Roshan Taps Into Twitter, Increasing Afghanistan's Voice 140 Characters at a Time, in Global Social Networking Community

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Roshan, Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider, today announced that it is the first Afghan mobile operator to provide customers with direct access to Twitter, using SMS through their mobile phones.  The addition of Twitter to Roshan's current social network service offerings will connect Afghans with Twitter's more than 175 million registered accounts worldwide.

With Twitter SMS, Roshan customers can now use their Twitter accounts on the go, to send and receive real time updates, known as "tweets," from other users of the service, giving them the ability to talk, share ideas, and reach out beyond Afghanistan. 

"With the recent addition of Twitter service, Roshan continues not only to connect Afghans with their friends and loved ones, but is also expanding Afghanistan's voice in the global social networking community," said Altaf Ladak, chief operating officer. "Afghanistan's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has found that half of Afghan Internet users utilize social networking sites. Now, they can do so from the convenience of their mobile phone wherever they are."

The introduction of Twitter service to Roshan's customers is primarily Targeted at the youth market, a demographic worldwide that is most heavily engaged with social networking and composes 60 percent of Afghanistan's population. Broadening access to Twitter through mobile phones will also provide Afghan businesses with increased opportunities to reach this audience.

Twitter is not the first service to which Roshan has introduced its mobile customers. The company was also the first telecom provider in Afghanistan to offer mobile access to Facebook, and hi5, and was the first company in Afghanistan to offer BlackBerry services.

To access Twitter, customers can simply add their phone to their Twitter account by sending an SMS with "START" to 40404; then they can send and receive "tweets" from Twitter. In order to open up a Twitter account, customers can visit: www.twitter.com/signup.

To learn more about Twitter, from Roshan, visit: http://www.roshan.af/Roshan/Personal/Products_Services/Play/Social_Networking/Twitter_Guide.aspx

About Roshan

Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider, with coverage in over 230 cities and towns and over 4.2 million active subscribers. Roshan directly employs more than 1,100 people and provides indirect employment to more than 30,000 people. Since its inception seven years ago, Roshan has invested approximately $450 million in Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and tax payer. Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and socio-economic development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to Afghanistan and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

SOURCE Roshan