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Warid Telecom

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Warid Telecom International
وارد تليكوم الدولية
Company typePrivate
IndustryTelecommunication
Founded2004; 20 years ago (2004)
Defunct2015
HeadquartersAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Key people
Warid Rahman, Chairman
Bashir Tahir, founding CEO
ProductsTelephony, LTE, WiMAX, EDGE, GPRS, GSM, UMTS
Subsidiaries

Warid Telecom International (Arabic: وارد تليكوم الدولية) was an Emirati telecommunications company that was active in Bangladesh, Georgia, Congo, Pakistan, and Uganda before its divestment.

Pakistan

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In 2004, Warid Telecom International LLC, purchased a license for operating a nationwide mobile telephony network, (WLL) and long-distance international (LDI) for US$291 million and was the first venture of Warid Telecom International LLC. The license was bid for and acquired by a team led by Bashir Tahir the former CEO of the Abu Dhabi Group, which is the parent company of all Warid operations.[1]

Warid Pakistan launched its services in May 2005. Within 80 days of launch, Warid Pakistan claims to have attracted more than 1 million. users.[2]

On June 30, 2007, Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and Warid Telecom announced that they had entered into a definitive agreement subsequent to which SingTel would acquire a 30 percent equity stake in Warid Telecom for an estimated $758 million, valuing the company at an enterprise value of $2.9 billion.[3]

SingTel sold back that stake in January 2013 for $150 million and a right to receive 7.5 percent of the net proceeds from any future sale, public offering, or merger of Warid.[4]

On November 26, 2015, VimpelCom and Abu Dhabi Group agreed to merge Mobilink and Warid into a single company called Jazz.[5]

Network technology

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Frequencies used by the Warid network
Frequency Protocol Band Class
900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
1800 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
2100 MHz UMTS/HSDPA/HSPA+ 1 3.5G
1800 MHz LTE 3 4G

Bangladesh

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In December 2005, Warid Telecom International LLC obtained a 15-year GSM license to operate as the sixth mobile phone operator in Bangladesh for $50 million. Warid Bangladesh started rolling out its network from mid-2006, and launched commercial operations on May 10, 2007, covering 26 districts. It uses the code 16 preceded by the code number of Bangladesh +880. Warid Bangladesh acquired a million subscribers within 70 days of launch.

Warid Telecom sold 70% of its stake in Bangladesh operations to India's Bharti Airtel for $300 million receiving regulatory approval from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on January 4, 2010.[6]

On December 20, 2010, Warid Telecom was rebranded as Airtel.

Georgia

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Licence awarded.

Network technology

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Network Status Date Note
WiMAX Live/Active unknown [7]

Ivory Coast

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Licence awarded.[8]

Republic of Congo

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Launched service in January 2008.[9] On November 5, 2013, The Wall Street Journal reported an acquisition by Airtel.[10]

Network technology

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Network Status Date Note
GSM900 Live/Active November, 2007 [11]

Uganda

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Planned to launch services in Uganda by the fourth quarter of 2007. Warid is also set to deploy a WiMAX network throughout Uganda through its sister concern Wateen Telecom.[12] Acquired by Airtel in 2013.[13]

Network technology

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Network Status Date Note
GSM 900/1800 Live/Active January, 2008 [11]
WiMAX Live/Active unknown

References

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  1. ^ "Royal Flush". Arabian Business. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
  2. ^ Warid, Pakistan, gains 1 million GSM subscribers in 80 days - Ericsson Customer Success Stories
  3. ^ "SingTel Confirms to Stake for $758 Million". CNBC.
  4. ^ "Abu Dhabi buys Warid Telecom stake - Business - Technology - Emirates24|7".
  5. ^ "Mobilink, Warid Telecom announce merger". Dawn. November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "Bharti Airtel to Invest $300 Million in Warid Telecom". The Wall Street Journal. January 5, 2010.
  7. ^ "Warid Telecom wins Georgian WiMAX licence". Telecompaper. 2007-11-21. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  8. ^ "Cote d'Ivoire: Warid Telecom pays for licence but can't get enough spectrum to operate". Balancing Act. 2009-03-13. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  9. ^ "Congo-Brazzaville: Warid Telecom Launches". AllAfrica. 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  10. ^ "Bharti Airtel to Buy Warid Group's Congo Telecom Operations". The Wall Street Journal. 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  11. ^ a b Warid Congo SA – Network Information
  12. ^ Warid plans WiMAX network in Uganda – Telecompaper
  13. ^ "Uganda regulator clears Airtel's Warid Telecom acquisition". Mint. 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
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