Qtel, Vodafone tap Systor Group for mobile number portability in Middle East

Telecom Lead Middle East: Qtel and Vodafone Qatar have
selected Norway’s Systor Group as the technology partner for mobile number
portability service introduction in Qatar.

Supported by ictQATAR, the mobile number portability
initiative will allow mobile users in Qatar to retain their mobile number,
while freely choosing their mobile service operator.

As part of the commitments of our Customer Charter, we
recognise that customers want to be able to retain their preferred mobile
numbers, and we will work to satisfy this demand. I would like to thank
Vodafone Qatar and ictQATAR for their engagement in this process, which will
contribute to the development of the communications sector,” said Waleed
Mohamed al-Sayed, chief operating officer of Qtel.

Qtel said that there are many consumers and businesses using
Easy-to-Remember (ETR) and Star Numbers who have expressed interest in
retaining their number, while changing their mobile service provider.

Vodafone welcomes and fully supports the introduction of
Mobile Number Portability in Qatar. We will work closely with ictQATAR, Qtel and
Systor to make number portability a reality as soon as it is possible,” said
Richard Daly, chief executive officer at Vodafone Qatar.

Qtel and Vodafone Qatar have worked together to agree the
technical solution for the process with Systor Group.

This is an important part of developing a robust and
competitive telecommunications market in Qatar, and we look forward to its
introduction before the end of the year,” said Saleh al-Kuwari, Regulatory
Authority Technical Affairs manager at ictQATAR and head of the National
Numbering Committee.

Systor Group provides high-availability transactional
database solutions, including number portability, in a diverse range of
countries including India, Norway, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and
Ecuador.

Qatar mobile operator Qtel signs contract with Huawei for FTTH
project

Recently, Qtel extended its contract with Huawei for its Fiber to the Home
(FTTH) project.

Qtel is serving more than 660 million people in the Middle
East, North Africa, the Asian Subcontinent and South-East Asia.

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