Under the agreement Vodafone will cooperate with Zain in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq to provide customers with communications services.
The British carrier claimed that the move will enhance both Zain’s and Vodafone’s ability to meet growing demands from multinationals for sophisticated voice and data services and advanced roaming in the Middle East.
"Our agreement with Zain provides an opportunity for Vodafone to build its presence and work with a leading operator in the Middle East. By combining the geographical reach of our companies' respective networks, we can strengthen and deepen the benefits to our customers operating in these large and dynamic markets,” said Ravinder Takkar, CEO of Vodafone Partner Markets.
Through the agreement Vodafone will greatly enhance its presence in the region having previously only had operations in Qatar and Egypt, while Zain will have access to Vodafone’s devices and services in its home markets, become Vodafone’s preferred partner in the areas of cooperation and be able to use the Vodafone brand.
The two will work together to provide customers with enhanced network coverage and harmonised roaming rates across countries, with improved cost efficiencies.
Zain Group deputy CEO and COO, Hisham, Akbar, said that the agreement will provide operational efficiencies for the company over the long term as it transitions to next-generation networks.
Vodafone and Zain’s multinational customers will be able to add countries from each company’s footprint to existing contracts for international managed services.
This latest agreement brings Vodafone's marketing partnership total to more than 50 worldwide.
