Careem, a leading ride-hailing company in the Mena region, has signed a contract with global telecom operator Orange to provide network and contact center services.

Careem, which is now valued at more than $1 billion, is rolling out its services across key markets of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as well as in Egypt and Jordan.

At the start of operations in 2013, Careem opened in a new city every three months. Today, by using the Orange Business Services flexible IP network with a digital call center solution, the company can open up in a new city in just one day, a statement said.

Careem’s customers order a car service from a digital app, and the company can manage calls from customers easily and cost effectively, regardless of where they are physically located. The customer can track the progress of their driver in real time via the Careem App and make payments automatically without having to worry about carrying cash.

The three-year contract includes network services to connect Careem’s corporate offices in Cairo, Dubai and Paris seamlessly. In addition, the Orange contact center solution enables Careem to reduce fixed voice costs and route calls. The company started with two call center agents and today has grown to more than 400 agents managing over 10,000 calls a day from more than 80cities across 13countries in the region.

“Orange Business Services has exceeded our expectations with their ability to match our demands for agility and speed, and they also bring our company the added advantage of local expertise and presence that our business needed in the region and beyond. We look forward to continuing our dynamic growth with Orange at our side as our trusted partner,” said Qasim Ahmed, CIO, Careem.

“Careem is an outstanding example of a visionary company that is transforming and disrupting an entire industry. We have leveraged our local presence and regional resources to support Careem’s tremendous growth in the Middle East. We are now moving toward developing a global relationship with them to deliver additional services in the spirit of meeting their fundamental needs for speed, reliability and flexibility in each of their new global markets,” said Luc Serviant, vice president, Middle East and Africa, Orange Business Services. – TradeArabia News Service