Telecoms news from Kuwait

Wataniya Telecom's Quarterly Profits Drop Nearly a Third

Kuwait based Wataniya Telecom has reported a near one-third drop in its first quarter profits as the company was hit by increased competition and a weaker economy. ...more.

Ericsson Wins Kuwaiti Network Upgrade Contract

Kuwait's Wataniya Telecom has awarded a contract to Ericsson to upgrade its Radio Access Network. ...more.

Zain to Test Joyn RCS Based Services in Kuwait

Zain has announced that it is to carry out trials of the Rich Communications Services (RCS) based Joyn platform, initially in Kuwait, with other countries to follow later. ...more.

Huawei Wins Kuwaiti Network Upgrade Contract

Kuwait-based Wataniya Telecom has awarded a network upgrade contract to Huawei, up for a portion of its 2G/3G network upgrades as well as the deployment of LTE services. ...more.

Zain and Huawei to set up a Joint Innovation Center in Kuwait

Zain Kuwait and Huawei have announced plans to launch a Joint Innovation Center which will serve as a research hub for the advancement of LTE technologies and associated applications, ...more.

Wataniya Telecom Posts Decline in Profits On Currency and Impairment Costs

Kuwait based Wataniya Telecom has reported that its fourth-quarter revenues fell slightly to KD183.4 million, while net profit was down by 26% to KD12.6 million. ...more.

Zain Partners with Huawei to Build LTE Network in Kuwait

Huawei and Zain have jointly announced the successful launch of a commercial LTE 1800MHz network that covers the entire of Kuwait. ...more.

Zain Launches LTE Services in Kuwait

Kuwait's Zain has announced the launch of its LTE network with nationwide coverage. ...more.

Zain Quarterly Profits Down in Sudan Currency Losses

Kuwait based Zain has reported a 17.4% drop in its third quarter profits of US$213.2 million, as the company was hit by significant currency fluctuations in Sudan, a key market for the Zain Group. ...more.

Kuwaiti Networks Authorised to Reuse 1800Mhz Spectrum for LTE Services

Kuwait's mobile networks have been granted licenses to deploy LTE based 4G services, the Minister of Communications has announced. ...more.

Qatar Telecom Raises Stake in Wataniya Telecom Kuwait to 92%

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has closed on its offer to increase its stake in Wataniya Telecom Kuwait, and has secured ownership of 92.1% of the company. ...more.

Zain Optimises Network With Aircom Testing

Kuwait based Zain awarded a contract recently to Aircom to provide greater insight, through profiling, into the performance of its entire network. ...more.

Zain Kuwait Signs Up for Wi-Fi Roaming Service

Wi-Fi roaming service provider, iPass says that it has signed a contract with Middle-East operator, Zain for customers in Kuwait. ...more.

Vodafone and Zain Sign Partnership Agreement

Vodafone has confirmed the details of the previously rumoured talks with Zain and is to expand its Partner Market presence in the Middle East. ...more.

Qtel Gets Approval for Takeover of Wataniya Telecom

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) says that it has received the approval from the Kuwait Capital Markets Authority (CMA) to go ahead with the previously announced deal to buy the remaining 47.5% stake in Wataniya Telecom that it does not currently own. ...more.

Zain's First Half Revenues and Profits Flat on Higher Subscriber Base

Kuwait's Zain Group has reported first half revenues and net profits up by 1 percent on the previous year, although its customer base had risen by 5 percent over the period. ...more.

Qatar Telecom Planning $1.9 Billion Bid for Remainder of Wataniya Telecom

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has confirmed that it is making an offer to buy out the remaining shareholders in its Wataniya Telecom subsidiary in a US$1.9 billion deal. ...more.

Wataniya Kuwait CEO Resigns - Interim Replacement Named

Qatar Telecom has announced that Abdulaziz Fakhroo, Deputy CEO of its subsidiary company, Wataniya Kuwait, has been named as the new Acting CEO of Wataniya Kuwait, following the departure of Scott Gegenheimer. ...more.

Kuwaiti Tweeter Gets 10 Years For Blasphemy

A Kuwaiti man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for insulting the Prophet Muhammad and the Sunni Muslim rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on microblogging website Twitter. ...more.

Zain's Quarterly Revenues/Profits Rise Slightly on Faster Growing Customer Base

Kuwait based Zain has reported that its first-quarter revenues rose by just 1 percent to reach KWD 325.7 million (US$1.17 billion), despite a 7 percent rise in its customer base, which reached 40.3 million at the end of March. ...more.