RIYADH: Mobily has announced the launch of a Haj Application to guide pilgrims on how to perform the Haj rituals using their mobile phones, David Murphy, Mobily's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) told Saudi Gazette in an interview. Murphy said Mobily has developed the Haj Application to serve pilgrims with handy instructions on all the rituals. “Pilgrims will be able to read, in detail, the instructions, supplications and day-to-day and step-by-step information on each ritual site during Haj that starts from the Miqat (the point where Ihram is put on) to the last day of the pilgrimage,” he said. For instance, if the pilgrims are in Mina or on Arafat, the Mobily users can simply open the Haj Application on their mobile phone devices and read the instructions about the ritual sites, said Murphy. Besides instructions, the Mobily Haj Application also contains maps of the Haj journey and the location of the ritual sites. The map will help pilgrims locate the ritual sites and guide them with a description of the journey on a daily basis, he said. Murphy, however, said the Haj Application will only be accessible to those pilgrims who use smart phones. Pilgrims from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries who carry smart phones such as iPhones and BlackBerrys would benefit from Mobily's Haj Application, he said. The Haj Application contains detailed information about all three different types of Haj that include Al-Efraat, Al-Qeera'an, and Al-Tamato'a. The Haj Application will help pilgrims recite verses from the Holy Qur'an and Ahadiths of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Haj Application will also offer reminders and information on essential tasks including prayer time alerts, verses from the Qur'an, supplications and information on the Prophet's traditions (hadeeth). Mobily has been working on the Haj Application since May, at least six months before the pilgrimage, and putting in place the logistics for efficient telecommunications. Murphy said Mobily has a logistical network in place to meet heavy demand during the Haj. “Our efforts are to ensure that logistics are put in place well ahead of time and the network does not get congested when more than two million pilgrims make calls to their home countries,” he said. This year Mobily will be co-sponsoring some of the Haj activities with the Jeddah Governorate, he said.
