RIYADH, 25 May 2005 — Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), the Kingdom’s second mobile operator, yesterday launched its services, which include postpaid SIM cards with five customer friendly packages. Its value-added services cover 30 cities.
Mobily offers services such as voicemail, “3la alhawa” which enables news and data downloads from Mobily portal, SMS, MMS, missed call notification, WAP and Internet browsing.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed Jamil Mulla presided over the launching ceremony, which was attended by Mohammed Al-Suwayel, governor of the Telecommunications & Information Technology Commission (TITC), the Kingdom’s telecom regulator.
Mobily Chairman Abdul Aziz Al-Saghyir, CEO of Emirates Telecommunications Corporation Mohammed Omran, CEO of Etisalat International Obeid bin Mis-har, and Mobily CEO & Managing Director Khalid Al-Kaf were also present.
Guests watched a documentary on the evolution of telecommunications through history, and Mobily products and services were on display at an exhibition organized on the sidelines of the launching ceremony.
Pre-paid service will be offered through two bouquets: Anees, with a competitive pricing scheme that varies according to peak times; and Wafeer, with a call rate that decreases as minutes go by.
In addition to the competitive pricing scheme for pre-paid, a pre-identified international number can be added to both bouquets allowing users to enjoy a further 20 percent discount on top of already competitive rates.
Mobily’s international call rates will be very competitive compared to those of regional operators, the company’s officials told a news conference. Peak time rates will be destination-dependant rather than being fixed to the originator’s home country peak times. “Pre-paid recharge vouchers will be available in five denominations through sales outlets,” they said. The news conference was addressed by Al-Saghyir, Al-Kaf, Bin Mis-har, Mobily Chief Operating Officer Abdul Aziz Al-Tammami, Mobily Director of Corporate Communications Amjed Shaker, and Mobily Director of Marketing Ahmed Al-Hosani.
Mobily started testing its services in the Kingdom last March. A limited number of Mobily SIM cards were distributed to a group of predetermined users who tested all services the company intended to roll out.
Mobily is the official brand name of Etihad Etisalat. Established in accordance with a 2004 royal decree, the ownership of Etihad Etisalat is two fold. A Saudi ownership comprising public investors holding 20 percent of the company’s shares, while private investors own a 45 percent stake. The balance of 35 percent goes to UAE telecom giant Etisalat.
Earlier in his welcome address, Mobily Chairman Al-Saghyir said the company had gone beyond people’s expectations in a matter of months. After officially winning the bid to operate the second GSM network in Dec. 22 last year, Mobily “was able to be successfully operational in not only 14 cities as was expected, but in 30 cities all over the Kingdom,” he said.
Mobily gave out free mobile chips to all invited guests who attended the launching ceremony with a free talk range of 1,000 minutes, hassle free from any down payments or subscription fees for six months.
