Qatar Telecom (Qtel) Q.S.C. (“Qtel” or “Qtel Group”) (Ticker: QTEL.QA) subsidiary National Mobile Telecommunications Company K.S.C (“NMTC” or “Wataniya Telecom”) today announced that Dr. Bassam Hannoun has been appointed as CEO for Wataniya Telecom and will begin his new role from 1 September 2012.

The Acting CEO Abdulaziz Fakhroo resumes his role as Deputy CEO of Wataniya Telecom. The Board is grateful for his management throughout this transitional period.

Dr. Hannoun was most recently the CEO of Wataniya Mobile Palestine, where he was responsible for the successful IPO and growth of operations. Previously he was CEO of one of Jordan’s leading WiMAX operators, wi-tribe Jordan, a subsidiary of the Qtel Group.  In addition to more than twenty years telecom industry experience in Europe and the Middle East, Dr. Hannoun has a PhD in telecommunications engineering and holds a Masters of Business Administration with a focus on strategic marketing.

Qtel Group Chairman H.E. Sh. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani said: “Dr. Hannoun's knowledge and loyalty to the Group is strong and deep. In Palestine, he and his team have taken our business from a start-up to a real market challenger, delivering world-class service to customers in an incredibly challenging environment. The Board is entrusting an internal, proven leader to head Wataniya Kuwait's team."

Dr. Hannoun said: "I feel privileged to be selected to lead Wataniya's team just as it has made superlative customer experience the center of its strategy. I'm sure we will all be very busy in the months to come with improved services and offers for our customers."