Completion of Mobilink-Warid deal announced

VimpelCom and Dhabi Group, on Thursday announced the completion of Mobilink and Warid deal, after getting approval from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to merge Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (Mobilink) and Warid Telecom (Warid). According to the Mobilink announcement, combined legal entity to serve over 51 million customers as Pakistan''s leading high-speed mobile network.
VimpelCom, Global Telecom Holding (GTH), together with Warid Telecom Pakistan and Bank Alfalah (Dhabi group shareholders) Thursday received the approvals from the IHC to merge Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (Mobilink) and Warid Telecom (Warid). Earlier, this year Mobilink and Warid had received approvals from the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA), Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), Securities and Exchange Commission Pakistan (SECP), local and international creditors and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in this regard.
Jean-Yves Charlier, Chief Executive Officer of VimpelCom in a statement said, "The High Court''s approval of the merger of Mobilink and Warid, confirms the creation of a world class champion in Pakistan, and it marks another major step in VimpelCom''s transformation into a leading global technology group with the ambition to bring digital opportunities and experiences to a tenth of the world''s population."
Chairman of Dhabi Group Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan stated: "I am pleased to know that courts of Pakistan have approved the merger of Mobilink and Warid along with all pertinent regulatory approvals for consolidating the two businesses. This merger is yet another landmark achieved, which will further accelerate advancements in telecommunication sector in Pakistan. I am confident that the merged company will continue to contribute significantly to Pakistan''s economy, while providing its customers with the highest quality of telecom services." Aamir Ibrahim, CEO Mobilink and Warid stated in a message on social media, "Delighted that our merger has been approved." He further said, "The approval from the Islamabad High Court marks a major and absolute milestone in our bid to merge the two businesses. The group''s new digital systems will enable faster roll-out of new local products and services, particularly in the areas of mobile entertainment, communication, the internet of things, and mobile financial services. Through this, Pakistan''s digital development will be elevated to the next level, further reducing the digital divide as we transform the merged company from a legacy telecom to a leading technology company."
The merged company will serve over 51 million customers in Pakistan, who will benefit from high-speed mobile telecommunications and a best-in-class digital mobile network through its state-of-the-art 3G and LTE services. Jean-Yves Charlier, CEO VimpelCom during a media briefing a few months back had stated that VimpelCom will invest one billion dollars in Pakistan over the next five years. "We are going to make major investments in network, IT systems, infrastructure and in new services for customers during the next five years with an ambition to build the best network with the widest coverage and the most advanced 3G and 4G LTE services in the country," said the CEO, adding that major investments will be made to enhance network, IT systems and in developing country''s largest store network in the country.
After a successful completion of Mobilink-Warid merger, both the companies are currently in process of integrating their departments and other operations, and this is why Warid''s network now has 3G coverage, while Mobilink is soon going to offer 4G services on its network. As part of ongoing integration, Mobilink has started to call "Mobilink to Warid" calls as "on-net" for select calling plans.
Currently Mobilink to Warid calls are offered as on-net calls for selected prepaid and post-paid plans; however, one can expect that this feature will soon be available for all Jazz packages, an official revealed. The customers will retain their current SIM numbers, but they will become part of one bigger brand. Mobilink and Warid, amid the merger and integration of both the companies, recently announced a Voluntary Separation Scheme for all Mobilink and Warid employees. This VSS was valid for all direct employees, employees on contract or any other workforce that''s somehow related with both the companies in official capacity.
As it is clear that merger of Mobilink and Warid will render some jobs redundant and hence some employees are to get relieved in any case. Mobilink, in response to the situation, came up with this VSS campaign and had offered employees to avail the opportunity for a hassle-free transition of their careers.