Qtel subscriptions surge to high of 1.8m

Doha: Qtel on Sunday said its mobile subscription in Qatar has reached 1.8 million.

"This rapid accumulation of new customers - up from 1.5 million announced in November 2008 - was achieved in spite of the global economic downturn, reflecting both the underlying strength of Qatar's economy and Qtel's ongoing success in developing new products and services that exceed its customers' expectations," the company said in a statement.

Executives attribute the sharp rise in customer numbers in 2008 to the successful re-launch of two of Qtel's most popular products: the HALA Pay-As-You-Talk service, which saw record number of new customers apply for prepaid accounts, and the all-new "Shahry" post-paid mobile phone service, which brought new levels of choice and flexibility to Qatar.

Both services saw customers enjoying lower bills and an improved range of options, as well as a group of new innovations including Shahry's "One Free Number", which enabled customers to choose one number they could call for free.

Adul Al Mutawa, executive director of Group Communications, explains: "Qtel is delighted to report such strong success in the opening months of 2008, with our customer services business continuing to see ongoing growth and development."

Qtel has significantly grown its mobile phone customer base from 1.26 million recorded in 2007.