Pure Pakistani » Wateen

Wateen Ranked No. 1 Wireless Broadband Company

Umer Kayani — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:28:35 +0000

Pakistan’s leading converged communications service provider, Wateen Telecom, has been ranked the number one wireless broadband service provider in the country by PTA. In a survey for quality of service for all broadband service providers, Wateen was ranked first in the overall standings for all wireless broadband operators in the country.
In pursuance of PTA’s role to safeguard of consumer interests and growth of quality broadband services, PTA carried out the second nationwide Broadband Quality of Service (QoS) Survey of all wireless and wireline service providers throughout the country. The survey was conducted during third and fourth quarter of 2011. It is worthwhile to note that QoS generally determines the standing and status of country’s telecom services; therefore, special emphasis is exerted to keep the QoS of broadband companies at a satisfactory level. PTA has devised QoS standards/Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in line with best international practices and in consultation with service providers. The post survey analysis is carried out on the basis of scores against each KPI.
Wateen Telecom, with its vision of enabling every man, woman and child in Pakistan through cutting edge technology is the leading wireless broadband service provider in the country. It is the pioneer in bringing wireless broadband technology to the country and the first in the world to roll-out a WiMAX network on a nationwide scale.

Mr. Naeem Zamindar, CEO Wateen Telecom, in a message to the employees on this occasion stated that “This award recognizes Wateen’s excellence in delivering extraordinary customer value. Our initiatives taken over the last year and at the re-launch are now delivering the required results for our customers. Not only is this a recognition of the hard work put in by our employees, but also a confirmation from our regulator that Wateen is the leader in wireless broadband services.”

Over the last year, Wateen has invested heavily in improving and expanding its network, workforce, systems and processes to ensure delivery of an outstanding customer experience in the future. The Abu Dhabi Group has continued to show great confidence in Wateen and its new management and have provided cash support of over $57 m in the last 12 months. This has helped the company in optimizing its network by deploying new sites and relocating existing ones to deliver the best quality of service for its customers.

Wateen to Revolutionise Communication Through the Launch of Freedom Booths

Umer Kayani — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:56:37 +0000

Wateen Telecom, has announced the launch of its new Freedom Booths, a revolutionary communications medium. The Freedom Booths – the first of their kind to be launched anywhere in the world – reflect Wateen’s capabilities as a leader in converged communication services and exemplify the company’s data, voice and content creation services.

The applications for the Freedom Booths are limitless. This cutting-edge medium of communications aims to maximise the application potential of the internet, while helping connect people across the country. The Freedom Booths, which looks like old telephone booths from the 60s, include a laptop fitted with a web camera and a telephone system through which consumers can make voice calls to their loved ones and record the ideas and messages they would like to share with others.

With approximately 1.5 million connections serving a population of over 175 million people, Wateen believes it is necessary to promote the benefits of telecommunications technologies and the internet to the people of Pakistan. Currently, Wateen has launched the Freedom Booths in select areas with extremely low internet penetration in order to generate interest in telecoms and internet technology. Wateen is carrying out this experiential marketing activity in Multan, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Sahiwal and Sargodha, where the Booths are being taken to select public venues on the back of quad bikes. Members of the public will then be asked to record messages and ideas on how they feel they can help improve Pakistan.

Syed Jibran Ali, Wateen’s chief commercial officer, said, “Currently, we are asking people to share their ideas on how they intend to make a change in society and help progress Pakistan. In the future, we also intend on utilising this content and sharing it through Wateen’s various media channels and cable network.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Naeem Zamindar, CEO Wateen Telecom, said, “We are excited with the opportunity the Freedom Booths present – how these can revolutionise the use of communications on a global level and change the way we experience the internet. The Booths are also a great medium for people to experience the promise of the Wateen brand and the services we offer. I believe these will help people who have never used the internet before to experience its power and to bring about a digital revolution in Pakistan.”

Wateen Announced Recharge and Reconnect Winner’s

Tanzeel Afzal — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:25:55 +0000

Wateen Telecom, Pakistan’s leading converged communications provider, announced the winners of its third lucky draw in the ‘Recharge and Reconnect’ campaign through which it is incentivizing subscribers to recharge their accounts early.

The ‘Recharge and Reconnect’ lucky draw campaign is aimed at building a connection with Wateen customers, while encouraging them to recharge their accounts before the recharge date for each month. Entrants need only ensure that they recharge their Wateen broadband accounts before the due date in order to automatically qualify for the lucky draw of that month.

The ‘Recharge and Reconnect’ lucky draw campaign was launched in October, with the first draw held that month. This is the third round of the draw and was held on 26^th December, with three winners announced and the prizes presented at a small ceremony held in the Wateen head office in Lahore on 2^nd January. Nayyar Waseem from Lahore won an I-pad, Owais Qureshi from Islamabad won an HP laptop and Shafqat Abbas from Lahore was the winner of a Dell Streak tablet. This was Nayyar Waseem’s second prize under the campaign, having won a Lenovo Laptop during the first round of the campaign. The winners received their prizes from Wateen’s Chief Commercial Officer, Syed Jibran Ali.

As Pakistan’s number one provider of converged communication solutions, Wateen aims to lead the digital revolution in the country. Wateen believes that consumers who pay their bills on-time should be rewarded and wants to promote this culture in Pakistan.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Ali said, “Wateen’s vision is to reshape the consumer life through the internet. We wanted to give back a token of our appreciation to our loyal customers who pay their bills on-time and show that even such a notion can be rewarding.”

Wateen Gives Away Prize to the Winners

Umer Kayani — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:23:16 +0000

Wateen Telecom announced the winners of its ‘Recharge and Reconnect’ campaign through which it is incentivising subscribers to recharge their accounts within time.

The ‘Recharge and Reconnect’ lucky draw campaign was launched in October, with the first draw held that month. This second lucky draw was held last week, with the prizes presented at a small ceremony held in the Wateen head office in Lahore. Shaukat Ali from Sahiwal won a Hewlett Packard laptop, Faisal Altaf from Lahore was the winner of a Dell Streak tablet and Amber Nasir from Karachi won an Apple iPad2 tablet.

FAQ’s: Re-launch of the Wateen Brand

Umer Kayani — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:35:35 +0000

Wateen is re-launching itself and comes up with new business identity. The event is scheduled for Monday, 31^st October at 4:00pm at the Summit Hall, Royal Palm Golf and Country Club, Lahore.

The press conference announcing the re-launch of the Wateen brand, as well as the company’s new line of products and services for the Pakistani consumer market.

Here are the some important questions which might be in your mind about re-launching of wateen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does Wateen hope to achieve with the re-launch and re-branding?

A: With this rebranding we hope to announce that the new Wateen is different from before. Our main objective is to introduce Wateen in its entirety and not just as a WiMAX operator. We want to take this opportunity to communicate the true potential of Wateen and promote this as a Pakistani organisation which truly believes in making a difference for the people of Pakistan. Although admittedly, there might be some teething problems in the beginning, we intend to takes things in stride and build a sustainable organisation that changes the socio-economic fabric of the country as a platform of enablement for the digital needs of the country.

After launching the new campaign, we hope to maintain the momentum and continue offering new and better services that will improve customer experience. We would look to customer feedback on how we can further improve our services.

Q: Are there going to be new packages for WiMAX?

A: Wateen’s official re-launch is taking place on 1^st November, 2011. Our re-launch press conference, taking place at 4pm on 31^st October 2011 at theRoyal Palm Golf and Country Club, will provide further details and information on the new offers and services we have redesigned based on customer feedback.

Q: Why has Wateen decided to re-brand at this particular point in time? Why was this important/necessary?

A: Wateen’s product line for Data, Voice, Multimedia and Enterprise Solutions is one of the largest in the ICT sector in Pakistan. These products enable the banking, media, telecom, healthcare, financial services and hospitality industries among others, which are the main engines for the economic and social progress in any country making Wateen the biggest platform for enablement, contributing to the socio-economic progress of the country than what people may perceive.

Recent research suggested that consumers were not aware of Wateen’s entire product portfolio and how it is enabling Pakistan’s digital needs. Upon further analysis, we felt that the existing branding did not fulfill the promises of a modern and innovative organisation, particularly those of a technology company such as ours. Our tagline ‘We Connect’ was entirely functional and, the logo, along with the type-fonts, was staid.

We felt that this challenge could be translated into a huge opportunity.

Just on the WiMAX side, we know that since this is the consumer-facing product, we need to improve on our service delivery and manage peoples’ expectations. Therefore, we have transformed the entire organisation in such a manner that each individual has become more involved in every step of the process of providing the best service delivery. The new management is inculcating a culture of excellence and although the cultural change in mindset is the hardest to achieve in a business, we feel we have come a long way in making this possible.

So for us, the rebranding means a change in not just in our visual identity, but a change in the way we approach business.

Q: What is the current state of Pakistan’s broadband market and what is Wateen’s position?

A: The regulatory procedures in Pakistan have ensured that today we have a level playing field with competition in the market. The entry to market is very friendly for foreign investors, such as the Abu Dhabi Group. The PTA and the government are working to ensure that there is access to nationwide service availability. All of Pakistan’s major government departments are now online, allowing people to connect to these departments for their every-day problems.

The industry is still in its infant phase with only 1.4m connections. People opt for connections based on either fixed line or wireless connectivity with preference for the latter. You can easily see from the PTA website that wireless connections now outnumber fixed line connection. Wateen holds around 20% of the market share. The increased competition has created awareness in the market and the growing demand is encouraging for us. However, the biggest failure that we have seen in the industry has been that operators are only pushing speed and price as the biggest drivers for the consumers. Both of these in the longer run tend to hurt the margins for any business as we have seen in the GSM industry.

Secondly, most consumers use the internet for watching videos, social media sites and playing games. We believe that the most important tool for expanding a business in our field is customer education and awareness of the different product innovations and technologies, along with knowing how one can really benefit from them in order to make Pakistan into a more dynamic, prosperous and progressive society that is geared up to meet the needs of a modern and challenging economy.

Q: Wateen had first mover advantage in this market – with the influx of new players over the last two years, have you been able to retain that advantage and capitalise on it?

A: Wateen was initially set up as a “carriers’ carrier”, which meant that various other operators could use our fibre optic network to carry data. WiMAX was seen as a ‘by-product’ of the fibre network and consumer services were offered in major cities and towns since expanding the fibre into metros is a long and cost-intensive prospect. Wateen was the first in the world to launch a WiMAX network on a nationwide scale and bring the most modern and innovative technology at the time to Pakistan. Since this was a completely new technology and had never been stress-tested in any conditions, Wateen became a ‘white-paper’ for many other operators around the world deploying their WiMAX networks.

From the very onset, we were beset with some inherent problems with the technology. Our network had only a single-wall coverage which is why consumers would complain that it runs in one part of the house and not the other. Similarly, since most of these problems were unique for us, it affected our service delivery, hence creating a negative perception in the market. This meant that there was a loss of opportunity for the business to capitalize on.

These learnings have been of great value for us and we are now working on improving our services to meet customer expectations.

Q: Beyond the facelift, what does the re-branding mean for Wateen in practical terms?

A: Ever since the new management team joined Wateen under the leadership of our CEO, Mr. Naeem Zamindar, our focus has been entirely on creating a ‘New’ Wateen that is innovative, responsive and responsible. Such a change in organisational mindset has been of critical importance to us at Wateen, the telecom and ICT industry and Pakistan at large, since Wateen is a platform that enables most of the business in Pakistan. The re-branding meant that we had to move ahead from the past mistakes. Our vision is simple: lead Pakistan’s digital revolution.

For this, our strategic thrusts have included developing a lean operating model and developing a ‘Winning Team’ of champions who excel in their line of work. Our focus has been maximizing on economies of scale and improving on operational efficiencies. We are overhauling the entire operations of the company and our main focus has been improving on our customer-facing departments and also improving the back-end operations to meet customer expectations.

Although Wateen was initially setup as being a “carriers’ carrier”, recent progress has seen it propel itself to become the largest fiber optic network, the largest WiMAX network, the largest reseller for VSAT services, the 3^rd largest Long Distance and International telephony services provider. We are gearing-up to become the largest distributor of cable TV services in the country. These are no small feats considering the current challenging economic scenario.

In practical terms this means that we are improving our services in the areas where there is high demand. We are optimising our network from areas of low network utilisation to major cities with high demand, especially the metros, which currently have around 75% of the users. We are re-training our entire staff to become more efficient and effective when it comes to resolving customer problems. We are also plan on improving our operations at the franchise level to ensure that customers get the same Wateen experience that they will at any company operated outlet.

Although any change in an organisational mindset takes a lot of time, the building blocks have been set in place and we feel we have gained considerable momentum in the past few months. We want to continue this momentum and give a new vision of what Wateen means with this re-branding.

Q: In your opinion, what advantage does Wateen have over the newer players, and how do you compete with an entity like PTCL which is a major player in this market?

A: Wateen’s product line is incomparable to most of the operators. Our expertise in the other business lines will also help us improve on our broadband delivery for consumers. Being the first operator, Wateen faced some major challenges in the market and we have learnt how to improve on our mistakes. We feel the other WiMAX operators are now learning the ropes of the Pakistani market and will eventually have to change the way they approach business as well.

As far as PTCL goes, it has a favorable appeal to the Pakistani consumer because it has been there for the longest time. We have all grown up with the PTCL name and that is why it enjoys the unique position that it is in right now. However, since PTCL had the biggest market share, this meant that the increased competition would reduce its numbers as the competition grew, forcing it to become more lean and efficient. However, since it is a semi-government organisation, such changes would be hard for them to make.

So for us the industry benchmark was clearly a ‘red ocean’ and we want to look for bluer waters to set a new trend in the ICT industry.

On the enterprise side, Wateen is already a trusted partner for a lot of our clients. Our enterprise solutions team has over a 100+ Cisco certified engineers, who can help you plan and deploy a network. We are working with close to 200 major corporate clients which have huge demands in a growing ICT economy. Banks want automated services and our enterprise solutions team has partnered with international vendors such as Cisco, EMC, Huawei and Polycom. We are their preferred partner for providing infrastructure to meet their needs. At the core of the organisation lies a team of professionals which is dedicated to improving its customers business so that the growth in their business would result in the growth of ours.

Q: What can we expect to see from the broadband market in 2012 in terms of new players, new marketing techniques etc?

A: We believe that customer interaction is the most important tool of communication. Having seen operators fight marketing wars claiming to be better than the other. The larger broadband market still remains untapped and we expect to see collaborations happening in the ICT sector that will encourage development of new best-practices that will help improve the market. The biggest form of media consumption, the mobile handset, will probably be given the most importance which is why the question of 3G is currently doing rounds in the telecom industry. Development of local content and applications is going to grow in the times to come.

Although we cannot discuss in detail how we plan to achieve this since it is linked directly to our brand strategy, we at Wateen want to give an ‘inception’ to the idea that our businesses need to come together and face the challenges of the modern economy and Geo-political scenario of Pakistan.

For us, this means better business and better opportunities for growth. For the consumer, this means better services and opportunities to realize their dreams and achieving their potential. For Pakistan and the Pakistani broadband and telecom market this means new opportunities for collaboration and growing business.

Hello Again: Wateen Wireless Broadband Re-Launched Soon

Umer Kayani — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:53:59 +0000

Hello Again!
Wateen telecom the pioneer of Wireless broadband internet service provider is going to relaunch it’s wimax service soon in this month.
According to our source wateen first announced the 15th October for relaunching but now they delayed it and now at the end of this month wateen is going to launch its wireless internet in new way.

The main competitor for wateen wireless will Ptcl Evo,Witribe and Qubee which are using by millions of Pakistani’s due to their best package and reliable broadband.

To compete Wateen will offer same and more user friendly packages to attract and capture the market.

Wateen and Roshan Telecom Signs $7.9 Million Deal

Umer Kayani — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:15:16 +0000

Wateen Telecom is proud to announce that it has signed a $7.9 million deal with Roshan Telecom for the provision of VSAT services in Afghanistan for the next two years. This deal will not only help serve the day to day communications needs of millions of Afghans in remote areas of the country but will also spur the development of local and satellite based communications networks in Afghanistan.

Wateen began exploring the Afghan VSAT market in 2009, when Roshan telecom required a partner to help bring its VSAT services to remote areas of Afghanistan and provide GSM backhauling. The deployment and development of if this network allowed Roshan to rapidly deploy network in remote areas. After providing unparalleled service for 2 years Wateen was asked to renew its contract, which it did with the best interests of its partner and the afghan people in mind.

Wateen’s vision of bringing change through the internet is not limited to Pakistan. As a carrier’s carrier, Wateen hopes to help make Pakistan a hub for regional communications and to bring services and mechanisms for data transfer that reduce costs and lag and provide reliable communications in any environment or time.

Naeem Zimindar, Wateen CEO adds “This deal demonstrates again the long term vision that Wateen has for its participation in the region is and the confidence it has in Pakistan and its neighbours for the years to come. We are confident in the long term prospects that Afghanistan possesses and the ability of the Afghan people to move forward; like Pakistan, Afghanistan is also going through a difficult period, but we at Wateen believe that prospects for the future look bright as long as we work together and invest ourselves in the future of our countries and the region.”

Wateen Demonstrates Internet’s Power to Transform Lives

Umer Kayani — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:12:08 +0000

The 11^TH annual ITCN held at the Karachi Expo Centre successfully concluded on Thursday, 22^nd September withWateen Telecom,Pakistan’s leading converged communications provider, proudly participating by co-sponsoring the event along with other major companies from the internet and telecommunications sector.

Wateen Telecom strongly believes in the internet’s power to enable and transform lifestyles inPakistan. The broadband giant’s stall at the event reflected Wateen’s perspective, offering visitors a range of enabling technologies, including a dedicated VOIP telephony centre for international calls where people could reach their friends and family outside the country, and a gaming zone competition area for both PCs and gaming consoles.

The stall also featured a wireless broadband experience centre, where consumers could test Wateen products and understand the ways in which the Wateen connectivity experience changes and shapes lives. Corporate clients were provided the additional facility of a dedicated networking space.

“The ITCN Expo is one of our industry’s biggest annual events. Wateen has always been a proud participant; this year, we were really pleased with the turnout at our pavilion and the success of the event itself. By participating, Wateen was able to communicate its message that the internet has the ability to change lives, while also generating enormous interest amongst consumers and corporate visitors alike,” says Syed Jibran Ali, chief commercial officer at Wateen Telecom.

Wateen Launches New IVR Facility for Consumers

Tanzeel Afzal — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:28:00 +0000

Wateen Telecom,Pakistan’s leading Wimax service provider, is pleased to announce the launch of its new and enhanced IVR’s. This project is the result of months of painstaking work by the Customer Care department and owes a great deal to other members of the Wateen team.

The IVR was recorded with the help of Mr. Hasil Kureshi from the band Sahil and Ms. Fizza Aslam from City FM 89 very graciously lent her voice to the project.

Moving forward, Wateen would like all our team members to send their feedback separately for suggestions for further improvements, especially if they identify any missing items.

The next step in this process is to utilize Self Service IVR’s to reduce future call loads through automation e.g. with service requests such as tariff change, voice add-ons and complaint registration. This will eventually help to maintain Service Levels and reduce workforce costs.

The department would to like to thank the management team of Mr. Zeeshan Hassan, Mr. Aamer Ghani and Mr. Ahmed Saeed for giving their full confidence and support throughout work on this project.

The Customer Care department have achieved another milestone and are geared up to achieve many more for the collective betterment of this organization in the days to come.

Wateen: Recharge & Win a Trip to Ferrari World

Tanzeel Afzal — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:03:26 +0000

Haven’t recharged your Wateen Internet and Telephony account since 31st August 2010? Reconnect today and you’re a winner as all your previous dues have been waived off and you also get one month line-rent absolutely FREE!

What’s more, by reconnecting, you also qualify for a lucky draw in which you win an exciting all expense paid* trip of a lifetime to the world’s largest indoor theme park and the fastest roller coaster at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi*.

Terms & Conditions:

•         All those customers who have not used their Wateen Internet or Voice services since 31st of   August 2010, qualify for the offer
•         This offer will include all WiMAX and Cable customers. Users on Cable who have subscribed for TV only will not qualify for the offer
•         To qualify for the offer, customers are required to charge their Wateen accounts with a minimum of one month’s line
•         Free balance equivalent to one month’s line rent will be transferred to the customer’s account at the end of the billing cycle
•         Billing Cycle will be set to the 1st or 21st of each month for all customers availing this offer
•         All those customers in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad who recharge as part of this offer will get a chance to win a trip to Ferrari World through a lucky draw. For subscribers in other cities, customers will automatically enter a lucky draw to win motorbikes and iPods
•         Winners will be contacted by Wateen Telecom; results will also be published on http://go.wateen.net
•         Under this offer, balance will be transferred to the customer’s account on a pro-rated basis as per the defined billing cycle (1st or 21st of each month). For example:
If a customer recharges on the 16th, i.e. 5 days before the bill day, balance equivalent to 26 days of un-used service (in a 31 day month) will be transferred to the customer’s account. This amount will not be part of the free balance which will be posted in the customer’s account
•         Non- commercial and special packages will not qualify for this offer
•         This is a limited time offer

* Conditions Apply. Ferrari World Lucky Draw applicable for Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad subscribers only.

Wateen: 60 Percent Off on New Subscriptions – Zero Security Deposit

Umer Kayani — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:36:20 +0000

Recently, Wateen Telecom, introduced its first unlimited WiMax Broadband package and now on the Independence Day of Pakistan, Wateen offers 60% off on all new subscriptions. After, the entry of wi-tribe, Wateen suddenly woke up from a deep sleep and here are the results. This offer is available till 31^st of August 2009. Previous subscription charges for all packages were PKR 2,500/- which are decreased to PKR 1,000 and additional security deposit of PKR 2,000/- is also waived off for new subscribers. See the chart below for clear understanding;

*The prices don’t include Monthly CPE, Internet charges and Telephony Line Rent.

*Customers can also get a UPS of 600W with any of these packages for just Rs. 1,000/-

For more details, please call 111 365 111 or visit www.wateen.com

Pure Pakistani » Wateen

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