Zain Bahrain, a leading telecom services operator in the Kingdom, in collaboration with Ericsson, has launched its high-speed 4G LTE network in the country.

Zain Bahrain general manager Mohammed Zainalabedin told a Press conference that it has invested $100 million in infrastructure development, a part of which has gone into the roll-out of 4G LTE technology, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

This latest enhancement of the 4G LTE network will see it gradually being rolled out in order to ensure the highest quality of service at each stage of deployment.

The technology enhancement will expand on Zain Bahrain's 3.75G HSPA+ layer.

The upgrade will also fully modernise Zain Bahrain's existing infrastructure.

"Zain will continue to invest in network enhancement," he said.

"What we want our customers to focus on is the improved user experience that 4G LTE facilitates.

"We are confident our customers shall appreciate the technology as we offer them affordable usage plans," said Zainalabedin.

The launch took place at the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and Spa, in the presence of Zain Bahrain chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Ali Al Khalifa, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One driver Jenson Button and other public figures and dignitaries.

"This technology revolution marks another major achievement by Zain Bahrain and enhances the kingdom's position on the world telecom stage," Shaikh Ahmed said.

"Industry trends as well as our own experiences make it perfectly clear that high-speed mobile broadband is the major growth opportunity for the foreseeable future," said Ahmed.

"It will have a dramatic positive impact on the company's home broadband and mobile services, significantly enhancing the customer experience through superfast download speeds," he added.

Zain Group chief executive Scott Gegenheimer highlighted the direct benefit of Zain Group's partnership agreement with Vodafone, whereby both Vodafone McLaren Mercedes racing cars and team will be branded with the Zain logo during the Formula One.

"We are very pleased to have been selected to deliver this major transformation of the network and to bring the benefits of Ericsson's innovative solutions and superior network performance to Zain," Ericsson president and head of global customer unit Ray Hassan said.-TradeArabia News Service