Ooredoo’s transformation programme - which saw the company launch its new global brand in a major ceremony during the GSMA Mobile World Congress in February this year - received the highest accolade this week, when the company won the Gold Award for “Best Brand Experience Event” at the 2013 International Business Awards, known as “the Stevies.”
Created to honour the positive contributions of organisations worldwide, the Stevies recognise the achievements of some of the most prestigious and innovative businesses, and Ooredoo is among the first companies from the region to be named as a winner.
Ooredoo also received a silver award for best exhibition display as the company used its presence at the GSMA Mobile World Congress to signal the transformation of the company, with its exhibition stand changing overnight to showcase the new Ooredoo brand, the company said in a statement.
In addition to Ooredoo’s success, Tunisiana, part of the Ooredoo Group, won another major international award, receiving a “Silver Stevie” for “Best New Product or Service of the Year -Telecommunications,” for its innovative Najja7ni Employment service.
Dr Nasser, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said: “Receiving global recognition like this Gold Award underlines the breadth of our ambition and the extent to which we are determined to create one of the leading communication brands in the world in the coming years.”
In June 2013, Ooredoo companies received Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards at a ceremony in London, while Ooredoo companies received the “Best International Growth Strategy” and “Best Operator Network” at the Telecoms World Middle East Awards in Dubai this October.
Meanwhile, Ooredoo said in another statement that its innovative carrier billing service - which lets customers pay for BlackBerry apps via Ooredoo - has been a significant success since its launch earlier this year.
The number of applications downloaded from BlackBerry World App Store in Qatar has increased by five-six times every month since the July launch.
Ooredoo took a huge step forward in July by becoming the first communications company in the Middle East to give BlackBerry customers the option of adding their mobile app purchases to their Ooredoo billing, according to the statement. Shahry customers will see the app costs added to their monthly postpaid bills while Hala users see the value of the app deducted from their account.
The service, which is called “Carrier Billing,” allows customers to pay for apps and charge in-app purchases, such as additional content or more levels on a gaming app, without interrupting their online experience.
By offering the service, customers no longer need to pay with their credit cards or through PayPal, and enjoy full control of their online spend.
A recent survey by Nielsen research group showed that BlackBerry World is the most popular app store in Qatar.
Ooredoo is currently in talks with a number of application providers to extend the convenience of carrier billing to their app stores. The company is confident that it can become the primary contact point in Qatar for app purchases.
When purchasing apps, Ooredoo customers need to enter their BlackBerry ID and password and have a QR100 purchase-per-app limit.
For more information on Ooredoo’s BlackBerry subscription packages, customers can visit http://www.ooredoo.qa/en/SP_BLACKBERRY. For details of BlackBerry World, BlackBerry, they can visit http://appworld.blackberry.com/