Zain’s Lebanese unit, mtc touch, has carried out a live demonstration of HSPA+ technology in Beirut. The operator plans to launch its HSPA+ network across Lebanon by the end of 2011, offering peak downlink speeds of up to 42 Mbps. Huawei is mtc touch’s network equipment supplier for the HSPA+ rollout.

Zain’s affiliate in Lebanon, mtc touch, the country’s leading mobile operator, held a live demonstration of the forthcoming hi-speed internet 3.9G HSPA+ mobile services during a press conference held in Beirut. Held under the auspices and presence of Lebanon’s Minister of Telecommunications, Dr Charbel Nahas, also in attendance at the event was Mr Nabeel Bin Salamah, CEO of Zain Group, in addition to Lebanese Ministry officials, representatives of leading global telecom solutions provider Huawei, who is working hand in hand with mtc touch in the implementation of the new technology, and media who were able to test the technology both on laptops/ipads and through their mobile phones.

The press conference was opened by Mr Bin Salamah who thanked the Minister and the Lebanese government for its confidence and trust in company over the years stating: "Since the beginning of our management of the mtc touch network going back to June 2004, the company’s goal has always been to develop the level of telecommunications services in the country.” He further added, “Hi-speed reliable internet access has become a necessity in today’s fast developing world and advanced technologies such as 3.9G HSPA+ will contribute positively to Lebanon’s economic and social well-being on various levels."

The 3.9G HSPA+ is expected to go live and be commercially available across all of Lebanon by the end of the year offering speeds of up to 42 megabits per second. Among the 850 sites that will be compliant with such technology, mtc touch plans to have 50 enhanced sites with LTE technology (Long Term Evolution), which can reach speeds of 700 times more than the current speed in mobile internet access and 115 times faster than DSL, that will put mtc touch in the ranks of the very few in the world who utilize such technology.

For his part, Minister Nahas commented: "The Ministry acknowledges and apologizes to the community for the delay in bringing hi-speed 3G internet services to the country, however this delay may have a positive side as we are now able to jump on the bandwagon of today’s modern technology and implement it when it is in an advanced stage." He added, “With the impending launch of such technology, Lebanon will be ahead or on par with other countries in the region and this will stimulate economic activity and attract investment into the country.”

About Zain

Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East providing mobile voice and data services to over 37.6 million active customers as of 31 March 2011. With a commercial presence in 7 countries, Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. In Lebanon, the company manages ‘mtc-touch’ on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain has a 15.5% stake in Wana Telecom, now branded ‘INWI’, through a joint venture. Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (stock ticker: ZAIN) where it is the largest company by market capitalization. For more information, please visit http://www.zain.com or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it