Zain, the leading mobile telecommunications operator, present in 24 countries across the Middle East and Africa, scooped up two major prizes at the prestigious 2009 Global Telecoms Business (GTB) Innovation Awards at a gala ceremony in London last week. The event was attended by over 350 industry leaders from across the globe. Zain's Zap mobile commerce service won the Innovation in Mobile Banking award, while Zain Group CEO Dr Saad Al Barrak won the Editor's Lifetime Achievement Award for personal contribution to the telecommunications industry. The Editor of GTB, Alan Burkitt-Gray, in awarding Dr Al Barrak, said “he is a dynamic and inspiring Executive who is driving telecommunications forward. Under his leadership, one company has grown to become one of the fastest growing operators in the world, delivering to Zain's customers in Africa and the Middle East exciting services that are way beyond what is available in most other parts of the world. Zain has become one of the most exciting telecoms operators in the world.” This endorsement is one of many since Dr Al Barrak was appointed CEO of the company in mid-2002, when the company was a single operator in Kuwait, serving only 600,000 customers. Under his leadership, it now has a commercial presence in 24 countries and serves over 65 million customers. Zap mobile commerce and “One Network” are just two of the pioneering initiatives he has overseen alongside the company's numerous Corporate Social Responsibility activities across the two continents. Dr Al Barrak said, “Zain is changing how people look at telecommunications and the role mobile telephony plays in improving social and economic well-being. I accept this award on behalf of the entire workforce across all Zain's operations, without whose dedication, hard work and vision, we would not be where we are today,” he said. “But now we must look to tomorrow and continue to provide our customers unique and much needed services fulfilling our brand promise of ‘A wonderful world.” The Innovation in Mobile Banking Award given to Zap mobile commerce service is the latest chapter in Zain's efforts to not only push the boundaries of mobile communications, but also reshape the future of banking in Africa and soon in the Middle East. The service has initially been launched in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and will eventually be rolled out across all Zain's Africa and Mideast operations. Zap is part of Zain's pioneering “One Network”, a service that allows customers to communicate freely across geographical borders and continents without roaming call surcharges and without having to pay to receive incoming calls wherever they travel in the 19 countries that currently participate in the service. To use Zap's banking and payment services, Zain customers only have to complete an application form with one of the tens of thousands of registered Zain agents in villages, towns and cities across East Africa.
