Warid Telecom

Warid Telecom International (Arabic: وارد تليكوم الدولية) was an Emirati telecommunications company that was active in Bangladesh, Georgia, Congo, Pakistan, and Uganda before its divestment.

Warid Telecom International
وارد تليكوم الدولية
TypePrivate
IndustryTelecommunication
Founded2004 (2004)
Defunct2015
HeadquartersAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Key people
Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Chairman
Bashir Tahir, founding CEO
ProductsTelephony, LTE, WiMAX, EDGE, GPRS, GSM, UMTS
Subsidiaries
List

Pakistan
Main article: Warid Pakistan

In 2004, Warid Telecom International LLC, purchased a license for operating a nationwide mobile telephony network, (WLL) and long-distance international (LDI) for US$291 million and was the first venture of Warid Telecom International LLC. The license was bid for and acquired by a team led by Bashir Tahir the former CEO of the Abu Dhabi Group, which is the parent company of all Warid operations.[1]

Warid Pakistan launched its services in May 2005. Within 80 days of launch, Warid Pakistan claims to have attracted more than 1 million. users.[2]

On June 30, 2007, Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and Warid Telecom announced that they had entered into a definitive agreement subsequent to which SingTel would acquire a 30 percent equity stake in Warid Telecom for an estimated $758 million, valuing the company at an enterprise value of $2.9 billion.[3]

SingTel sold back that stake in January 2013 for $150 million and a right to receive 7.5 percent of the net proceeds from any future sale, public offering, or merger of Warid.[4]

On November 26, 2015, VimpelCom and Abu Dhabi Group agreed to merge Mobilink and Warid into a single company called Jazz.[5]

Network technology
Frequencies used by the Warid network
FrequencyProtocolBand Class
900 MHzGSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
1800 MHzGSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
2100 MHz UMTS/HSDPA/HSPA+ 1 3.5G
1800 MHzLTE3 4G

Bangladesh
Main article: Warid Bangladesh

In December 2005, Warid Telecom International LLC obtained a 15-year GSM license to operate as the sixth mobile phone operator in Bangladesh for $50 million. Warid Bangladesh started rolling out its network from mid-2006, and launched commercial operations on May 10, 2007, covering 26 districts. It uses the code 16 preceded by the code number of Bangladesh +880. Warid Bangladesh acquired a million subscribers within 70 days of launch.

Warid Telecom sold 70% of its stake in Bangladesh operations to India's Bharti Airtel for $300 million receiving regulatory approval from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on January 4, 2010.[6]

On December 20, 2010, Warid Telecom was rebranded as Airtel.

Georgia

Licence awarded.

Network technology
NetworkStatusDateNote
WiMAXLive/Activeunknown[7]

Ivory Coast

Licence awarded.[8]

Republic of Congo
Main article: Warid Congo

Launched service in January 2008.[9] On November 5, 2013, The Wall Street Journal reported an acquisition by Airtel.[10]

Network technology
NetworkStatusDateNote
GSM900Live/ActiveNovember, 2007[11]

Uganda

Planned to launch services in Uganda by the fourth quarter of 2007. Warid is also set to deploy a WiMAX network throughout Uganda through its sister concern Wateen Telecom.[12] Acquired by Airtel in 2013.[13]

Network technology
NetworkStatusDateNote
GSM 900/1800Live/ActiveJanuary, 2008[11]
WiMAXLive/Activeunknown

References
  1. "Royal Flush". Arabian Business. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
  2. Warid, Pakistan, gains 1 million GSM subscribers in 80 days - Ericsson Customer Success Stories
  3. "SingTel Confirms to Stake for $758 Million". CNBC.
  4. "Abu Dhabi buys Warid Telecom stake - Business - Technology - Emirates24|7".
  5. "Mobilink, Warid Telecom announce merger". Dawn. November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  6. "Bharti Airtel to Invest $300 Million in Warid Telecom". The Wall Street Journal. January 5, 2010.
  7. "Warid Telecom wins Georgian WiMAX licence". Telecompaper. 2007-11-21. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  8. "Cote d'Ivoire: Warid Telecom pays for licence but can't get enough spectrum to operate". Balancing Act. 2009-03-13. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  9. "Congo-Brazzaville: Warid Telecom Launches". AllAfrica. 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  10. "Bharti Airtel to Buy Warid Group's Congo Telecom Operations". The Wall Street Journal. 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  11. Warid Congo SA – Network Information
  12. Warid plans WiMAX network in Uganda – Telecompaper
  13. "Uganda regulator clears Airtel's Warid Telecom acquisition". Mint. 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
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