The Qtel Group use Ericsson platform to deliver innovative solutions and products

Users around the world want their mobile broadband connections as just as private as their phones. They also want to personalize their phones with applications that give them easy access to social media channels.

Qtel Group customers across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia will in the future be able to enjoy the latest multimedia services thanks to a new platform solution provided by Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC).

Ericsson measurements show that mobile data traffic has surpassed voice. Jan Wäreby, Head of Multimedia at Ericsson, says one reason is that people are connecting more to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and increasingly do so on the go using their phones. "Indonesia for example, is the world's second fastest growing country in terms of Facebook users. Worldwide, more than 100 million active users are now accessing Facebook using their mobile devices," Wäreby says.

To offer innovative services to its customers, such as social networking and mobile music, the Qtel Group is choosing Ericsson's Service Delivery Platform. The Ericsson platform will allow the Qtel Group to handle an increasing number of multimedia applications more efficiently. They will be able to introduce new customer offerings quickly and easily, opening up new revenue streams. Ericsson's Service Delivery Platform also allows the Qtel Group to reduce operating expenses and increase profitability.

Dr. Nasser Marafih, CEO of the Qtel Group, says the Ericsson Service Delivery Platform opens up new opportunities. "As one of the region's leading telecommunications provider, we are determined to bring innovative, attractive new services to our customers by identifying their areas of interest and customizing solutions to meet their needs. We expect that our partnership with Ericsson for their Service Delivery Platform, will help us to achieve this goal by providing  our customers with instant access to their different social networking tools, keeping them in touch and up to date all the time. We have made some significant announcements at this year's GSMA Mobile World Congress and our tie-up with Ericsson on the service delivery platform will bring some of these announcements to life, including mobile social networking and mobile music."

Notes to editors:

About the Qtel Group: The Qtel Group is a diversified telecommunications company with a presence in 17 countries, providing voice and data services to people and businesses, and bringing advanced technology to more than 60 million customers. We are committed to expansion in the MENA region, where we are the largest telecommunications company by number of operations, and South East Asia. Our vision is to be among the top 20 telecommunications companies in the world by 2020. 

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices. 

Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the "prime driver in an all-communicating world" through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 80,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 206.5 billion (USD 27.1 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

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