01 Jul 2016
VimpelCom and Dhabi Group announce completion of Mobilink and Warid transaction Combined entity to serve over 50 million customers as Pakistan's leading high-speed mobile network
Amsterdam/Cairo/Islamabad (1 July 2016) - VimpelCom, Global Telecom Holding (GTH), together with Warid Telecom Pakistan and Bank Alfalah (Dhabi Group shareholders), today announced the completion of the transaction to merge Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (Mobilink) and Warid Telecom (Warid), creating Pakistan's next generation digital telecommunications provider.
Over 50 million customers in Pakistan will benefit from high-speed mobile telecommunications and a best-in-class digital mobile network. The combined Mobilink and Warid entity will be the leading telecommunications provider of 2G, 3G and LTE services in Pakistan, providing higher quality national voice and data coverage, faster downloads, and a wider portfolio of products and services.
Jean-Yves Charlier, Chief Executive Officer of VimpelCom, said: VimpelCom continues to make significant progress against its transformation program. This market consolidation represents a further step in our strategy to strengthen our position in the markets in which we operate. As the VimpelCom Group focuses on an ambitious digital transformation, we are investing in revolutionizing our technology core and product portfolio. We look forward to bringing innovative new products and services to our customers in Pakistan.
Chairman of Dhabi Group, His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, said: I am very happy that we have arrived at this milestone today which marks a unique moment for the Pakistan telecom sector. It is very positive news for Pakistan's economy. The Dhabi Group remains committed to Pakistan and its economic progress and I would like to thank all the relevant authorities for their support in closing this transaction. I am confident that together, the combined businesses will continue to deliver excellence to their customers while contributing positively to the business environment in Pakistan.
Mobilink and Warid will benefit from VimpelCom's USD 1 billion (1) investment into building one of the largest and most ambitious IT infrastructures in the industry. The Group's new digital systems will enable faster roll-out of new local products and services, particularly in the areas of mobile entertainment, communications, 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.
VimpelCom, GTH and Dhabi Group announced the agreement to combine their Pakistan telecommunication businesses on 26 November 2015. The completion of the transaction follows regulatory approval (2) from all the relevant authorities and the subsequent exchange of shares. Mobilink has completed the acquisition of 100 percent of Warid's shares, and the Dhabi Group Shareholders have acquired 15 percent of the shares of Mobilink (3).
With the completion of the merger transaction, Mobilink now enters the next major phase of its transformation and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Hedberg will hand over the CEO role of Mobilink and Warid to Aamir Ibrahim, currently Chief Commercial Officer and Deputy CEO of Mobilink. Aamir will drive forward and execute the Mobilink and Warid integration, supported by a world-class transformation team from the VimpelCom Group. Mobilink's turnaround over the past two years has shown significant improvements in service revenue growth (from -5% to +12% year on year), ARPU (from -11% to +15% year on year) and increased EBITDA margins (from -3 p.p. to +4 p.p year on year).
With effect from today, the Mobilink board is chaired by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, with Jon Eddy as Vice Chairman and consists of five other directors nominated by VimpelCom and GTH. The Warid board is chaired by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, with Jon Eddy as Vice Chairman and consists of three other directors nominated by VimpelCom and GTH. On conclusion of the legal merger, the combined entity will have a single board and management structure. As of today, Aamir Ibrahim becomes the CEO of both Mobilink and Warid. Andrew Kemp, the current CFO of Mobilink, will also assume the Warid CFO role.
Jeffrey Hedberg, Chief Executive Officer of Mobilink, said: Today we are delighted to bring Mobilink and Warid together. Personally, it has been an exciting and rewarding journey and I will look back with deep pride at how our Mobilink team has worked tirelessly through this rapid turnaround to make the company so successful. The results speak for themselves. I have worked closely with Aamir and the team over the last two years and as I hand over the baton, I have full confidence that Mobilink and Warid will grow from strength to strength.
The legal merger of the two companies, which will result in one merged legal entity having the same board, and management described above, is expected to be completed within approximately six months, subject to the fulfilment of the required legal processes in Pakistan. Mobilink and Warid will shortly file a petition to the Islamabad High Court in order to commence the process of legal merger.
As previously stated, the transaction is expected to create capex and opex synergies with a net present value of approximately USD 500 million with an annual run rate of well over USD 100 million of free cash flow improvements by year three. The combined revenue of both companies for the 12 months to March 2016 was USD 1.4 billion (4).
(1) The Group-wide contract with Ericsson is for a seven-year period with an option to extend. Link to press release
(2) Approval, in some cases, is subject to specified remedial actions or conditions.
(3) Subject to potential post-comp
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
01 Jul 2016
