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Nar Mobile to Give Impetus to Rivalry at Telecommunications Market of Azerbaijan: Head of Azerfon

ICT Materials 23 April 2007 11:08 (UTC +04:00)
Nar Mobile to Give Impetus to Rivalry at Telecommunications Market of   Azerbaijan: Head of Azerfon

Azerbaijan, Baku /corr Trend S.Babayeva / Trend 's interview with the Director General of Azerfon Joint Venture, John Armley

The third mobile operator in Azerbaijan set up its commercial activities in Azerbaijan on GSM in March. Azerfon is a trade brand of Nar Mobile.

Question: How do you estimate the development of the IT market in Azerbaijan?

Answer: By and large it should be mentioned that the Azerbaijan Republic is the most dynamic developing country in the region. At present, the development of the information technology sector is one of the most important directions for Azerbaijan. Mr Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Azerbaijan Republic has repeatedly mentioned that the telecommunication and information technology sector is a priority for the country. The number of companies operating in this field is increasing continuously. Azerbaijan is a leading country among CIS countries by the number of mobile communication users. It has been more than ten years that only two mobile communication providers have been operating in Azerbaijan. At the same time the absence of competition can be expressively observed. All the above mentioned clearly illustrate our role in the development of mobile communications in Azerbaijan

Our appearance in the market has resulted in the establishment of suitable prices among companies providing mobile communication services, development of a quality network and implementation of new technology in the country.

Question: Azerfon has already got tens of thousands of subscribers under the Nar Mobile trademark? How was the company able to achieve such success?

Answer: Nar Mobile has promised to be a different operator, our unique products and services have generated an interest in our subscriber. These numbers prove that we were right in the design of our products.

Compared to other offers in the market our tariff plans are efficient and competitive. Each Nar Mobile subscriber can choose a tariff plan that suits him\her best. Our tariff plans offer Favorite Numbers and number of discounts and bonuses. So, our subscribers shall be able make calls with a 50 % discount in the evening, at weekends and during holidays. Tariff plans offered by Nar Mobile operate on a pre-pay basis. Nar Mobile tariff plans are much more efficient compared to other pre-pay plans being offered by other mobile operators in Azerbaijan.

Accounts of Nar Mobile subscribers are shown not in conventional units, but in the national currency. In turn this helps subscribers to calculate mobile communication expenses easily.

Payment in national currency means a clearer understanding of their account. As a result of the implementation of the above-mentioned services and development of a high quality network within a short period of time, the number of Nar Mobile subscribers is increasing continuously.

By the end of 2007 Nar Mobile is planning to achieve a network capacity able to serve more than one million subscribers.

A wide sales infrastructure has developed in Baku, Ganja, Sumgayit, Ali Bayramli, Mingachevir, Guba, Lankaran and Nakhchivan. In general, there are more than 200 sales points operating all over Azerbaijan. In Baku alone there are more than 100 sales points operating.

Question: What is the percentage of users of the corporate program among subscribers of the Nar Mobile network? What tariff plan is widely used among the population?

Answer: Besides the pre-pay tariff package in general use in the Azerbaijani market, Nar Mobile offers corporate programs.

Of course, lots of people choose Various Tastes TP, but I would like to mention that the TP; On the Way to Goal is highly popular among our subscribers. Our subscribers enjoy free bonuses which we provide them on monthly basis. Unfortunately I cannot give you any figures because the number of subscribers of our company is increasing every hour as a result of the unique services offered, the quality of communication and the high level of services provided.

Taking into account the wishes and needs of its subscribers, Nar Mobile will offer new tariff packages unique to the mobile communication market.

Question: From a technical point of view what capacity of subscribers is your company capable of serving? What regions does your company cover and what activities are Azerfon planning to carry out for covering 80% of the territory of Azerbaijan without national roaming?

Answer: At the beginning of the commercial launch, our company's network will cover Baku ( Absheron Peninsula), Ganja, Mingachevir, Ali-Bayramli, Guba, Lankaran and Nakhchivan.

The company continues activities in establishing new stations. Currently, Nar Mobile's service covera ge reaches 80% of Azerbaijan.

Initially, this coverage consists of both Azerfon's own network and national roaming. By the end of 2007 Azerfon's own network is expected to achieve more impressive fi gures than 80% coverage with a capacity of over 1,000,000 customers without national roaming.

Question: What are Azerfon's plans for the near future? What amount of investment is the company planning to make in 2007?

Answer: Our investment plans are driven by market needs and our vision of the Azerbaijani market. We will offer UMTS service to our subscribers this year, and we will cover more than 80% of Azerbaijan with our own network, together with the continued development of our products. We are not only talking about GSM services and tariff plans but Nar mobile is much more, we will support Azerbaijani culture and we want to be integrated as part of Azerbaijani daily life. Our investments will be strategically and effectively deployed to cover all these aspects.

We have built a new company in Azerbaijan that already contributes to the economy by directly employing over 200 people and indirectly well over 1000.

We are dedicated to creating a better future for Azerbaijan, our customers and our company.

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