Lebanon’s Telecom Minister, HE Jamal Al Jarrah, visits Zain Group’s booth at the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona
• Al-Kharafi: “We are highly aligned with the Ministry’s vision to utilize technology and digital innovation to drive economic growth and raise the well-being of the people of Lebanon”
• Discussions with touch Chairman Bader Al Kharafi and other senior Zain management focused on the telecom roadmap in Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon - 03 March, 2017:
touch, the leading mobile telecommunications and data operator in Lebanon, managed by Zain Group, announces HE Minister Jamal Al Jarrah visit to Zain Group’s booth during the Mobile World Congress, accompanied by a senior delegation from the country’s Ministry of Telecommunications.
Zain Group has been managing the touch network on behalf of the Government of Lebanon since 2004, and in this time has ensured the operator remains at the cutting edge of technological innovation. The Minister took the opportunity of his stand visit to discuss a number of important aspects of the telecom landscape in Lebanon with Zain Group’s senior management, including the technological roadmap for the country and how Zain and touch can play its part in supporting the fast growing and highly talented Lebanese startup and entrepreneur ecosysytem.
On its part, Zain remains committed to the operation and the country, and looks forward to further developing transformational technology in Lebanon with the Ministry. In recent years, Zain has ramped up its efforts in Lebanon, and touch is currently rolling out a state-of-art 4.5G nationwide network, which covers 93% of the population.
The improvement of the quality of life of the people in Lebanon also plays a central role in the motivation for Zain’s activities in Lebanon, and the investment 4.5G is already enriching the lives of residents. Applications driven by the Internet of Things (IoT), for example, are being connected and ultimately driving new businesses to develop across sectors including education, health, agriculture, media, raising employment levels in the country.
HE Minister Jamal Al Jarrah said, “It is important for us to have a close and transparent relationship with the mobile operators in Lebanon. This sector is a vital one for the nation so it is important all stakeholders cooperate and complement one another in order to drive success. touch remains a key contributor to the economy of Lebanon, and we are pleased to see the innovation and investment of resources Zain Group continues to place in the operator to ensure its continued success.”
Onn his part following the meeting with Minister Al Jarrah, Bader Al Kharafi, Vice-Chairman of Zain Group said, “We are honored and appreciative of the visit to our stand of HE Minister Jamal Al Jarrah and his delegation. We had some positive discussions about the state of the telecom sector in Lebanon and what the roadmap for the future should incorporate. We are highly aligned with the Ministry’s vision to utilize technology and digital innovation to drive economic growth and raise the well-being of the people of Lebanon, especially in youth development, and we look forward to continuing to cooperate closely with the Ministry in order to achieve this.”
One of touch’s driving objectives is to become a significant digital player in Lebanon, focusing on innovation in its offering of new services and enabling a digital lifestyle experience for its customers. The operator also aims to develop enterprise (B2B) services and actively participate in the smart city revolution sweeping the region.
The Minister’s stand visit comes a few days after Zain was honored by the GSMA with the presentation of an “Outstanding Contribution to the Mobile Industry Award” for its efforts to alleviate the suffering of displaced people within the Middle East, particularly those who have had to flee the crisis in Syria. One humanitarian activity noted by the GSMA is the Tawasol line offered by touch in Lebanon, which provides discounted rates for Syrian refugees for voice, SMS and data, as well as discounts for calls and messages to Syria.