Vizz Mobile Partners with Roshan to Launch New SIM Card with Optimal Routing to Afghanistan

HAMPTON HILL, England, Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Vizz Mobile today announced the launch of a partnership with Roshan, Afghanistan's leading total communications provider. By inserting the custom Vizz Roshan co-branded SIM card into their mobile handset, Afghans in the United Kingdom will now be able to use their mobile phones to access unrivalled call quality, clear pricing, flexibility and reliability when calling family and friends in Afghanistan.

In addition to voice calling, messaging, mobile broadband and data services, Vizz Roshan allows customers to transfer mobile credit to friends and relatives in Afghanistan. Customers can make the transfer via SMS, through Customer Care, or online at www.vizzroshan.co.uk

"There is a growing community of Afghan residents in the UK who need a way to speak with their loved ones," said Pat Nabhan, chief executive officer, QiComm. "At Vizz Mobile we want to meet this demand and cater for the needs of a community that up until now has had to put up with patchy, and inefficient, communication to Afghanistan. Our relationship will enable Vizz Roshan to provide calling options at the best rates and highest quality that the Afghan diaspora in the UK wants, and sorely needs."

Vizz Roshan customers will benefit from several international tie-ups and unprecedented long-term relationships with global operators nurtured by Vizz Mobile's parent company, UK telecoms firm QiComm. These relationships coupled with Roshan's leadership in innovation and strong Afghan market position, allow Vizz Roshan to offer a quality of service which is unparalleled in mobile communications between the UK, Afghanistan and other global destinations.

Within the Afghan market, Roshan has developed a state of the art network serving 60 per cent of the population. The market leader now serves nearly 6 million customers, offering a full range of voice and data services to keep Afghans in touch both within the country and internationally, and support the fledgling growth of private enterprise in Afghanistan.

"Roshan is a true Afghanistan success story and it has been our mission from the beginning to serve as a catalyst for economic growth and revitalization. We deliver the widest and most reliable coverage across all of Afghanistan and it is exciting to expand access to Roshan's suite of communications services beyond the borders of Afghanistan," said Altaf Ladak, chief operating officer, Roshan. "This is an important step to our international growth and through our relationship with Vizz Mobile we are able to expand into a new market with a credible mobile virtual network operator partner, ensuring that our customers will have access to a high quality and competitively priced mobile service."

The launch of Vizz Roshan follows the successful October launch of Vizz Africa, a mobile virtual network operator targeting the UK's African Diaspora. Vizz Africa has achieved considerable success in its five months of operation by focussing on ethical and transparent operation.

About Roshan

Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading total communications provider with nearly 6 million active subscribers and a network that covers over 230 cities and towns in all of the country's 34 provinces.

Roshan is a true Afghanistan success story, serving as a catalyst for economic growth and actively contributing to the country's long-term development. Since its inception eight years ago, Roshan has invested over $500 million in Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and taxpayer, contributing approximately 5% of the Afghan government's overall domestic revenue. Roshan directly employs more than 1,200 people, 20% of whom are women, and provides indirect employment to more than 30,000 people.

Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and 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 the country and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

About QiComm

QiComm is a fully licensed telecommunications operator headquartered in the UK at Hampton Hill, Middlesex with additional offices in Central London, Hong Kong, Philippines, Sri Lanka and India. They switched over 6 billion international minutes in 2011 and their privately owned and managed international network provides a complete range of cutting-edge telecommunications solutions such as carrier services, wholesale and Voice over Broadband services. Systems Integration, Wireless Network Deployment and managed switching services are also provided to an impressive client base including BT, France Telecom, T-Mobile and many more.

QiComm is one of the UK's fastest growing telecommunications companies, achieving a turnover of over 100m pounds Sterling in 2011. They have had a rare two appearances in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 league table, which ranks Britain's 100 fastest growing private tech companies, achieving 47th in the list in 2011 and 28th in 2010.

For further information, please visit: http://www.qicomm.com

Contact:

Farah Kurji
Manager, Public Relations
Roshan
Mobile: +93 (0) 799 99 6813
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.roshan.af

Maggie Edinger
Account Executive, Corporate
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Office: 212 885 0370
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.hkstrategies.com

SOURCE Roshan