MANAMA, 20 July 2004 — Mobile phone holders in Bahrain can watch live television news and music on their sets, thanks to a service launched by MTC-Vodafone Bahrain yesterday.
The first such service in the Middle East will allow customers to download and view music videos, movie trailers and other audio and video content on their mobile phones, said Eddine Salman, senior adviser to MTC group’s Mobile Data Services.
“We are in a global village and this is the new way of life,” he said.
The service will be available in Bahrain to MTC-Vodafone’s estimated 50,000 customers. It will be expanded to Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon later, he said.
Customers can choose between entertainment programs and local news from Bahrain Television, live regional Arabic news from Dubai-based, 24-hour news channel Al Arabiya, or music video clips from the Saudi-owned entertainment channel Rotana.
The company, which has over 2.5 million customers in Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq, is also working on extending the service to non-Arab customers. It is currently pursuing a deal with US-based Cable News Network, Salman added.
MTC-Vodafone Bahrain is a joint venture between Mobile Telecommunications Co. of Kuwait and Bahraini investors.
