Arab Advisors Group conference aims at enhancing awareness of convergence trends

Notes and media contacts

About Arab Advisors Group's Media and Telecommunications Convergence Conference 2004 The conference is the ideal forum for discussions and debates on the convergence trends underway in the Arab media and telecom markets. The main sponsorships of such important regional operators like MTC and Fastlink is an indication of the high profile of the conference. The conference has an exhibition space in which over 10 regional companies in the media and telecoms industry have already reserved their places. Moreover, media and telecom operators attend the conference at no charge, while other delegates will receive comprehensive Arab Advisors Group reports as part of their registration fees.

28 visionary executives and industry leaders from regional and global companies and organizations will be presenting at the conference. Over 300 delegates are attending the conference to network, exchange ideas and discuss the future of the regional markets. Please refer to Arab Advisors group' web site for full conference schedule and details.

The conference has sponsorship opportunities and an exhibition floor for companies interested in showcasing their solutions and products. Moreover, delegates that register to attend the conference will receive their choice of one of Arab Advisors Group's published reports on the Arab World's media and telecom markets.

Please contact the Arab Advisors Group for more information on the conference program, speakers, sponsorship opportunities and attendance matters.

The Arab Advisors Group's team of analysts in the region has already produced more than 240 reports on the Arab World's communications and media markets. The reports can be purchased individually or received through an annual subscription to Arab Advisors Group's Strategic Research Services (Media and Telecom). To date, Arab Advisors Group has served more than 130 global and regional companies by providing reliable research analysis and forecasts of Arab communications markets to these clients.

About MTC:
MTC (Mobile Telecommunications Company) was established in 1983 as the first mobile telecoms company in the Middle East region. As a leading service provider in the region, MTC witnessed and was involved in many changes to the structure and form of services being offered to customers as it rose to meet the challenges of industry deregulation and competition in its home country of Kuwait. In 2001 the Government of Kuwait reduced its stake in the company from 49% to 25% and effectively opened the doors to a new era at MTC.

With a vision of moving from being a mobile telecoms provider in the Kuwait market to becoming a key regional operator and then to the international market, the MTC Board entered into a strategic marketing agreement with Vodafone in September 2002 and re-branded the Kuwait operation as MTC-Vodafone. As a Partner Network, MTC offers Vodafone and its Partners' customers' seamless access to Vodafone's international services when traveling in Kuwait; whilst MTC customers enjoy the benefits of Vodafone's existing services and its innovative service pipeline, enabling easy access and service delivery. The agreement was the first of its kind in the Middle East and has been followed closely with an agreement to work as a partnership on the second GSM license won by MTC-Vodafone in Bahrain.

In October 2003, MTC became the managing operator of the new company, Atheer Telecommunications, who won the license to provide a mobile telecoms network in the Southern region of Iraq.

In addition MTC bought 96.6% of Fastlink the leading mobile operator in Jordan.

Vodafone is the world's largest mobile community and has more than 300 million venture customers in 28 countries across 5 continents.

About Fastlink:
Jordan Mobile Telephone Services Company Ltd. "Fastlink", founded in 1995, was the first operator to introduce mobile phone services into Jordan. In just a few years, the company earned its reputation as the most progressive telecom operator in the region in terms of competitiveness and readiness to adopt new technologies and deploy cutting-edge services.

Since its inception, Fastlink has tallied subscriber growth at an exponential rate, with the number of users currently exceeding 930,000. Through more than 1,700 cell sites, Fastlink covers the entire populated area of the Kingdom. In 2002 and 2003 Fastlink completed an infrastructure investment considered the largest in the history of the Kingdom; worth multimillion dollars, the project aimed at modernizing the network and expanding its capacity to 1.5 million subscribers. The company also enjoys an extensive distribution network comprising more than 15,000 outlets nationwide.

Fastlink is today moving beyond the boundaries of voice communications to lead the mobile data revolution in the Jordanian market. It was the first to introduce WAP and MMS in the Middle East in 2000 and 2002, and among the first to launch GPRS in 2002.

In January 2003, Mobile Telecommunications Company K.S.C. ("MTC") acquired Fastlink in what was considered the largest single acquisition in the Middle East area, and the largest private sector investment in Jordan. Fastlink has since become an embodiment of strong investor confidence in the Jordanian economy.

With 850 employees, almost 100% Jordanian, Fastlink is committed to drawing from local human resources as an engine for continued progress and expansion. With that mission in mind, Fastlink is well positioned to actively empower Jordan and its youthful, talented and skilled workforce.

Finally, the company strongly believes in giving back to the community, and has been instrumental in leading charity and community service activities. Fastlink is proud of its track record of lending continuous financial support to various programs of social development and healthcare.

Arab Advisors Group provides reliable research, analysis and forecasts of Arab communications, media and technology markets.

Arab Advisors Group Strategic Research Services (Media and Telecoms) are annual subscriptions. The services cover sixteen countries in the Arab World: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.