Umniah (Arabic: أمنية, lit.'Wish') is a Jordanian mobile network operator. A subsidiary of Bahrain-based Batelco,[1] it is the third and most recent GSM cellular phone company to enter the Jordanian telecom market. As of 2014 Umniah has a 30 percent share of the mobile telecommunications market.

Umniah Mobile Co.
Native name
شركة امنية للاتصالات
Company typePrivate
IndustryTelecommunications
FoundedAugust 2004 (license granted)
26 June 2005 (start of public operations)
HeadquartersQueen Noor St., Shmeisani, Amman, Jordan
Area served
Jordan
ProductsMobile telephony
Wireless internet
$12 million (2014)
Total assets$635 million (2014)
ParentBatelco (96%)
Websiteumniah.com

History edit

Umniah was founded in August 2004 by former Fastlink (now Zain Jordan) executive Michael Dagher and Fouad Al Ghanem Group of Kuwait with Huawei Technologies and HP as strategic partners. Umniah was granted the second GSM license in August 2004 issued by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission to operate, manage and own a public digital cellular mobile network.[2]

Operations began in June 2005 and within its first six months, Umniah had 500,000 subscribers.[3] In June 2006 Batelco, the state-owned Bahraini telco, acquired 96 percent of Umniah's shares for $415 million[4] with the rest being held by The Underprivileged Student Support Fund.[5]

Since its launch in 2005, Umniah was able to expand the Jordanian mobile market penetration rate from 32% to over 60% at the same time capturing 29% market share as of 2015.[6] By the end of 2007 Umniah customer base reached one million subscribers.[7] In 2015, Umniah reached 3 million subscribers.[8]

See also edit

External links edit

References edit

  1. ^ Moving Forward: Annual Report 2013 (PDF) (Report). Batelco Group. 2013.
  2. ^ "Back to the Future". Arabian Business. August 24, 2004.
  3. ^ "Telecoms Overview". The Report: Emerging Jordan 2007. Oxford Business Group. 2007. pp. 163–164.
  4. ^ "Batelco Acquires Umniah". Light Reading. Informa PLC. June 26, 2006.
  5. ^ "Batelco set to finalise purchase of Umniah June 28". Channel ME. June 28, 2006.
  6. ^ "Expansion of Jordan's ICT sector remains a government priority". Oxford Business Group. 13 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Iraq Telecom Newsletter". December 2007. p. 3. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  8. ^ ""We are leading Jordan's foray into the modern digital era"". The Business Report. Retrieved 14 November 2018.