With tennis fans from around the world arriving in Qatar for the Sony Ericsson Championships Doha 2008, Qtel today announced that it is set to provide full support as a new sponsor. 

Qtel has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with the organisers of the prestigious season-ending women’s tennis event. Building on its experience as a major supporter of sport in Qatar, Qtel will provide a broad range of services designed to enhance people’s enjoyment of the Sony Ericsson Championships.  

Karim Alami, Tournament Director, said: “We are very pleased to have the support of Qtel for the Sony Ericsson Championships Doha 2008, and we are confident that this year’s event will be a great success.”  

Throughout the Championship, which runs from November 4-9, Qtel will offer free SMS updates on results from the singles and doubles competitions, in addition to a rolling news-stream.  

Adel Al Mutawa, Executive Director of Group Communications, Qtel, said: “Qtel always looks to provide the highest level of support to every sporting event we engage with, and we are very pleased to be involved with the Sony Ericsson Championships. We see this as a long-term opportunity to bring the excitement and energy of the event to the widest possible audience within Qatar.”  

Sony Ericsson’s innovative Mobile Event Guide, which provides tournament schedules and results, video clips and pictures from matches direct to mobile phones, will be available for free on the popular Mozaic Mobile portal, providing an interactive update for people across Qatar.  

Updates from the service, including player information and analysis, will also be provided for free.  

As part of its sponsorship for the event, Qtel is providing the telecommunication infrastructure at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex to ensure media companies from around the world can seamlessly report on the Sony Ericsson Championships.  

Qtel will also be hosting a number of its business and organizational clients in the VIP Village, as well as providing a number of courtside seats.  

The Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha 2008 will see the world’s top eight women singles and top four women’s doubles teams compete for the title and a share of the record prize money of US$4.45 million.  

The field is now complete with eight singles players and four doubles players. Participating players including Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, Venus Williams and Vera Zvonareva for the singles; and Cara Black/Liezel Huber; Anabel Medina Garrigues/Virginia Ruano Pascual; Kveta Peschke/Rennae Stubbs and Ai Sugiyama/Katerina Srebotnik for the doubles. 

Qtel figures demonstrate the importance of communication and connectivity during the Holy Month of Ramadan, as people made a record number of video and voice calls this year.

Qtel has helped enable this communication with a special campaign that reduced the cost of video and voice calls by 50 percent during the evening.

The campaign was deliberately designed to ensure that people from all backgrounds could communicate with their friends and family during the Holy Month, and share best wishes with them.

The timing of the reduced tariff period – 9pm and 6am every day – was set following a consultation period with customers across Qatar, the majority of whom indicated that the evening was the most likely time when they would elect to make calls.

In 2008, video calling has proven particularly popular compared to Ramadan 2007. Executives at Qtel believe that the “emotional” nature of video calling is increasing its popularity during festivals and holiday seasons. 

Qtel’s special call reduction was also supported by a significant awareness campaign, which took the message of communication and dialogue across a range of media, including a major television campaign. Qtel’s television advertisement, which emphasized the importance of sharing during the Holy Month, has received positive reviews from a range of specialist marketing media.

Adel Al Mutawa, Executive Director of Group Communications, Qtel, said: “Every business unit and every part of the company has looked to make a contribution to the community during Ramadan, both through the provision of special services and direct local engagement. The call promotion in particular has been warmly received by the public.”

Qtel maximized its social contribution throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan, organizing and participating in a wide range of charity and community activities. 

About Qtel
Qatar Telecom (Qtel) is the telecommunications service provider licensed by the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) to provide both fixed and mobile telecommunications services in the state of Qatar. We have a presence in 16 countries and we are committed to expansion both in the MENA region and South East Asia. Our vision is to be among the top 20 telecommunications companies in the world by 2020.