Qtel Group CEO Dr. Nasser Marafih was also awarded ‘Outstanding Leader of the Year’ by TMT Finance

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has been the main driver in developing the nation’s IT infrastructure and communications infrastructure and has achieved international recognition by winning some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, including the ‘Telecom Deal of the Year’ for 2007, 2008 and 2009, as well as the ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ award at the CEO Middle East Awards in 2009

Since the telecommunications sector in Qatar liberalized, the Qtel Group has continued to lead the way with cutting-edge technologies and an ambitious global expansion to establish itself as an industry leader. “Our vision is very clear: to be one of the top 20 telecommunications companies in the world by 2020,” says Dr. Nasser Marafih, CEO of the Qtel Group.

With a presence in 17 countries and over 60 million customers, the Group has strong insight into the bright spots of the international telecoms market, particularly given its growing presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Establishing itself as a global leader, the Qtel Group has a strategy that focuses on three main pillars. The first pillar is the consumer cellular market, where the Group still sees great potential.

“Today, there is considerable room for growth with regards to this market and we have a strong position in the right countries to be able to benefit,” says Dr. Marafih.

Dr. Nasser Marafih CEO of the Qtel Group ‘WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING THE BEST TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOP A DYNAMIC KNOWLEDGE- BASED SOCIETY’

The second pillar of the Group’s strategy focuses on delivering broadband for Internet services. Here, the company has identified a huge growth opportunity, and has created the wi-tribe brand to deliver broadband wireless technology to the region and beyond. The Qtel Group has a strong partnership with Clearwire on this venture.

The Qtel Group’s third pillar of growth involves delivering IT services and solutions to the enterprise market as there is little attention given to this area in the region, according to Dr. Marafih. The company is positioned to achieve this through its partnership with AT&T.

Looking towards the future, the Qtel Group is keen to explore further partnership opportunities with companies that can add value in any way. Dr. Marafih says, “We always welcome partnerships with any company, large or small, that can add value as we pioneer technologies and services that benefit people and the communities we serve.”

In Qatar, Qatar Telecom was able to acquire new customers at a record rate during 2009, reflecting the nation’s buoyancy during this period of global recession. Qatar Telecom has made Qatar known in the region for having one of the highest broadband capabilities, literally covering the whole country.

“Amongst our advantages, we have a small country that has developed recently and have thus been able to implement the latest IT infrastructure from the beginning, without the need to change existing ones,” concludes the CEO.