Bridging the gap
Zain Group and Palestine’s Paltel connect through ‘One Network’
4 million mobile customers in Jordan and Palestine to benefit from local voice and data pricing plus free incoming calls when crossing borders
Amman, January 25th 2010 – Zain Group and Palestine Communications Group (Paltel) announce the launch of the groundbreaking ‘One Network’ service between Jordan and Palestine, serving over 4 million mobile customers in both countries. ‘One Network’ provides all Zain customers to be billed as local clients for voice and data services and receive free incoming calls when traveling to any country covered by the Zain network. The move will see Paltel’s mobile service, Jawwal, join the service initially with Zain Jordan only at this stage and eventually it is planned to expand the connection to all other Zain ‘One Network’ countries.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Jordan’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology HE Marwan Jumaa, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, and CEO of the Jordanian Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Ahmad Hiasat, Zain Group CEO Dr. Saad Al Barrak, Chairman of Paltel Group Sabeeh al-Masri, CEO of Zain Jordan Dr. Abdel-Malek Al-Jaber, Paltel Group acting CEO Kamal Abu-Khadijeh, Jawwal General Manager Ammar al-Eker and a number of senior Zain Jordan Executives.
Dr. Al-Barrak described ‘One Network’ as an unstoppable reality in the world of telecommunications. “Once again, we are redefining the notion of mobile telecommunication coverage, making roaming services accessible to all. In doing so, we are fulfilling our brand promise of ‘A wonderful world’.”
Al Masri said that the agreement demonstrates the commitment from both sides to increase cooperation and offer the best services to customers Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza. ”We are on the threshold of a new era, providing value-added services with a regional dimension,” he declared. “Today, starting with Jordan, we can one-day soon envisage serving more than 10 million Palestinians all over the Zain ‘One Network’ in the Middle East and afar.”
Abu-Khadijeh was equally upbeat about the development and stressed the value aspect of the arrangement. “As of February 1, Jawwal customers in the Gaza Strip can stay in touch with their relatives in Jordan through ‘One Network’, at rates that are more competitive than any comparable international tariff.”
Dr. Abdel-Malek Al-Jaber said the details of the benefits of the ‘One Network’ will be announced when the full service is launched commercially. “We planned meticulously to launch this service. We are confident it will have
