Vodafone has signed up Zain on one of its so-called ‘Partner Market’ agreements, significantly expanding the UK-based group’s presence in the Middle East.
In a statement this morning, Vodafone said it will work with the Zain companies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq, complementing Vodafone’s own regional operations in Egypt and Qatar. The deal had been rumoured for some time.
The pair will work together in areas such as network coverage, international roaming and solutions for multinational businesses.
Zain will have access to Vodafone’s devices and services in its home markets and will be able to use the Vodafone brand. Meanwhile, Vodafone's multinational customers will benefit by being able to add the Zain countries to their existing contracts for international managed services.
Vodafone strikes Partner Market deals in countries where it does not hold an equity stake in any local operator. Today’s “non-equity partnership” with Zain deal increases the number of countries in which Vodafone has such agreements to more than 50.
"Our agreement with Zain provides an opportunity for Vodafone to build its presence and work with a leading operator in the Middle East,” said Ravinder Takkar, CEO of Vodafone Partner Markets. “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.”
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