The communications sector in Qatar has, no doubt, made major strides after opening up and undergoing development following the creation of the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology, ICTQatar, which is headed by the Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The achievements in this regard include ending the telecoms service monopoly by bringing in Vodafone Qatar, and the launch, by ICTQatar, of a broadband network that uses high-speed fibre cable, at a total investment of QR2bn.
Everybody has seen the positive results of the introduction of a second mobile service provider beside Qtel to the Qatari communication market following the introduction of mobile number portability last month. This makes Qatar the fourth country in the GCC to introduce this service. The service helps mobile phone users escape any restrictions that might be imposed on them by either of the two telecoms service providers in the country, Vodafone and Qtel, which officially changed its name to Ooredoo earlier this month.
Ooredoo
I liked the new name of the Qatari communications company. In Arabic the name means “I want”. It means I want this service or that, in a significant reference to the presence of varied services in the Qatari communications market, including money transfer service.
We are not talking here only about traditional communication; we are contributing to teaching those who do not know Arabic a new word when they ask about the meaning of the company’s new name. Moreover, having one name for a company operating in 17 countries is important, particularly with regard to the trademark and issues related to marketing.
However, I blame my friends in the company for their lack of attention to our mother tongue, as the company has failed to write the brand name in Arabic officially. This may reflect our lack of appreciation for our language, culture and identity. Qatar Vision 2030 underlines the importance of the Arabic language, which it says is a pillar of development in the country. This has restored to Arabic its original stature in Qatar University, following a decision by the Heir Apparent last year.
Everybody knows that the Ministry of Municipality used to require all companies and institutions to write their names in Arabic in its bid to boost Arabic language in the face of cultural influences from abroad. Is this still the case? I hope officials in the ministry will answer this question.
Leaving the name of telecoms company for people to write as they please in Arabic can create confusion. Native Arabic speakers and non-native speakers could spell the name in different ways, so we may need to standardise the Arabic spelling of the name to avoid confusion.
Major companies like Apple and Orange write their names in English, and they do not write them in Chinese in China, so there is no chance for anyone to spell the names in different ways.
The fact is that Qtel, which is now Ooredoo, has achieved unprecedented success under the leadership of its Qatari chairman, regardless of its name. However, there are always negative and positive aspects to any human endeavour, which is natural. It is too early to judge the logo or the colour of the new brand, but what if the colour of the brand is maroon in all 17 countries where the company is operating?
I wish the company success as an investment arm and part of Qatar’s soft power which carries to the world the colour of our flag.
