NewsYemen - While the HitsUNiTEL company is preparing to launch the GSM service as the third operator in Yemen, under the sponsorship of Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology, the Yemeni UNiTEL company says such behavior is a belittlement of laws and judicial orders.

Deputy chairman of UNiTEL Salman al-Mashdali said that determination of HiTsUnitel to violate the Trade Court's orders to stop any measures until the Trade Court totally solves the cause.

Salman urged the government to prevent "such behaviors as the first responsible for enacting laws and courts' orders.

The Trade Court of the capital Sana'a ordered last week the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology to stop transferring the license of UNiTEL to any other party until a further notice.

The court's decision came after UNiTEL filed a suit against the ministry of telecommunications claiming the ministry had transferred its license as third operator of GSM service in Yemen to HitsUNiTEL.

Meanwhile, the board chairman of HiTs Unitel Nader al-Qalei denied at a press conference held in Sana'a Wednesday any difference with UNiTEL and said that there is no judicial verdict against HiTsUnitel up to now.

But he declared that Salman al-Mashdali, the owner of UNiTEL, "is a key partner in HiTsUnitel and has right."

Al-Qalei confirmed that HitsUNiTEL in Yemen was established according to a legal decision by the Yemeni cabinet and that it had paid charges of the license, 140 million Yemeni rials.

He said that the shareholders in HiTsUnitel are 26, Gulf and Syrians have the lion share, 75 percent. He said a Kuwaiti company has 15%, the United Corporation for Trade 18.5% and the Yemeni Mohammad al-Kore, deputy chairman of HitsUnitel, has 6%.

The company has announced its market name would be "Y" and its numbers for subscribers would start with (700).

According to HiTsUnitel website, the company has become the third GSM provider in Yemen, along with 2 local companies.

It said that it had been awarded the third GSM license in Yemen on 18 July 2006.

The Telecom market in Yemen is mushrooming and has one of the fastest growth market in the region, with a population of 21 million and a penetration rate of only 10%, it said.

It said that its ambition is to become the new leader of the telecom sector in the country by fueling in new ideas and technology into the market. It said it would launch its service in Yemen in the few coming months.
NewsYemen