Zain Group, a leading telecommunications mobile operator servicing over 50 million customers in 22 countries across the Middle East and Africa, said it has re-branded its entire African operations from Celtel to Zain.

The move coincides with the linking of the world’s first borderless mobile service ‘One Network’ across two continents.

A total of 14 country operations across Africa will immediately rebrand to Zain.

 It includes Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Zain will launch its mobile operation in Ghana later in 2008.

Announcing this at a press conference in Nairobi, Zain CEO Dr Saad Al Barrak said “By rebranding to Zain, we are bringing together our African and Middle East operations under a single, strong and unique identity.’

’We believe the Zain brand provides an optimal platform upon which we can build a top 100 global brand with the ultimate goal of better serving our customers. It builds upon the success of our African operations and will propel the Zain Group towards becoming one of the top ten global mobile telecommunications companies by 2011,’ Al Barrak said.

To mark the launch of its new colourful identity across Africa, Zain also announced the creation of the world’s first cross-continental borderless network, extending and linking its ‘One Network’ service between Africa and the Middle East.

The service will be available to 500 million people stretching from the west coast of Africa to the Middle East, covering an area larger than the United States of America. One Network allows Zain customers affordable cross-border communications, helping friends and families stay connected.

’This truly is a defining moment in the history of global telecommunications. The connecting of One Network across two continents demonstrates how under one brand, Zain is able to offer enhanced mobile telephony services,’ he noted.

’Going forward it will now be easier and more affordable for people to keep in touch and support cross-continent trade and enterprise. This is the essence of the Zain brand promise to create ‘A wonderful world,’ commented Dr Al Barrak.

From today, all Zain customers (pre-paid and post-paid) in Africa and the Middle East using ‘One Network’ will enjoy the benefits of being treated as a ‘local’ customer wherever they are.

Customers can make calls and send messages at local rates when communicating with a travelling Zain customer who will receive incoming calls free-of-charge and be able to make calls back home at local rates.-TradeArabia News Service