"AHL" agreement between Fastlink and Jawwal

Notes and media contacts

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 1,350 million subscribers. Through more than 1,700 cell sites, Fastlink covers the entire populated area of the Kingdom. 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.

For More information, please contact:
Fastlink
Suha Halaseh
Sr. Press Officer
Tel: 00962 6 5828100 Ext: 2016
Fax: 00962 6 5817077

MTC Group
Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) was founded in 1983 and today is one of the largest mobile operators in the Middle East and Africa, with more than 9.5 million customers in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and 13 countries in Africa. MTC is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

In September 2002, MTC entered into a Partner Network Agreement with Vodafone, the world's leading mobile community, in Kuwait creating MTC Vodafone Kuwait. In 2003 MTC continued its expansion with the acquisition of 96.4% of Fastlink in Jordan.

MTC's aspiration did not slow down and in 2003 MTC-Vodafone Bahrain was launched with the first 3G/EDGE nationwide network in the world. In 2004 the MTC Atheer service was launched in Southern Iraq, and today covers Baghdad as well.

2004 also witnessed the government of Lebanon handing over the management of one of two mobile networks (Mic2) to the MTC Group, which is known now as mtc touch.

Most recently in March of 2005 MTC acquired Celtel International, a Duch communications network company with major interests in 13 Sub-Saharan African countries, in one of the biggest telecom deals in the Middle East and Africa worth $ 3.36 billion.

MTC Group now operates in 18 countries. With this deal MTC Group has completed its first phase of its 3x3x3 strategy which entails becoming a global operator with more than 15 million customers by 2011. MTC will continue to expand internationally through acquisitions, partnerships and green-field opportunities.