Microsoft and Qtel Sign Strategic Alliance
By Helen Hughes, senior marketing manager, Communications Sector at Microsoft
Today, Microsoft Corp. and Qatar Telecom (Qtel) announced the signing of a broad strategic alliance to bring together our respective assets and collective strengths to offer a range of products and services that help drive productivity while enabling customers to be more agile in their everyday technology needs.
In its first phase, The Qtel Group and Microsoft will run mobile eLearning pilot projects in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman aimed at providing students and teachers with the ability to easily communicate, collaborate and access various services educational services, using solutions including Windows phones and the Windows Live platform.
This is an important step for Microsoft and The Qtel Group in enriching educational experiences via mobile e-learning, whereby teachers and students can communicate, collaborate and access online services and educational materials via their mobile phones. Mobile e-learning brings anywhere and anytime learning to students and encourages creativity in the workplace.
The partnership demonstrates how we work with operators to offer end users differentiated value based on sustainable business models. Together, we and our partners create and deliver seamless experiences that combine software with the internet across a world of devices.
Take, for example, Windows Live, Xbox Live and Microsoft Online Services which are deployed with dozens of operators worldwide. We have sold over 50 million Windows Mobile devices and have a range of more than 140 devices supplied by top OEMs. The newly announced range of Windows Phone 7 Series phones demonstrate how we designed from the ground up to make life easier by organizing the phone, its services web and applications based on how people actually use them.
Our alliance with The Qtel Group further cements our commitment to bringing services that span TV, PC and mobile devices to market via partnerships, with the aim of delivering compelling new scenarios for consumers and businesses.