MTC - Vodafone (Kuwait) launches AlJazeera mobile services

Notes and media contacts

For more information:

Janet Laurie/ Amina Al Jerery
Asda'a Public Relations
Tel: +965 245 31 80
Fax: +965 245 31 70

Eman Al Ostad
MTC-Vodafone (Kuwait)
Tel: +965 900 60 70
Fax: +965 483 64 83

About Al Jazeera Channel:
Al Jazeera Channel was established in November 1996, as the first independent Arabic language satellite channel to broadcast out of the Arab world with a declared mandate of dedicating its resources to providing news and information to Arab audiences at large. Over 45 million viewers in the Middle East alone, tune to Al Jazeera for their daily dose of news and information.

The Channel had launched its bilingual, 3rd generation mobile news service, AlJazeera Mobile, in October 2003 through a cooperation between AlJazeera Net and Al Majaz Telecom Technology. This new approach to news dissemination in the Middle East utilized GSM mobile technology to transmit Al Jazeera Channel's breaking, political, business, and sports news.

The service keeps GSM users informed and updated at all times about recent developments regionally and globally through, Text or Short Messaging Service (SMS), Text & Picture with the Multi Messaging Service (MMS), and (WAP) technology, which allows access to Al Jazeera news.

AlJazeera Mobile will extend its services to include, the Non-SMS content such as Video Streaming, where mobile users are able to watch Al Jazeera Channel news & programs on their GSM. AlJazeera Mobile service was launched through telecommunications operators in a number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa, with plans to launch in other parts of the world in the future.

About MTC-Vodafone (Kuwait):
MTC-Vodafone is the leading mobile operator in Kuwait with 1.3 million customers and 60 per cent market share. MTC-Vodafone delivers cutting-edge services to its customers, including EDGE, WiFi, MMS, Media Streaming and a wide range of Voice Activated Systems (VAS).

About MTC Group:

Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) was founded in 1983 and today is one of the largest mobile operators the in Middle East and Africa, with more than 12.45 million customers in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and 13 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa as of September 30, 2005. 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, creating MTC Vodafone Kuwait. In 2003 MTC continued its expansion with the acquisition of 96.4% of Fastlink in Jordan.

MTC's aspirations 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 the two mobile networks (Mic2) to the MTC Group.

Most recently in March of 2005 MTC acquired Celtel International, a Dutch 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.

The 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.

Al Majaz Telecom Technology:

Al Majaz Telecom Technology of Doha, Qatar, was formed with a vision of bringing world-class wireless application and content aggregation services to market. Its product is a portfolio of content (written, audio, video, and photographic) that is delivered through regional, and world-wide, GSM telecom operators and partners. Al Majaz Telecom Technology is also the builder, operator, marketer and seller of the wireless services it offers.

In October 2003, Al Majaz Telecom Technology made history by being the first company of its kind in the region to launch their unique package of wireless information services and by introducing "AlJazeera Mobile", the mobile content channel of world-renowned AlJazeera Channel. GSM mobile phone users can now access the latest news updates from AlJazeera Channel, in a variety of formats (SMS, MMS, WAP and live streaming) and categories, in both Arabic and English.

For more information, please contact:
Donna Cerra
Al Majaz Telecom Technology
Relationship Manager
Tel: +974 465 9111