Global Telecom Holding
 | |
| Public (LSE: GLTD) | |
| Predecessor | Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E. |
| Founded | Cairo, Egypt (1998) |
| Headquarters | Cairo, Egypt[1] |
Key people | Khaled Bichara, Executive Chairman, Ahmed Abou Doma, Group CEO |
| Products | Mobile networks, Internet Services |
| Revenue |
 US$5.065 billion (2009) |
| Parent |
Wind Telecom (51.7%) Free Float (48.3%)[2] |
| Slogan | 'Giving the World a Voice' |
| Website | www.gtelecom.com |
Global Telecom Holding S.A.E. (formerly Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E.) is an international telecommunications company operating GSM networks in the Middle East, Africa, Canada, and Asia. It started its operations in Egypt by launching the first Egyptian mobile operator Mobinil in 1998.
On April 15, 2011, VimpelCom Ltd. announced the closing of the combination of VimpelCom and Global Telecom/WIND Telecom SpA. Therefore, VimpelCom will own, through WIND Telecom SpA, 51.7% of Global Telecom Holding SAE and 100% of WIND Telecomunicazioni SpA (WIND Italy) and will be the sixth largest mobile telecom provider in the world.[3]
Global operations
From 200,000 subscribers in 1998 to more than 101 million subscribers, through its parent company Wind Telecom, Global Telecom (GTH) established itself as a global brand. Operating in eleven emerging markets, the company has a population under license of approximately 517 million with an average mobile telephony penetration of approximately 48% as of December 2010. Global Telecom operates GSM networks in Algeria (Djezzy GSM), Pakistan (Mobilink), Bangladesh (Banglalink), Burundi (Leo Burundi), DR Congo (SAIT - owned via Telecel International), Central African Republic (Telecel CAR), North Korea (Koryolink) and Zimbabwe (Telecel Zimbabwe). In 2009, the company was also awarded the management contract of one of the Lebanese mobile telecommunications operator Alfa from the government of Lebanon and introduced 3G followed by 4G-LTE connectivity. Current CEO is Marwan Hayek
GTH formerly had operated networks in Egypt (Mobinil - sold to Orange S.A.) and Namibia (TN Mobile - nationalized by Namibian government).
GTH formerly[4] had an indirect equity ownership in Canadian mobile operator WIND Mobile Corporation which had been granted a spectrum license in Canada. The company is now independently owned by a Canadian-American investment consortium and has no legal connection to GTH and Wind Telecom.[5]
GSM Association
GTH established a strong presence in the GSM Association (the world's leading wireless industry representative body) only five years after its inception.
GTelecom Stock
Global Telecom is traded on the Cairo & Alexandria Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange.
Other sectors
Global Telecom has other Non-GSM companies including Arpu+, Ring, and Mena Cables. It has also extended its operation into Brussels, Belgium, through subsidiaries that are researching and developing WiMax technology, the successor of current Wi-Fi wireless technology.
Wind Telecom S.p.A.
Global Telecom Holding parent company is Wind Telecom, formerly Weather Investments. Wind Telecom also owns Wind Telecomunicazioni S.p.A., the third largest mobile operator in Italy (bought May 2005).
See also
References
- ↑ "Orascom Telecom - History".
- ↑ "Global Telecom - Key Facts". gtelecom.com.
- ↑ Press Release seen on 15.09.2011
- ↑ "Wind Mobile buyout deal gets Ottawa's OK". CBC News. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ↑ "VimpelCom and Global Telecom Holding to sell their interest in Wind Canada". Global Telecom Holding. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
External links
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