Qatar telecom and Vodafone Qatar on Wednesday signed two strategic agreements on outdoor site sharing and interconnection.

The deals aim to deliver significant benefits for customers and shareholders.

The outdoor site sharing agreement allows Vodafone Qatar to share Qtel mobile towers and Qtel to share Vodafone Qatar mobile towers. Both companies will have separate active mobile networks, said senior officials after the signing ceremony.

'Outdoor Site Sharing is particularly significant because it is the first time in the region that site sharing has been agreed, and one of the first times in the world that site sharing has been agreed between an incumbent and a second operator before full commercial launch,' they added.

The Interconnection Agreement is a wholesale agreement which allows customers of Qtel and Vodafone Qatar to communicate with each other.

The two agreements for Outdoor Site Sharing and Interconnection were bilaterally negotiated and officially signed by Dr Nasser Marafih, chief executive officer of Qtel Group, and Grahame Maher, CEO of Vodafone Qatar.

Dr Marafih said, 'Qtel has long supported competition within Qatar’s communications sector, as we believe that it will highlight the world class service that Qtel provides to its customers who are at the heart of everything we do.'

'These agreements – which have been mutually supported as fair and equitable – are a concrete demonstration of the fact that Qtel welcomes competition.'

“Under the agreement on Outdoor Site Sharing, we expect that Qtel will share more than half of Qtel’s mobile network towers,” he added.

By sharing sites, the two companies will both be able to provide extensive mobile network coverage, to streamline costs and reduce environmental and community impact by avoiding the unnecessary duplication of towers across Qatar.

Maher said: 'Vodafone Qatar is delighted to have signed these two important agreements with Qtel. Interconnection enables Vodafone Qatar customers, starting with the 1st 1000 Promotion, to communicate with Qtel customers.'

'Outdoor Site Sharing is consistent with Vodafone Qatar bringing leading international practice to Qatar to ensure that both Qtel and Vodafone Qatar provide national mobile network coverage and supports the environment by reducing unnecessary duplication of towers.'

Vodafone Qatar believes the signing of these agreements is the start of an important partnership at the wholesale level with Qtel, and will support Vodafone Qatar to introduce retail competition and choice for customers.

'This is another step towards Vodafone Qatar making a world of difference for the people in Qatar,' Maher added.-TradeArabia News Service