Qtel Group Embraces Spirit of Ramadan to Enrich Lives across Global Network

Close Ties to the Community Affirmed During Holy Month

Mobilk - Qtel Group companies across Asia and the Arab World are connecting with their respective communities to improve lives and celebrate the Holy Month’s religious significance, with a range of far-reaching social and charitable programmes.  

To support its family of nearly 84 million customers, the pioneering communications company has devised its most comprehensive Ramadan outreach program yet, with each national operator providing a tailored programme to support local needs, while retaining a common thread of family and community connections, and the alleviation of poverty.

Qtel Group’s approach to community activity is typically to provide a platform that enables customers to make their own distinct contribution, and 2012 has seen a number of key activities in this area.

“Ramadan is a special time for Qtel Group and a profound moment for us to go above and beyond our usual community engagement programs,” said His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, Chairman, Qtel Group. “As a provider of innovative communications services, we pride ourselves on connecting with our customers and understanding their needs. This underpins every aspect of our success and has served as the inspiration for Ramadan activities that can genuinely make a difference, not just for the Holy Month itself but also well into the future.”

With operations in developed markets and emerging markets, Qtel Group companies’ Ramadan activities have provided a number of important opportunities to make a distinct social impact. 

Qtel Qatar’s comprehensive Alkhair (goodness) campaign is taking in activities such as hospital visits, donations and an extensive project to refurbish houses in underprivileged communities across the country, with the recruitment of volunteers from across the country.

There has also been a conscious effort to emphasise the importance of compassionate dialogue, with a special Mobile Internet rate incentivising customers to reach out to loved ones, reconnect with people they used to know, and to encourage good deeds.

In Palestine, Wataniya is opting for a far-reaching mix of goodwill-inspired activities, sponsorships, fund-raising activities and cost-saving promotions. Highlights include corporate social responsibility work with NGOs dealing with disabled children, food hand-outs at checkpoints and traffic lights (specifically to target those struggling to make it home on time for Iftar), and strategic work with Governates in Ramallah and Nablus.

Kuwait is another beneficiary of Qtel Group company Wataniya’s Ramadan-driven largesse. Over 500 daily Iftar meals are distributed to those in need, and the company is helping to harmoniously amplify the message of faithful devotion by producing a Quranic CD by the virtuosic, well-respected Sheikh Fahad Al-Kanderi.

Elsewhere, there are Girgian giveaways at children’s hospitals, Ghabgas for the elderly and special needs patients, as well as support for fund-raising football tournaments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and Kuwait City’s Al Sharhan Industries Company.

Another member of the Qtel Group family, Nedjma in Algeria, is following a similar approach, supporting a range of initiatives from employee blood donations and targeted charitable donations to organizations like the Algerian Red Crescent plus various stakeholder engagement events and Kheimats in key locations. 

Community engagement and helping our customers to help others is a distinctive feature of all three company’s activities in Kuwait, Algeria and Palestine. 

Iraq-based Asiacell, meanwhile, is using the Holy Month to implement an exhaustive campaign to help impoverished families in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Najaf, Karbala and Erbil.

For Oman’s Nawras, Ramadan means tradition in both celebration and CSR practice, with a band of hardy employees gearing up to undertake the company’s 8th annual Goodwill Journey. The initiative has already touched hundreds of thousands of lives, and this year’s altruistic odyssey is set to build on that remarkable legacy as teams of fasting volunteers visit charitable organisations in 13 towns and villages across the Sultanate over a 10-day period, including the Omani Women’s Associations, and the Al Noor Association for the Blind.

Qtel Group also supports Ramadan activity outside of the Middle East and North Africa, recognising the needs of specific communities in Asia and the Asian subcontinent. 

Over in Indonesia, Indosat has boosted its network for the Ramadan communication boom, markedly enhancing its capacity to cope with around 924 million minutes per day – an increase of 140% compared to regular weekday traffic. There have also been increases in its texting capacity to 1.4 billion per day (a 6o% plus rise), and data service to 120 terabytes per day (nearly 200% increase).

Buoyed by this increased network capacity, Indosat is offering customers free talk-time for up to three days and nights after each credit reload, as well as similar discounts for SMS and Data.  Other Ramadan innovations include the opportunity to donate and make alms via accrued Smiley loyalty points to aid humanitarian efforts throughout the country, as well as Ramadan VAS Services designed to educate on all aspects of the Holy Month.

“No matter where Qtel Group exists in the world, we are determined to celebrate togetherness and to enrich lives,” added His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani. “Ramadan is a very special occasion and we are proud to bring its inclusive spirit to every country and community we operate in.”