Zain Bahrain posts new record with Middle East’s first LTE call Tweet

Telecoms tech leader showcases ready-to-deploy LTE commercial equipment with live call conducted by Nokia Siemens Networks.

Zain Bahrain showcased the region’s first LTE call, setting new standards for the telecoms sector by achieving a download data speed of 70 Mbps. In a trial to demonstrate its LTE readiness, Zain Bahrain proved its preparedness and commitment to mass-scale deployment of this advanced technology just six months after announcing the Middle East’s first LTE contract with Nokia Siemens Networks.

Using ready-to-deploy LTE commercial equipment, the trial involved Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi base stations, installed in separate buildings, as well as its NetAct network management solution.

Achieving a minimum latency of 15 milliseconds – the smallest ever in any public LTE call – the live call was used to highlight applications such as multi-video streaming, high-resolution video conferencing, voice over LTE, and LTE terminal mobility within an office environment. The call also set a new record by achieving the region’s highest ever data download speeds of 70 Mbps.

“Setting standards and raising the bar on excellence have always been a Zain Bahrain prerogative,” said Mohammed Zainalabedin, general manager, Zain Bahrain. “This first ever live call is a taste of the excellence our customers can expect when our entire network upgrade is unveiled by the end of this year. It is part of the continuous effort at Zain Bahrain to keep our promise to our customers that we will always deliver a world-class mobile user experience.”

“This is the region’s first real experience with a real life LTE ecosystem,” said Rami Shatat, head of the Zain Bahrain customer team at Nokia Siemens Networks. “Not only does it provide a concrete example of what the LTE experience will look like, but more importantly the applications we demonstrated in the live call clearly point to the increased value Zain Bahrain can create within its portfolio, by way of new and advanced telecom services.”

When it is completed at the end of this year, Zain Bahrain’s LTE network will not only be a world-class network, but will serve as a showcase for all of Zain Group’s operations across the Middle East and Africa. The deployment of LTE technology will ‘future proof’ Zain Bahrain’s network, allowing it to offer local and visiting ‘One Network’ customers a wide range of attractive mobile services for years to come. The experience and knowhow gained from this advanced technology in Bahrain will be exported to and shared with all Zain Group’s operations.

Even before LTE comes on line, Zain Bahrain customers will find a dramatic improvement in accessing the Internet with speeds of up to 14 Mbps with I-HSPA. There will also be a dramatic improvement in coverage throughout the Kingdom, permitting Zain Bahrain customers to continue experiencing the best quality service wherever ever they are.
About Zain Bahrain

Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 69.5 million active customers as at 30 June 2009. In terms of country footprint, Zain is the 3rd largest mobile operator in the world with a commercial presence in 24 countries.

Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine (currently known as Paltel Group), Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages ‘mtc-touch’ on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain owns 31% of Wana Telecom through a joint venture.

Zain offers innovative services in its markets such as ‘One Network’, the world’s first borderless mobile telecommunications network enabling customers when abroad to receive calls and sms without charge and to make voice and data calls at local rates throughout 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This service allows a customer to top up airtime in one’s home country or from more than 1,000,000 outlets within Zain’s One Network footprint.

Zain Bahrain entered the Kingdom's telecoms market in 2003 as the second mobile service entrant. Riding on the promise of innovative business practices and cutting-edge technology, Zain Bahrain has delivered on these promises by putting Bahrain on the global telecommunications map with a string of firsts – the first country with nation-wide 3G, then 3.5G and now, WiMAX coverage. Today, Zain Bahrain has developed into a successful fixed wireless service operator offering full-spectrum corporate telecoms solutions, voice and data services to customers in the Kingdom.

The company is committed to nurturing the finest Bahraini talent and has an energetic and inspired majority-Bahraini workforce. It's strong CSR initiatives have made Zain Bahrain an active partner in Bahrain's development and progress.

The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). Zain is listed in the Financial Times’ Global 500 Index which ranks the world’s largest companies based on market capitalization (http://www.ft.com/reports/ft5002008). Zain aims to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by end of the year 2011. For more, please visit www.zain.com or email info@zain.com.

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