MTC Group is sponsoring and participating in the Fifth IT and Telecom Conference which is being held in Cairo under the auspices of President Husni Mubarak with the presence of Minister of Telecom and IT Dr. Ahmed Nazif between the 4th and 6th of September 2005.
MTC strongly believes that IT and telecommunications in the Arab World are a fundamental cornerstone for all economic sectors within society today. The company concurs that the biggest growth sectors are found in areas such as software development, IT and most importantly telecommunications. These sectors have proven to have the most value added output, percentage wise, when compared to other industries.
Furthermore MTC Group is also taking into consideration that the increased usage of IT and telecommunications will open the horizon for enhanced cooperation and tighter links on all economic, social and cultural levels. By unifying principles and systems currently being used in the Arab world, countries and societies will be able to close the IT and telecom gap that divides it from the rest of the developed world. With this in mind MTC has invested heavily in upgrading its network infrastructure to provide state of the art and much needed products and services with the sole aim of serving our customers.
In this sense MTC considers itself on all levels a major partner in the areas where its services and products are offered. MTC invests not only in the brick and mortar of the mobile telecommunication backbone but also in the soft side particularly its human resources. MTC firmly believes that through trained empowered local talent that can provide high levels of products success in any market can be attained. Today MTC in its five operations Bahrain, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait have more than 50% and in some case 100% of their employee base from the local market.
MTC sees itself fit to operate in any area of the world and has greatly benefited from the various opportunities it has gained in the Middle East and African continent. Through its 3X3X3 strategy whose implementation has now placed MTC in 18 countries, with the recent acquisition of Celtel with operations in Sub-Saharan Africa, hopes to attain global status by 2011 with more than 30 million customers. Each phase is expected to take 3 years and today MTC is already well into its second phase with an international standing.
Continuing in its efforts to achieve a successful completion of its 3X3X3 strategy, MTC Group has recently increased its capital by 100% providing its with 2.4 billion USD to be allocated for expansion purposes. This increased capital will not only allow MTC to pay off the loan for Celtel deal but to assist in entering markets such as Egypt and Nigeria. The Egyptian market is one of the most dynamic and an important market in the region as it is considered to be a regional hub connecting the Arab region to the African Continent. This is clearly seen in the Egyptian government’s recent ambition to provide a 3rd mobile license in the country.
Both Egypt and Nigeria are considered to be very promising markets especially with Egypt holding one of the lowest penetration rates at 10% with one of the highest growth rates.
Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) was founded in 1983 and is today one of the largest mobile operators in the Middle East and Africa, offering a comprehensive range of world-class voice and data mobile services to over 10 million customers spread across 18 countries – Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon in the Middle East and 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa- Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia..
Listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange, MTC’s market capitalization exceeded US$10 billion as at August 1, 2005. The shareholder base consists of 75.4% public and 24.6% by the Kuwaiti government. For the year ending December 31, 2004, consolidated revenues were KD 322.327 million (US$1.009 billion) and consolidated net income was KD 120.24 million (US$410 million).
MTC's corporate strategy can simply be summarized as "3x3x3", an ambitious, sustainable expansion strategy that will see MTC become a leading mobile and lifestyle services provider on the global stage by the end of the year 2011. Initiated in year 2002, it is this strategy that will make MTC a global player in three stages: regional, international and global, with each stage completed in three years, with an aim of reaching a subscriber base of 20 million. In essence, through acquisitions, partnerships and green-field opportunities, MTC aims to achieve in nine years what other companies have taken more than 27 years to achieve.
In addition to securing the best possible returns for shareholders cohesive with a high standard of corporate governance, MTC considers itself defined by a commitment to excellence in providing world-class mobile services and an ethos of corporate social responsibility in supporting communities, offering employment and creating business opportunities wherever it operates.
Facts on our operations (as of August 1, 2005):
Kuwait (branded as mtc-vodafone)
Notably distinct as the first mobile operator in the Middle East (1983), in September 2002, MTC entered into a Partner Network Agreement with Vodafone, the world's leading mobile community, creating mtc-vodafone Kuwait. The agreement allows MTC Kuwait customers to access their home services when roaming abroad on any of Vodafone’s networks and to access Vodafone’s global products and services. With a sound track record in providing world-class services, the operation has over 1.38 million subscribers, representing over a 60% market share.
Jordan (Fastlink)
In January 2003, MTC acquired 91.6% of Fastlink in Jordan, taking MTC’s ownership to 96.5%. Fastlink is one of the best known brands in Jordan, holding a dominant market position with a 71% market share. It has continually broken new ground through the introduction of new products and services. It was the first Middle Eastern operator to launch MMS Services and offers an abundance of mobile data services and infotainment solutions to over 1.6 million customers.
Bahrain (mtc-vodafone)
MTC won the Bahrain license to develop the second GSM network in April 2003 and officially launched its services in December 2003, at the time, the fastest deployment in the Middle East. Known as mtc-vodafone, the operation is at the forefront of technological development in the Middle East. It pioneered the introduction of 3G and EDGE, offering high-speed data and multimedia services to its customers. In less than 2 years of operation, it had gained over 165,000 subscribers representing a 20% market share.
Iraq (mtc atheer)
In December 2003, mtc atheer was licensed to install and operate a GSM network in the southern region of Iraq. In less than a year, the company succeeded in executing its initial objectives despite the security situation in Southern Iraq and has recently connected Baghdad. mtc atheer offers the highest standard of services and the most technologically advanced products to approximately 600,000 subscribers in Iraq. It has the widest reaching mobile telecommunications network in the country (2200km), and by September 2005, this will be expanded to offer a full GPRS network with a plethora of new services capable of supporting 1 million subscribers.
Lebanon (mtc touch)
On June 1, 2004, the Lebanese government handed over the management of one of the two mobile networks (MIC 2) to MTC, now known as mtc touch. The 4-year management contract will see mtc touch leveraging resources, expertise and know-how from different areas of the group and applying them to provide customers with cutting edge products and services. On taking over, the initial effort and focus was to re-brand the operation and upgrade the network through a new Intelligent Network (IN) that provides customers with a host of new services. The operation has in excess of 479,000 subscribers, representing a 50% market share. The agreement places MTC in the best possible position if the Lebanese government decides to privatize the assets after the management contract expires.
Africa (13 countries) (Celtel)
In May 2005, MTC acquired Celtel International, an African communications network company with major interests in 13 sub-Saharan African countries, in one of the biggest telecom deals in the Middle East and Africa worth USD 3.36 billion. With over 6 million subscribers, Celtel enjoys a commanding position in the telephony market of sub-Saharan Africa. Celtel covers 13 countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The company’s motto is “Making life better”.
