Hub provider to reduce costs and increase revenue through simplified expansion into new markets
Multilateral roaming hub provider, Link2One, has signed an agreement with Orascom Telecom Holding (“Orascom Telecom” or “OTH”), one of the largest and most diversified mobile network operators in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, to provide it access to its roaming hub. The agreement has grown Link2One’s membership to more than 220 networks in 80 countries.
The deal sees Orascom Telecom minimise the need for costly and time consuming bilateral roaming agreements with an ever increasing number of service providers, instead leveraging the Link2One Hub framework of multilateral roaming agreements for data, prepaid, voice and 3G services. Uniquely, the Link2One Hub also provides Orascom Telecom with access to a single financial and clearing settlement pool with integrated payments, reducing the operator’s need for associated manpower and funding. The group is greatly benefiting from this significantly simplified approach to roaming, which allows it to more quickly and profitably grow and expand into new markets.
The management and expansion of roaming services and relationships can be costly and time consuming – a situation set to become increasingly complex with the additional challenge of providing maximum roaming coverage for voice services, CAMEL, GPRS and 3G. Access to a multilateral roaming hub, such as that provided by Link2One, which unlike competing roaming hubs also comes with integrated financial reconciliation, provides a cost effective and simple solution to these growing challenges for mobile operators.
“As a leading operator with networks in 11 emerging markets, one of our key aims is to rapidly expand our networks so that we can provide high quality communications services to our customers at affordable prices,” comments Khaled Bichara, Orascom Telecom’s Group CEO. “With the Link2One roaming hub, the process of managing our roaming relationships and operating our roaming business is greatly simplified, allowing us to expand our coverage more rapidly and focus on getting new services to market faster.”
Ralf Weigand, General Manager at Link2One, concludes, “This deal allows Orascom Telecom to quickly and efficiently expand, and at the same time increases the value proposition for other Link2One hub customers who will now be able to move into, and provide access across the MEA region. This agreement is testament to the value of the roaming hub proposition. It will mark the 220 network milestone for Link2One and clearly establishes the business as the world’s fastest growing multilateral roaming hub.”
