Zain’s no roaming costs

Cellular network Zain, formally know as Celtel, hope to gain a commercial advantage over rivals such as MTN and Vodacom, after extending its One Network scheme across Africa and the Middle East and eliminating high roaming fees.

According to Joy online the One Network Scheme will extend to 17 out of the 22 countries where Zain operates when it launches the new networks in Saudi Arabia and Ghana. Zain customers will be able to travel from the eastern shores of the Arab world right across to East and West Africa and only use one local tariff with no roaming charges. Pre-paid clients can top up with recharge cards brought from your home country or from one of million of outlets available. In one of the network countries. Unlike normal roaming the subscriber will not pay for any incoming calls. Saad al-Barrak also aims to one day provide his service in South Africa.

Zain allegedly will also try and step into the Indian market, seeing that MTN’s merger talks with India’s Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communication have collapsed.

“Our immediate plans are to expand in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. These are the emerging markets, the neediest markets, the most lucrative markets and highest growth markets,” said Barrak.
“With mergers and acquisitions you have to be clandestine — as we speak we are considering two or three merger and acquisition opportunities,” added Barrak.

By: Vanessa De Sousa