Fastlink, part of MTC Group, announced the completion of its third Oracle E-Business Suite 11i implementation phase, a move that aims to enhance the efficiency of its operational activities. The new solution is also expected to contribute to the company's strategy which aims to offer the best services to its subscribers, which currently exceed 2 million.
As Jordan’s largest mobile operator, Fastlink began implementing the Oracle eBusiness Suite 11i system at the beginning of 2004. The overall implementation process took place in 3 phases, over a total period of 12 months. Phase I included the implementation of Oracle Financials, Oracle Supply Chain, and the integration of Oracle with Fastlink’s point of sales system. Phase II focused on Oracle Human Resources Management System (HRMS) including Oracle Payroll and Oracle Self-service. Phase III included the advanced applications such as Oracle i-Procurement, Oracle i-Store, Oracle i-Recruitment and Oracle i-Supplier.
This implementation helped Fastlink achieve faster books closing at high accuracy reflected into minor audit adjustments. Other benefits include considerable reduction in cycle time of most areas implementing the system such as reducing the cycle time for procurement by 20-30%, ordering cycle after implementation i-store by 50-60% and in payroll process by 50-60%.
Fastlink's CEO, Saad Nasir, said that the company's partnership with Oracle aims to maximize the effectiveness of the company's operating activities through automating its business processes. This, in turn, will help minimize Fastlink’s administrative tasks, allowing the company to focus on the strategic activities which helps Fastlink maintain its pioneering position in the Jordanian market as well as focus on meeting its customer expectation.
Moreover, Nasir added that the Oracle solutions have demonstrated business effectiveness when deployed by some of the world’s most reputable companies in general, and telecommunication companies in particular. With a wealth of industry experience, Oracle was able to easily meet Fastlink's needs and provide the necessary solutions. Oracle is also distinguished by its professional consulting services, which offered support to Fastlink's team through executing the Oracle E-Business Suite deployment.
Nasir also noted that the Oracle E-Business Suite works on simplifying and automating the company's work in a comprehensive manner through finding ways to integrate all its applications. In addition to that, the system provides advanced and flexible ways to help analyse available data and produces accurate analysis which help in the decision making process.
“Fastlink’s deployment of the Oracle E-Business Suite demonstrates the measurable results that Oracle software delivers in terms of reduction of operating expenses and the increase in internal efficiencies. By having better access to key business information and cutting down on administrative time, Fastlink is able to better deploy its resources in customer service and other strategic market activities,” said Abdul Rahman Al Thehaiban, Vice President, Oracle Middle East.
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Photocaption: (from left to right) Ehab Hafez, IT manager, Fastlink; Omar Said, CFO, Fastlink; Saad Nasser CEO, Fastlink; Abdul Rahman Al Thuheiban, VP, Oracle Middle East; and Sherief Hamouda, Director of Telecom and Transport Industry, Oracle Middle East and Africa.
About Fastlink
Jordan Mobile Telephone Services Company Ltd. “Fastlink”, founded in 1995, was the first operator to introduce mobile phone services into Jordan. In just a few years, the company earned its reputation as the most progressive telecom operator in the region in terms of competitiveness and readiness to adopt new technologies and deploy cutting-edge services. Since its inception, Fastlink has tallied subscriber growth at an exponential rate, with the number of users currently exceeding 2 million subscribers. Through more than 1,700 cell sites, Fastlink covers the entire populated area of the Kingdom. In January 2003, Mobile Telecommunications Company K.S.C. (MTC) acquired Fastlink in what was considered the largest single acquisition in the Middle East area, and the largest private sector investment in Jordan.
For more information, please visit our site, www.fastlink.jo
About MTC
MTC is the pioneer of mobile telecommunications in the Middle East and now a major player on the African continent. We began life in 1983 in Kuwait as the region’s first mobile operator, and since the initiation of our “3x3x3” expansion strategy in 2003, we have expanded rapidly.
As a leading mobile operator in 6 Middle Eastern and 14 sub-Saharan African countries with 12,000 employees, we provide a comprehensive range of mobile voice and data services to over 24.9 million individual and business customers (as of September 30, 2006).
We operate in Kuwait and Bahrain as mtc-vodafone, in Jordan as Fastlink, in Iraq as mtc atheer, in Lebanon as mtc touch, in Sudan as Mobitel and in 14 sub-Saharan countries in Africa as Celtel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
Listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Code: Tele), MTC’s market capitalization exceeded US$14.4 billion as of December 31, 2006. For more visit: www.mtctelecom.com
