Pakistan offers ideal business opportunity for telecom sector: PM

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has said that international business community’s confidence to invest in Pakistan has been restored due to the incentives-based transparent policies of the government. The Prime Minister said this while meeting Mr. Jean Yves Charlier, CEO - VimpelCom who called on him at PM House.

The Prime Minister said that the government’s clear policies have especially revolutionized the Telecom sector and successful launch of 3-G and 4-G in the recent past is a testimony to this. We are encouraging the telecom companies to expand their outreach to far-flung areas of the country so that majority of the masses benefit from the technology, added the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister said that Pakistan offers an ideal environment for telecom sector as the country has one of the largest cellular phone subscribers. Our government believes in open and transparent business policies so that both local and foreign investors are further motivated to explore the business opportunities in Pakistan.

Terming the Telecom industry of Pakistan promising and vibrant, Mr. Jean Yves Charlier appreciated the business friendly policies of the present government. The CEO VimpelCom said that teledensity in Pakistan is one of the highest in the region, which makes the country one of the favorite destinations for foreign investors.

The meeting was also attended by Ms. Anusha Rehman Khan, MOS for IT and other senior government officials.

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Mobilink will serve over 45 million mobile customers after merging Warid Telecom

VimpelCom Ltd. (“VimpelCom”) and Global Telecom Holding S.A.E. (“GTH”), together with Warid Telecom Pakistan LLC and Bank Alfalah Limited (“Dhabi Group shareholders”), have today reached an agreement to merge their Pakistan telecom businesses. The merger of Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (“Mobilink”) and Warid Telecom (Private) Limited (“Warid”) will see the combined entity serving 45 million customers. The transaction is the first merger in the mobile telecommunications sector in Pakistan.

Together with continued investments, the new entity will allow Mobilink and Warid to accelerate the availability of high-speed mobile telecommunications and provide consumers and businesses with a              best-in-class mobile network, more competitively priced services and wider access to enablement facilities such as mobile financial services.  

Commenting on the agreement, Jean-Yves Charlier, Chief Executive Officer of VimpelCom, said: “We are delighted to announce the agreement with the Dhabi Group shareholders today to combine our businesses in Pakistan. With the addition of Warid to our already strong customer base at Mobilink, we will serve more than 45 million customers and offer a best-in-class mobile and high-speed data network – a key factor in the digital enablement of Pakistan’s economy. This transaction follows a number of strategic milestones for the company, including our recent joint venture announcement with WIND and 3 Italia in Italy and the agreement to sell our operations in Zimbabwe. This is yet another important step in our journey to continue delivering on our strategy to transform VimpelCom and improve our competitive position in our operating markets.”

The transaction is expected to create Capex and Opex synergies with a net present value of approximately   USD 500 million. The combined revenue of both companies for the 12 months to September 2015 was          USD 1.4 billion.

Chairman of Dhabi Group, His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, said “Creating the largest operator in Pakistan is a significant milestone for Mobilink and Warid but also for Pakistan as a whole.  Warid’s partnership with Mobilink will create value for all stakeholders and pave the way for exceptional and            cost-efficient telecommunication services for customers. Both parties bring their unique strengths to this merger. Warid, with its strong post-paid base and high quality 4G/LTE network will complement Mobilink’s position in the market. We are very pleased to continue to contribute to the strengthening of the competitive landscape for the broader telecom sector and the overall economy of Pakistan. The transaction reaffirms my own and my fellow investors’ long-standing and continuing commitment to Pakistan.”

VimpelCom and the Dhabi Group shareholders have agreed a clear corporate governance structure. The board will consist of seven directors, of whom six will be nominated by VimpelCom and GTH and one nominated by the Dhabi Group shareholders. Upon successful completion of the transaction, Mobilink’s CEO Jeffrey Hedberg will become the CEO of the combined business and Mobilink’s CFO Andrew Kemp will become the CFO of the combined function. 

See more on Official Video from VimpelCom here:  

A few words from the team in Pakistan on today’s mobilink waridofficial merger

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Mobilink partners with LUMS to enhance entrepreneurial eco-system in the country

Telco to provide mentorship and sustenance to future startups at LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship under its ‘Make Your Mark’ initiative

Mobilink and LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) have signed an agreement whereby, the Telco in collaboration with LCE will scout, mentor and provide sustenance to LCE’s next cohort of 12 to 18 prospective business startups. This extension of support to young entrepreneurs is being carried out by Mobilink under their ‘Make Your Mark’ (MYM) initiative with the objective of ‘Helping young people shape their future’. The partnership will see Mobilink support LCE by providing financial and non-financial assistance to help them in their pursuit of supporting the enhancement of the entrepreneurial eco-system in Pakistan.    

The MoU signing ceremony, between LUMS and Mobilink, was attended by Sohaib Arshad, Manager Corporate Responsibility - Mobilink, Dr. Ahsan-UL-Haq, acting VC – LUMS, and KhurramZafar, Executive Director - LCE, along with the top management of LCE and currently incubated start-ups at the Center.

Speaking about this incubator support initiative, Omar Manzur stated, “Our commitment to nurture and cultivate emerging talent is a fundamental element of our CSR approach and extends out to significantly contribute to nurturing young entrepreneurs who place enormous value on innovation, have cutting-edge ideas and are willing to take risks. We look to lessen their challenges and overcome road-blocks through our years of experience, comprehensive business consultancy and mentorship.” He further added, “The initiatives planned under our ‘MakeYour Mark’ program will offer support to a variety of beneficiaries to tackle the socio-economic challenges in Pakistan. The ultimate aim of MYM is enabling a generation of educated and tech-literate young people to help themselves, their communities in a bid to drive growth in the broader economy.”

Since LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship began its program, it has mentored and groomed over 80 entrepreneurs and the startup businesses have created a total of over 120 direct and 350+ indirect jobs. The combined annualized revenues of the startups based on last month's figures is approaching $250,000. These startups have also raised nearly $600,000 in investment from local and foreign investors. Moreover, the combined valuation of the businesses at which these startups have raised money at, or have had investor term sheets offered, is over $5 Million. With its third batch in the final phase of its graduation, LCE is currently accepting application for its fourth batch.

Khurram Zafar, Executive Director of LUMS Center for Entrepreneurship, while speaking about this partnership with Pakistan’s leading Telco, stated, “We look forward to continue to scout and support passionate Pakistani entrepreneurs in collaboration with Mobilink and its Make Your Mark initiative. The shared vision both organizations have to bolster entrepreneurship in Pakistan will go a long way towards strengthening this partnership over the long haul. We are thankful to Mobilink for the support it has extended.”

The ‘Make Your Mark’ initiative, launched by Mobilink last month, is a key element of VimpelCom’s corporate responsibility strategy. It aims to provide young people with technology tools, support and mentoring, and in some cases access to basic education, to help them tackle these challenges at an individual, community and national level – to shape their future. Under the Make Your Mark umbrella, Mobilink has also partnered Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy, Institute of Social and Policy Sciences, and GuarantCo and is working on expanding its mLiteracy program to reach out to an additional 3750 rural females in addition to establishing state-of-the-art ICT labs.  

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Vimpelcom’s Brands Listed Among World’s Most Valuable and WIND Italy Named Telecommunications Operator of the Year For 2015

“VimpelCom Ltd.” (“VimpelCom”, “Company” or “Group”) (NASDAQ:VIP), a leading global provider of telecommunications services headquartered in Amsterdam and serving over 218 million customers, today announces that five of its brands have been identified among the world’s 250 most valuable telecoms brands in 2015, according to the ‘Brand Finance Telecoms 500 2015’report produced by Brand Finance*, a leading consultancy specializing in brand valuation.

VimpelCom’s Djezzy (Algeria), Mobilink (Pakistan), Beeline (Russia), WIND (Italy) and Kyivstar (Ukraine) brands all featured among the top 250 telecoms brands across the globe (out of the 900 assessed). The Group’s banglalink (Bangladesh) brand was ranked number 262, placing it in the top 300 telecom brands worldwide. Djezzy rose 29 positions to 171, while Mobilink moved up 59 places to 201.

Two of VimpelCom’s brands, Beeline and WIND, were recognized among the report’s top 100 global telecom brands: Beeline was valued at USD 2.6 billion**, while Wind was valued at USD 1.6 billion.

Rozzyn Boy, VimpelCom’s Chief Communications Officer, says: “VimpelCom’s international portfolio of brands has grown at an impressive rate over the past 22 years and now collectively serve over 218 million customers across 14 countries. We are proud to have earned and improved on a number of leading positions in the global telecoms brand rankings, particularly for our Djezzy and Mobilink brands which have recently undergone brand refreshes in their local markets.”

In addition to being recognized among the top 100 global telecom brands, WIND has also been named Italy’s Telecommunications Operator of the Year for 2015 by the Le Fonti International Awards, Milan. Commenting on the Award, Maximo Ibarra, CEO of Wind, says: “Winning this Award is testament to the team who have worked relentlessly over the past year to ensure that our customers are getting the best deals, service and experience possible.”

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