Q-Tel willing to give up monopoly

Qatar Telecom (Q-Tel) is willing to renounce its decades-old monopoly as Qatar’s sole telecommunications services provider and welcomes any decision by the government allowing competitors to enter the local market, according to a statement issued by the company yesterday. The statement said that the company’s board of directors support the ‘necessity to open the telecommunications market in Qatar.’ The move would allow domestic and foreign telecoms companies to enter the local market as ISPs, mobile operators and cable TV providers to begin with. Q-Tel has already allowed private companies to take over the provision of several services including SMS text messages and news alerts provided by the Al Jazeera Channel.