Qtel Group chairman Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani and Dr Nasser Marafih with top Qtel and ZTE executives after signing an agreement in Barcelona
The Qtel Group yesterday completed a comprehensive framework agreement with China-based ZTE, an emerging leader in telecommunications solutions, which will see the two companies become strategic partners.
The agreement will make available new network solutions from ZTE, including the latest innovations in WCDMA and LTE technology, across Qtel Group operations in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
One of the components of Qtel Group’s strategy for tackling the changes affecting the communications sector is to improve cost optimisation. Framework agreements with major companies such as ZTE provide the necessary infrastructure foundations for its pursuit of this goal.
Through the partnership, Qtel Group and ZTE are agreeing long-term, sustainable pricing models, which will offer significant benefits for customers across the Group’s companies, which include Indosat, Asiacell, Wataniya, Kuwait, Nawras, Tunisiana, Nedjma and Qtel.
The agreement was signed on the third day of GSMA Mobile World Congress, the annual global gathering of mobile communications companies in Barcelona, Spain.
Qtel Group Chief Executive Officer Dr Nasser Marafih said: “ZTE is a supplier with huge ambitions for global growth, and a delivery and pricing model that is designed to ensure success. The Qtel Group believes it can derive significant, long-term value from a strategic framework agreement with ZTE, which promises to deliver world-class technology that is priced to reflect the realities of a new global economy.”
Shi Lirong, CEO, ZTE Corporation, said: “The Qtel Group is the fastest growing group in the telecommunications industry, constantly looking for ways to deliver more choice and value for its customers.  We think ZTE, with its focus on innovative technology and competitive cost, is a strong partner for the Qtel Group’s plan for continued investment in new technologies and businesses, particularly in emerging markets across the Middle East and South Asia.”
Qtel has grown rapidly in recent years, from a one-country operator serving its home nation of Qatar to an international communications company serving an addressable population of more than 660mn people in the Middle East, North Africa, Asian Subcontinent and South-East Asia.
As a diversified group of companies with a growing service portfolio, the Qtel Group is realising an increasing number of opportunities to extract synergies and drive efficiencies. The company has signed a number of frame agreements with key vendors, improving cost optimisation throughout the business.