Ooredoo
| File:Ooredoo Logo.png | |
| Company type | Public[1] |
|---|---|
| DSM:QTEL ADX: QTEL LSE: QTED | |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Headquarters | , |
| Website | www |
Ooredoo (meaning 'I Want' ; U Ri Du in Arabic) is a brand name introduce by Qatar Telecom, Q.S.C to replace the former name operating as Qtel on February 2013.[2] [3]
Ooredoo (previous name Qatar Telecom) is known to be the exclusive telecommunications provider in Qatar and owns one of the largest public company in the country. [4] The company developed to be a mobile service provider, wireless services, and wire-line services with market segment varying from domestic to international telecommunication services; and from business (corporates and individuals) to residential customers.[4]
The company is state owned, which often lead to political interventions.[4] Its competitors include Vodafone, Saudi Telecom Company, and Zain.[4]
In the past Qtel has interfered with VoIP systems, and Skype's website has been blocked before. [5] [6] Following complaints from individuals, the website has been unblocked; and Paltalk has been permanently blocked.[6][5] While Qtel’s ISP branch, Internet Qatar, uses SmartFilter to block websites they deem inappropriate to Qatari interests and morality.[6]
History
Even though Qatar telecommunication services began as early as 1949, the company was not officially established until 1987. The establishment was issued under Qatar Law No. 13 of 1987.[7] The service in 1949 is the first telephone exchange in Doha with the capacity of 50 lines, public telephone services of 150 lines in 1953[7] It developed to be a National Telephony Services in 1970, operated by Qatar National Telephone Service (QVTS) while the International Services by Cable and Wireless.[7] Later it became the first company in Qatar to reach internet trial speeds of 100 megabits per second.[4]
Satellite
The country commissioned its first Doha Earth Station in 1976, second earth station in 1985, and Arabsat Satellite Earth Station commissioned in 1986.[7] The company official website consider the satellite commissions as their milestones.[7]
Stock market
Listed in Doha Securities Market (1998), London Stock Exchange (1999), the Bahrain Stock Exchange (2001) and the Abu Dhabi Securities Market in 2002.
Award
Qtel is a winner of the 2005 Gulf Excellence Award and the 2006 Economic Award.
In October 2006 Qatar Telecom(Qtel) and Korea Telecom signed a memorandum of understanding toward the two telecommunications providers working together in Qatar on infrastructure construction and IT solution delivery for what has been coined 'Ubiquitous Cities' (U-City).
In November 2006 Qatar Telecom(Qtel) announced an agreement to acquire a strategic stake in NavLink, a leading provider of managed data services to businesses in the Middle East. Qatar Telecom(Qtel) will hold an equity stake (38.2%) in the business, joining AT&T Inc.
In November 2006, The Emir issued Law No 34 of 2006 restructuring the administration of information and communication systems in Qatar and lifting Qatar Telecom(Qtel)'s monopoly; ictQATAR was announced as the new telecoms regulator.
Towards the end of 2007, Qatar Telecom(Qtel) announced the launching of a new company named Wi-Tribe. wi-tribe is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qatar Telecom(Qtel). Through wi-tribe, Qtel plans to launch wireless broadband internet services across Asia and Africa. The first wi-tribe deployment was in Jordan and was launched end of Q2 2008. Further deployments in Pakistan, the largest operation for the group, were launched in July 2009. wi-tribe Philippines was made available on February 2010.
In June 2008, Qatar Telecom(Qtel) announced its intention to buy a 40% share in Indosat for US$ 1.8 billion from Temasek Holdings
In May 2011, Qatar Telecom(Qtel) became the first company in Qatar to reach internet trial speeds of 100 megabits per second.[8] The average internet download speed in Qatar is 1.3 megabits per second.[9]
In March 2013, the company rebranded to include its Wataniya, Indosat, and, Tunisia subsidiaries all merged into a single brand name: Ooredoo. The meaning behind the name is "I Want" in Arabic, the logo has been redesigned to feature a more modern and younger appeal, using red, white and circular shapes.[10]
Services
Ooredoo provides a range of telecommunications products including national and international, Wireline and mobile telephony. It also offers Internet and Data services, ADSL, Wi-Fi and Cable TV services. It provides fully commercial, Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) based Global IPVN. Ooredoo runs and manages the Qatar Data Centre that hosts AT&T’s first global node (AGN) in the Middle East.
VOiP users may want to be aware that Ooredoo has blocked VoiP services in the past [11] [12], and that Skype's website has been blocked from casual use in the past. In addition, Ooredoo uses content-control software to filter out websites they deem inappropriate to Qatari interests and morality.
New technologies
Ooredoo introduced DVB-H service to the Middle East, delivering real-time “Mobile TV broadcast” that captures up to 13 channels like Al-Jazeera, CNN and CNBC through mobile handsets. It also introduced 3G mobile Internet & video calling, as well as the Triple Play. And during the Doha 2006 Games the company launched the Asian games mobile portal, bringing entertainment and information services related to the Asian games event.
Ooredoo has also implemented TETRA, Terrestrial Trunked Radio, which is a professional mobile radio system for small to large industrial entities and organizations. The service is used in sectors such as governmental, oil and gas, mining, sports events, police, defense, security, safety, paramedic, rescue and the private sector.
Qatar was the first country in the Middle East to introduce Digital Video Broadcasting.
Ooredoo has announced the launch of 4G LTE for first time in Qatar set for April 2013[13]
Wikipedia controversy
After a series of anonymous acts of Wikipedia vandalism and spam in December 2006, coming from the IP address of Qatar Telecom's proxy server, it was blocked from editing by a Wikipedia administrator. The block affected nearly the entire nation of Qatari Internet users, including those from news organization Al-Jazeera.
There was also a block on creating user accounts, meaning that people editing from Qtel had no way in which to edit Wikipedia at all, but eventually this condition was relaxed several hours later after the ban was widely reported across technology sites.[14]
February 3, 2008 cable incident
On February 3, 2008, Qtel reported that a cable connecting Qatar to the United Arab Emirates has been damaged, causing disruptions in already damaged Middle Eastern communication networks. It became the fourth cable to be damaged that week.[15] According to Egypt's transport ministry, there were no ships in the area.[16] The problem is said to be related to the power system.[17]
References
- ^ Ameinfo.com: Public companies in Qatar
- ^ ITP.net: Qtel rebrands as Ooredoo
- ^ Official Ooredoo website: Ooredoo Launch
- ^ a b c d e MBA Skool.com: QTel
- ^ a b Gigaom.com:VoIP Being Blocked in Qatar 2005 retreived May 5, 2013
- ^ a b c Stenden University of Qatar: Communications retreived May 4, 2013
- ^ a b c d e Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Ooredoo official website: Milestone
- ^ "Qtel First in Qatar to Reach Internet Trial Speeds of 100 Mbps for Consumers - Telecoms & IT - Zawya". zawya.com. 2011 [last update]. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ Qatar Speed Test
- ^ Ooredoo Qatar
- ^ SunVPN:VPN For Qatar
- ^ Telecompaper.com: Qtel has no plans to block VoIP services - COO
- ^ Ooredoo Announces 4G LTE Commercial Launch for April | Marhaba Qatar's Premier Information Guide
- ^ "Wikipedia Qatar ban 'temporary'". BBC News. January 2, 2007.
- ^ Khaleej Times Online - Ships did not cause Internet cable damage
- ^ Ships did not cut internet cables: Egypt - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ 4th Undersea Cable Break: Between Qatar and UAE