Ooredoo, the leading telecom operator in Qatar, is currently implementing a cloud-based Machine to Machine (M2M) platform, which will be launched in a number of its markets in the next quarter and will be rolled out to all countries by the end of 2015.

M2M services provide automated tools to our customers to enhance productivity and efficiency in their business processes, said Dr Nasser Marafih, CEO at Ooredoo.

He was speaking at the ITU Telecom World event taking place in Doha, outlining the recent progress made by Ooredoo Business across its countries.

The innovative new cloud platform will enable Ooredoo to substantially reduce the time-to-market and provide a group-wide capability to build industry specific solutions across a wide range of sectors enabling all of its B2B customers to benefit from innovative solutions in the ‘Internet of things’ market place.

Ooredoo has already seen a number of significant wins in the M2M connectivity field, such as a recent six-year deal, partnering to create a traffic monitoring solution for a large government entity, and sees significant opportunity for on-going growth across its footprint.

“The launch of the M2M platform is the first in a series of group-wide innovations that will deliver better results for businesses. Mobile and fixed line technology is expanding the horizons of what is possible for companies today, and we believe Ooredoo is an ideal communications partner,” Dr Marafih said.

Ooredoo has the potential to further grow its share of the $10 billion business-to-business (B2B) market building on its strong base of fixed and mobile assets, he added.

“Our Group strategy is built upon putting the needs of our customers and operations first, and it is clear that an enhanced focus on business services is currently and will continue to deliver strong results for both,” said Dr Marafih.

“Our portfolio ranges from connectivity to cloud and hosting solutions, through to innovative new areas like machine-to-machine communications. We believe that Ooredoo can take a leadership position across our footprint in the B2B market – and our continued investment in business will further accelerate our performance,” he noted.

The Group has invested significantly in the fundamental building blocks of human, technological and market competencies and resources required to excel in the business-to-business (B2B) segment, he pointed out.

Across its footprint, Ooredoo has seen significant results for its business efforts in recent months. In Iraq, Asiacell has significantly expanded its B2B sales force and won new customers by creating innovative solutions, such as customised Closed User Groups.

In Indonesia, Indosat is building dedicated channels to meet the unique needs of business customers. For a country that spans 17,000 islands, and has about 55 million small, medium and micro businesses, segmented direct, indirect and retail channel experience is critical to address all types of businesses. – TradeArabia News Service