Why Vodafone would win the fight against Qtel

I consider Qtel to be one of the worst telecommunications service provider, if not in the world, at least in the entire Middle East region. In spite of making record profits by monopolizing the telecommunications sector in Qatar for over a period of 15 years, it's a fact they haven't done much to improve their services in Qatar. I’m sure, like me, there must be more than a hundred thousand customers of Qtel who are completely disgusted with their products and services.

I was born in Qatar and have been staying in Qatar for the past 22 years. There used to be a time when every letter in the Letters to the Editor column, be it Gulf Times or Peninsula, only had complaints against Qtel. Yes, they have certainly taken steps to improve their customer service and relations, but I believe these have been small-scale taking into consideration their profits and the years they have taken to implement new services. For example, Mozaic TV – this was Qtel’s first step into the IPTV technology. Whoever has got hold of this new product of Qtel wouldn’t find the Apart from the frequent technical glitches in Mozaic TV, the channel packages they offer are pitiful. Qtel claims that Mozaic TV is a bit hit in Qatar. Well, this claim doesn’t come as a surprise when the service is forced on to the people. Using satellite TV services including dishes etc is ban; also, communities like Barwa complexes force their tenants to use Qtel services (over 2000 families forced upon Mozaic TV). Most of the families in Barwa have opted for Mozaic TV out of desperation. The funny part of all this is that – Qtel in a newspaper report said Mozaic TV is big hit in Qatar. Most of the services of Qtel has introduced in the past two years, including SHAHRY and Mozaic TV, have been introduced in the neighboring gulf countries at least 5-6 years earlier. So then the question rises, why did Qtel release these products so late? Well I believe the answer is - Qtel has been taking its customers for a ride.

Qtel has been ignoring its local customers – they have been investing more in countries outside with their local profits. Since the day Vodafone won the bid for the second telecommunications provider, Qtel has been trying hard to build a good brand image locally and win back the hearts of the disgruntled customers. They never did realize the importance of maintaining a good brand value in the local and I’m sure, with the coming of Vodafone, Qtel would suffer. True, Vodafone can’t beat Qtel’s so called “record profits” in the first few years, but with time, say 5 years, Vodafone would reap huge profits and would enjoy the benefits of having a good brand image.

Qtel’s vision is to be one of the leading telecommunications providers in the world by 2020 – a vision that is too good to be true! Unless they reform their policies, i.e. better products and better customer service, I don’t think their vision isn’t going to be fulfilled.

I’m so disgusted with Qtel that I would campaign for Vodafone free-of-charge!

Go Vodafone!