Qtel, the leading telecom company in Qatar, and EMEA, which provides managed services, will launch a new specialist business solution provider, designed to offer ICT services to companies across Qatar.

The new initiative will combine the expertise of Qtel in the telecommunications field with the wide-ranging experience of EMEA in the technology sector, to offer solutions targeted at the small and medium enterprise (SME) level, said a report in our sister newspaper, the Gulf Daily News.

With new research showing that there are now approximately 42,000 SME businesses in Qatar, this sector is seen as one of the most important for the ongoing growth and development of the national economy.

This agreement will enable small enterprises to deploy high-level technology supported by personalised service and delivery.

EMEA has developed strategic partnerships with international vendors including Cisco, Oracle, and Microsoft, and will be able to implement solutions from these giants built upon Qtel's network, which is the most reliable and advanced in Qatar.

"This is a new form of management partnership, which will bring together the best of our respective companies to deliver the highest level of services for our small business customers," Qtel executive director business solutions Engineer Khalid Abdulla Al Mansouri said.

"The SME sector is the backbone of Qatar's economy, and we believe that providing access to the latest technology solutions will enable these companies to open new markets and deliver higher returns," he added.

The two companies will work together to jointly develop a range of new services specifically for the SME market.

In particular, they will look to use the capabilities of Qatar's world-class Internet network to enable more companies to launch e-service and e-commerce operations.

"We see this as a huge opportunity to tap into Qtel's vast service portfolio and understanding of the network needs of businesses and provide the highest level of service and support for our customers across Qatar," EMEA chief executive Prakash Bhagwat-Brown said. – TradeArabia News Service