 150 million customers and being a top-ten global mobile operator".

The One Network service has revolutionized and replaced traditional methods of international roaming.

The service is automatically activated upon crossing the geographic border of the countries, with no prior registration or sign-up fee required.

Pre-paid customers can also top up their phones with recharge cards bought from either their home country or more than one million outlets available across the One Network countries.

The airtime topped up can be added to and used in any of the One Network countries.

Zain customers continue to have access to all of their home country services (Voicemail, Customer Care, SMS content, etc) no matter which One Network country they are in.

They can make free calls to their Customer Care service via home network short codes where they can speak to a service agent in their own dialect.

"The One Network offer is not built around pricing but around simplicity and user friendliness leveraging our cross country networks," explained George Held, One Network Program Director and architect of the service who received the award on behalf of Zain.

Dr Al Barrak concluded: "We acknowledge the co-operation and support we have had from the many telecoms regulatory and ministerial bodies within the One Network countries who have demonstrated understanding, foresight and a willingness to work with us to bring this remarkable service - and its many personal and commercial benefits - to the people of the Africa and Middle East."

Zain plans to roll-out One Network in all its operations, subject to regulatory approvals.