Vodafone commits to Q.NBN passive fibre project alongside Qtel

Qatar National Broadband Network Company (Q.NBN) has signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with second national operator (SNO) Vodafone Qatar to support the government’s plan to build a shared nationwide direct fibre broadband network. The news followed the announcement that Q.NBN had signed a similar HoA with incumbent national operator Qatar Telecom (Qtel). The HoA is the first step to define a framework for the participants to jointly implement the state’s goal of rolling out fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband services to 95% of households by 2015. Mohamed Al-Mannai, Q.NBN’s CEO, said: ‘I look forward to working with Vodafone to reach the final agreement over the coming months and move forward to make Qatar a truly connected nation.’ John Tombleson, Acting CEO of Vodafone Qatar, noted: ‘Replacing copper telephone lines with fibre as the last mile into the home will unleash the power of the world wide web, and having Q.NBN wholesaling this last mile to both Vodafone and Qtel will ensure affordability and choice for consumers.’