The parent company of Mobilink, VimpelCom, has said that the Mobilink-Warid merger will create 5000 jobs in Pakistan. Moreover, it will also invest $1 billion in Pakistan over the next 5 years, with $300 million to be invested in the current year on the extension and up-gradation of the cellular services in Pakistan.
While addressing the press conference on Wednesday, VimpelCom’s CEO Jean-Yves Charlier, termed the merging of Mobilink Pakistan and Warid Telecom as a positive development. He also said the merger is a win-win situation for both the companies as well as for the country. The CEO also acknowledged the role of government which supported the overall process of merging between the two companies.
VimpelCom is a global provider of telecommunication services. The company owns mobile companies in 14 countries, including Mobilink in Pakistan. Under the investment plan, 1500 new franchise outlets will be opened across the country and 5000 jobs in Pakistan will be created besides improving the digital and cellular services.
VimpelCom’s CEO is quite optimist about the future developments
According to the CEO of VimpelCom, Mobilink is currently working closely with the Government to increase their network reach. He stated that:
“Our strategy is to provide new digital services, for which Mobilink and Warid would invest more in new services instead of investing in traditional way like installing towers”
While answering to a question, the CEO said that the $1 billion investment will bolster the infrastructure and IT facilities in the country. Since the median age in Pakistan 22.7 years which indicates young people, he said that the growth opportunities in the country are extraordinary. The CEO also claimed that VimpelCom considers Pakistan as potential country for company development and planned to develop Pakistan as hub for other VimpelCom companies in the region.
With the merger, the telecom service in Pakistan will benefit people in remote areas since there will be a viable increment in the outreach and quality. He stated that:
“Integrating network assets would help introduce new products and services like mobile financial services, mobile apps and other value added services at scale. The merger would also result in superior customer experience as well as easier access and availability due to wider distribution network”
CEO Jean-Yves Charlier, who is on a 2 day visit to Pakistan, also met the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Nawaz Sharif and other government officials. He shared his company’s plans with them after the Mobilink-Warid merger, the first in Pakistan’s telecoms industry.
Mobilink now has 50 million subscribers as compared to 38 million before the merger. The company has already invested $5 billion in Pakistan. VimpelCom has also entered into a $1bn agreement with Ericsson to upgrade its IT services that will also generate whopping 5000 jobs in Pakistan.
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