DUBAI, 20 March 2005 — A new company hopes to revolutionize Saudi Arabia’s telecommunications industry with world-class customer service, Saudization efforts and equal treatment and opportunity for women in its work force.

“Human resources are our biggest assets, and we will keep investing to improve them,” said Khalid Al-Kaf, CEO of Mobily, the up-and-coming mobile telecommunications company preparing for its Saudi Arabian startup.

The idea is to get customers to notice the difference between it and other service providers from the onset. “Mobily will boost the telecommunications industry not only in Saudi Arabia but in the whole Arab world,” Al-Kaf said.

His comments came at the end of a three-week, on-the-job training session for employees held in connection with Etisalat, the UAE telecom company with a 35 percent stake in Mobily. The company brought more than 150 of its key team players to the United Arab Emirates to provide on-the-job training in customer service. Etisalat offered its logistical support to the training program. The idea was to groom the workers’ customer-care skills to international standards.

“With the support of Etisalat, we provided on-the-job training to Mobily staff members so that they get a perfect idea of how to provide an efficient and flawless customer service,” said Kamel Y. Elsouki, Mobily’s trainer and national sales manager. “Participants were introduced to all sorts of customer-care situations,” he said.

Training has been provided in several phases. The first, involving classroom training, was presented in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The venue then shifted to the Emirates for three more weeks of training. Elsouki was satisfied with the performance of the participants and expressed confidence that his team was ready to give Mobily clients world-class service.

Asked about Mobily’s employment policies and standards, Elsouki said management is encouraging the Saudization policy in the company. “We believe in our national human resources, which have a great potential,” he said.

Amjad Shacker, the corporate communications director who also led the workshop, expressed great optimism for the rapid growth of telecommunications industry in Saudi Arabia. “Technology has become the friend of the Saudi nation. Hence, the telecommunications industry will boost the country’s economy enormously, and, indeed, Mobily will lead the race.”

The Mobily on-the-job training program also included women employees. “With respect to our Islamic and national values, women are an essential part of our winning team, and we are providing equal opportunities to them,” Al-Kaf said.

Participants say they’re ready to write the success story of the company.

“We are now geared up to face all sorts of challenges with our clients across the world,” said Abdullah Al-Turki of the sales department. “We have been trained not only for the local customers but also the international customers.”

The employees also have the desire to raise the standards for customer service in Saudi Arabia.

“There is a vacuum of customer relations in the Saudi market,” said Salman Sayed. “Our company will surely fill the vacuum. Mobily is the first organization in the country to put emphasis on customer care. This is perhaps one of the few companies in the country that gives feeling of fulfillment to its employees.”

According to sources, Mobily will soon start operations in Saudi Arabia. The company is set to break the monopoly of the Saudi Telecom Company (STC), currently the country’s only telecommunications company.

“We are ready to rule the telecommunications industry in the region,” said one employee.