Orascom Telecom, Mobinil and Great Connection Collaborate to Launch Mobile Baby™ Service in Egypt

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Orascom Telecom and Mobinil, in collaboration with Great Connection, today announced the launch of a pilot project to bring mobile DICOM sonar images remote diagnostics to pregnant women in Egypt.  

Mobile Baby™ service, offered in Egypt by Mobinil, the country's leading mobile operator, enables healthcare providers in clinics to transfer patients' ultrasound images wirelessly to family members and referring physicians for expert advice. Mobile Baby™ is initially launched in Cairo Scan, one of Egypt's major clinics, with plans to expand the service availability to clinics and hospitals across other parts of the country, including rural regions. The initiative is part of Orascom Telecom's and Mobinil's shared commitment to using technology to bring economic and social benefits to the Egyptian people in urban and rural areas.  

Mobile Baby™ enables medical practitioners to send ultrasound images, video clips and 3D scans to and from referring physicians for remote medical diagnostics. The application works directly from ultrasound machines, with images delivered to any mobile phone via SMS, MMS and email.

According to Khaled Bichara, Group Chief Executive Officer, Orascom Telecom, "Currently, the patient to doctor ratio in Egypt is 1 to 1,900. This disparity makes it challenging for healthcare providers to meet the healthcare needs in Egypt's rural regions, particularly pregnant women requiring pre-natal care. Mobile Baby™ is the first such service to be deployed in Egypt and we are proud to be launching this pilot project with Mobinil and Great Connection with encouragement from Orascom Telecom's Executive Chairman Naguib Sawiris and Dr. Paul Jacobs, Chairman and CEO of Qualcomm.  In this effort, we hope to improve the health and well-being of Egypt's citizens."

Hassan Kabbani, Chief Executive Officer of Mobinil, said, "With mobile health services as part of Mobinil's strategic direction in 2012, Mobile Baby™ is just the start. As Egypt's leading mobile operator, Mobinil acts as the MMS gateway for Mobile Baby™. Our version of the service is a novel development that helps clinics differentiate their offering by providing an additional, more cost-efficient media for sharing ultrasound images."

Commenting on this milestone, Asa Nordgren, CEO Great Connection Inc, said, "We are very excited to bring our service to Egypt in collaboration with Orascom Telecom and Mobinil. Parents in less fortunate areas deserve the same care that is available in urban centers. Both Orascom Telecom and Mobinil have been extremely innovative in bringing this service to fruition. This project is the beginning of an exciting era, where new technologies are being used to enhance the access and quality of healthcare."

Orascom Telecom, Mobinil and Great Connection have collaborated to introduce Mobile Baby™ with facilitation from Qualcomm Incorporated. A leading developer and innovator of wireless technologies and services, Qualcomm is working with a diverse ecosystem of companies worldwide to promote health monitoring and diagnosis services over wireless networks and using smartphone applications.

"It is a great pleasure to see the Mobile Baby™ pilot launched in Egypt," said Jihad Srage, Qualcomm's Vice President and President, Middle East and Africa. "The rapid growth of 3G devices is enabling new types of services that can improve people's lives. Orascom Telecom, Mobinil and Great Connection are helping to pioneer the exciting field of mobile health services."

Great Connection's technology is based on global imaging standards and it works for all types of ultrasounds and X-rays. Mobile Baby™ is the first application in a portfolio of services in image conversion from Great Connection.

About Orascom Telecom

Orascom Telecom is a leading international telecommunications company operating GSM networks in high growth markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, having a total population under license of approximately 506 million with an average mobile telephony penetration of approximately 48% as of September 30th, 2010. Orascom Telecom operates GSM networks in Algeria ("OTA"), Pakistan ("Mobilink"), Egypt ("Mobinil"), Bangladesh ("banglalink"), North Korea ("koryolink") and has an indirect equity shareholding in Globalive Wireless Canada ("Wind Mobile"). In addition it has an indirect equity ownership in Telecel Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe) and through its subsidiary Telecel Globe; OTH also operates in Burundi, the Central African Republic and Namibia. Orascom Telecom reached almost 98 million subscribers as of September 30th, 2010.

Orascom Telecom is traded on the Egyptian Exchange under the symbol (ORTE.CA, ORAT EY), and on the London Stock Exchange its GDR is traded under the symbol (ORTEq.L, OTLD LI). For more information visit www.orascomtelecom.com.

About Mobinil

Since its inception in May 1998, Mobinil has strived to maintain its position as the leading Mobile service operator in Egypt. Honoring the trust of more than 30 million subscribers, Mobinil is committed to being the leading mobile service provider in Egypt, providing the best quality service for our customers, the best working environment for our employees, top value for our shareholders, and proudly contributing to the development of the community.

Visit us on www.mobinil.com

About Great Connection

Great Connection Inc. is a privately owned company at the intersection of wireless technology and healthcare. Great Connection mobilizes ultrasound and x-ray images by sending them from any imaging modality to any mobile device. Consumers and patients get high-quality medical images that they can print, store, publish or send to family and friends, or to doctors for a second opinion. Doctors get remote access to images, cost efficient storage and they can send images to referring physicians. Great Connection patent-pending technology, The Dicom Mobilizer™, is an accessory to any ultrasound system or diagnostic software. The first service based on this technology, Mobile Baby™, was launched in Scandinavia in 2009.  The service sends video clips, 3D and still images of unborn babies to expecting parents and doctors. Great Connection is based in San Diego, USA and Stockholm, Sweden.  For more information, visit us at www.greatconnection.se 

SOURCE Orascom Telecom; Mobinil; Great Connection