Orange Jordan has launched the Hashemite kingdom’s first 3G network some seven months after it won the licence from the Jordanian authorities.
The operator, which is partly owned by France Telecom, hopes that its JD50m (US$70.6m) investment in the 3G…
Orange Jordan has launched the Hashemite kingdom’s first 3G network some seven months after it won the licence from the Jordanian authorities.
The operator, which is partly owned by France Telecom, hopes that its JD50m (US$70.6m) investment in the 3G licence will enable it to catch up with the market share of its larger rival Zain.
Orange, which is the brand name for Jordan Telecom, had a 28% share of the mobile phone market at the end of September, compared with Zain’s 45%. Orange had also come under increasing pressure from third-placed operator Umniah, which has built up a market share of 26%.
Zain has yet to publish its number of customers at the end of December because it has postponed releasing any financial information until after it completes the sale of its African operations to India’s Bharti Airtel.
Orange has exclusive rights to offer 3G services until March 2011 when both Zain and Umniah, which is owned by Bahraini operator Batelco, can begin to sell their own 3G services.
At the moment, Orange’s 3G network only covers the western part of the capital Amman, the kingdom’s second-largest city Zarqa and the northern city of Irbid.
By the end of April, the network will cover all of Amman and the Red Sea port of Aqaba.
Jordan’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission delayed the licensing process in December 2008 after Zain complained that the JD50m cost of the licence was too great.
However, when the regulator restarted the licensing process last summer, Jordan Telecom agreed to pay the regulator’s target price.
