Roshan - Not just a cell phone company

Any Institutional activities in the world
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

The Central Bank of Afghanistan Issues First Electronic Money Institution License to M-Paisa

http://www.roshan.af/Roshan/Media_Relat ... Paisa.aspx

April 25, 2011

Kabul, Afghanistan – The Central Bank of Afghanistan today announced it has issued Afghanistan’s first electronic money institution (EMI) license to M-Paisa, Afghanistan’s first mobile money transfer service. M-Paisa was introduced by Roshan, a telecommunications service provider in the country, to expand access to safe, secure and transparent financial services for the unbanked population of country.

“Today, we are pleased to extend Afghanistan’s first electronic money institution (EMI) license to M-Paisa, a pioneer in mobile money. The issuance of this license is an important step forward for the financial system in Afghanistan, and in providing transparent ways to conduct financial transactions,” said His Excellency Abdul Qadeer Fitrat, Governor of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.

M-Paisa has been operating under a Money Service Provider (MSP) license since introducing the service in 2008. The EMI licensing process was recently introduced to better serve the growing demand for mobile money services in Afghanistan. In effect, the EMI license will complement the existing MSP license in setting the standard for mobile money service providers in Afghanistan, and ensure that customers, agents and partners are further protected.

“Since inception, our vision has been to harness the power of mobile technology to complement and build Afghanistan’s infrastructure and provide innovative solutions to foster community development. Our view is that Roshan and M-Paisa will be an enabler to increase financial inclusion for all Afghans. This license is an important milestone for the financial system, and country as a whole” said Karim Khoja, Chief Executive Officer, Roshan.

M-Paisa was initially introduced by Roshan in November 2008, in partnership with Vodafone. Today, Vodafone’s M-Paisa/M-Pesa has over 22 million customers internationally. Through a salary disbursement program for the public and private sector, as well as an extensive agent network throughout the country, M-Paisa facilitates growth of an ecosystem for the transparent movement of money nationwide. Today, customers are also using M-Paisa to transfer funds, receive and repay microfinance loans and purchase airtime.

The service has already garnered international recognition through winning two international awards, the 2011 GSMA Global Mobile Awards for Best Mobile Money for the Unbanked Service, and the Best Community Telecom Project at the 2011 Telecom Asia Awards, earlier this year.

About M-Paisa

Introduced by Roshan in 2008 in partnership with Vodafone, M-Paisa is Afghanistan's first mobile money transfer product, providing service to 97% of the unbanked population in the country. M-Paisa offers safe, secure and fast access to a range of financial services including receipt and payment of microfinance loans, peer-to-peer fund transfer, salary disbursement, purchase of airtime and bill payments. The service facilitates the transfer of funds using a mobile phone through Short Message Service (SMS) and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. The IVR based menu is available to customers in Dari, Pashto and English, an important feature in Afghanistan where 70% of the population is illiterate. M-Paisa relies on Roshan's robust mobile network which spans across 230 cities and towns in all of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. This allows for the extension of financial services to the mass unbanked population.

About Roshan

Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider, with coverage in over 230 districts and approximately 4.8 million active subscribers. Roshan directly employs more than 1,200 people and provides indirect employment to more than 30,000 people. Since its inception seven years ago, Roshan has invested over $450 million in Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and tax payer. Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and socio-economic development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives in building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to Afghanistan and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

Media Contact
Farah Kurji Mr. Aimal Hashoor
Manager, Public Relations Chief Information Officer
Roshan Da Afghanistan Bank
Mobile: +93 (0) 799 99 6813 Mobile: +93 (0) 799 113 838
E-mail: farah.kurji@roshan.af E-mail: aimalhashoor@gmail.com
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan's Customer Base Surpasses Five Million Mark

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 19944.html

Innovation drives growth and Roshan's market leadership position in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Roshan, Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider, today announced that it is the first mobile operator in Afghanistan to surpass five million active customers, up from 30,000 customers in 2003 when the pioneering company launched its network. The milestone reaffirms Roshan's position as the number one telecommunications provider in Afghanistan based on both number of customers and overall SIM cards sold.

Roshan attributed its rapid customer growth in Afghanistan to its focus on innovation and meeting the individual needs and aspirations of its diverse customer base through market and regional segmentation, an unmatched range of voice and data products and services, and superior network quality. Roshan's state-of-the-art and cutting-edge nationwide network now reaches over 230 cities and towns across all 34 provinces in Afghanistan, covering over 60 percent of the population.

"Reaching this milestone demonstrates how far we have come towards reaching our goal of connecting people and bringing Afghanistan into the 21st century. In 2003, when we started operations, less than 100,000 people had access to a phone. Afghanistan was truly landlocked. Since then, Roshan has been proud to play a leading role in using mobile phone technology as a critical tool in driving socio-economic development of the country," said Karim Khoja, chief executive officer.

In reaching five million customers, Roshan has also achieved many other 'firsts' along the way:

Market leader in data, including the first to introduce GPRS and BlackBerry.
First to offer mobile money services through its M-Paisa "mobile wallet," to support growth of a financial ecosystem.
Largest private sector job creator, creating over 30,000 legitimate jobs for Afghans, creating the future business leaders of the country.
First operator to introduce a Corporate Social Responsibility arm, Roshan Community, whose projects include, building 16 playgrounds to provide children with a safe place to play, 10 schools to provide educational opportunities, and 60 wells to provide access to clean drinking water for over 114,000 people.
Introduced an innovative Telemedicine project connecting medical centers in Karachi, Kabul, Bamyan and Faizabad for real-time diagnosis and training for health care practitioners.
Largest private investor in Afghanistan's infrastructure, with over $500 million invested to-date.


Khoja added, "Our vision is to ensure that within the next five years, every Afghan has access to a mobile phone and to serve as a catalyst for change, supporting Afghans as we build a brighter tomorrow for the country."

Roshan's customer base has increased by more than 30 percent in the last year, with the addition of more than one million active customers since October 2010. Afghanistan remains among the fastest growing mobile phone markets in the world, with some 15 million total customers, representing a mobile penetration rate of 35%.

About Roshan

Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider, with coverage in over 230 cities and towns and over 5 million active customers. Roshan directly employs more than 1,200 people and provides indirect employment to more than 30,000 people. Since its inception eight years ago, Roshan has invested over $500 million in Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and tax payer. Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and socio-economic development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives in building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to Afghanistan and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

Media Contact






Farah Kurji


Jessica Anderson


Manager, Public Relations


Vice President, Corporate


Roshan


Hill & Knowlton


Mobile: +93 (0) 799 99 6813


Direct: +1 (212) 885-0492


E-mail: farah.kurji@roshan.af


E-mail: jessica.anderson@hillandknowlton.com


Web: www.roshan.af


Web: www.hillandknowlton.com
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

E-Health Case Study: Roshan Telemedicine

Afghanistan

According to Roshan, one of Afghanistan’s top three operators, 25 per cent of children in the country die before their fifth birthday, due to illnesses such as pneumonia, poor nutrition and diarrhoea. Appropriate healthcare is extremely limited with only one doctor for every 100,000 people, so there is a strong need for telemedicine in Afghanistan in order to allow for more efficient medical services in the rural communities.

Market leadership is a close fought thing —Roshan, Afghan Wireless and MTN Afghanistan all have similar market share in a country with a population of 29 million. The main driver behind the operator’s telemedicine service is the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) which has a 51 per cent stake in Roshan and is part of the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of nine international development agencies and institutions that implement programs in rural development, education, health, culture, microfinance and business. The AKFED has partnered with the government of Afghanistan, the Aga Khan University hospital, Aga Khan Health Services, the French Medical Institute for Children and Cisco to roll out the telemedicine service in Afghanistan.

With the service being offered free of charge, Roshan is not looking to make direct profits from it but instead is looking to strengthen its brand in rural communities and improve living conditions and opportunities for the poor. The telemedicine service uses the operator’s network to transfer medical imaging such as X-Rays and CT scans from remote areas to the large hospitals in Kabul, Iraq and Pakistan to provide specialist remote medical diagnosis. It also provides videoconferencing for medical training which is 100 per cent subsidised and gives local doctors and nurses free university training. No costs are borne by the patients at any time.

So while Roshan does not make any profits directly from the service, it does have access to a platform from which it can develop a strong sense of trust within rural communities. This can indirectly reduce its churn levels, and give the operator more opportunities for subscription growth, as subscriber acquisition in the urban areas becomes more of a challenge.

The main feature of Roshan’s telemedicine service is to provide remote rural diagnostics and medical training. However, it also provides convenience to patients and medical professionals who would otherwise have to travel to the nearest city to gain access to higher levels of medical care or medical education.

The service has not been positioned by Roshan as a value-added service but as a medical service that acts as source of knowledge for both patients and healthcare professionals through the sharing of expertise internationally and within Afghanistan. Despite all four operators in the country implementing various community projects, Roshan is currently the only operator that is providing an m-health service.

The most measurable impact of the service is in the Bamyan region which is located in a remote valley where there is limited access to infrastructure. The region has the highest level of childbirth mortality rates in the country and no qualified radiologists who can take X-rays and ultrasounds.

The number of cases treated in Bamyan’s hospitals exceeded 350 in 2009, with the majority of the teleradiology being used for CT-scans. Over the two years to end-2009, the annual number of telemedicine cases grew by approximately 300 per cent.

Roshan has not tried to use its telemedicine service as a source of additional revenues but rather as a community service project that can establish its brandname in rural communities. The success of Roshan’s telemedicine service is mainly due to the fact that its main stakeholder is part of the Aga Khan Development Network which focuses on this type of activity. In a market where it is becoming increasingly difficult to retain subscribers due to the vast amount of low price-based promotions, a service of this type can allow the operator to build a sense of community and trust, which will increase brand loyalty and brand awareness in the remote rural areas.

No drastic changes have occurred in terms of Roshan’s overall subscription base, revenues or ARPU as a result of the launch of its telemedicine service. However, the operator has managed to hold onto its market leadership despite strong competition in the mobile market due to an increased customer loyalty.

http://www.telecoms.com/30254/e-health- ... emedicine/
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Help Us Make History

It takes a company to change a country.

In 2003, how many would have thought that Roshan could have played such an important role in developing Afghanistan and that today, we would have over 5 million customers?

Fast forward eight years later. The impact that Roshan has had is immeasurable:

All 34 provinces covered with the best quality nationwide.
New products and services introduced such as M-Paisa and BlackBerry.
Over 30,000 jobs created for Afghans.
Over $500 million invested as the country’s largest investor.
World class corporate social responsibility program, Roshan Community.

For a company to make such an impact, you need a strong leader with a vision, and the strength to inspire people and break down barriers. Today, Roshan continues to be at the forefront of leadership and change with the recent nomination of our Chief Executive Officer, Karim Khoja as CEO of the Year by Total Telecom. Over fifteen CEOs from the largest telecommunications companies in the world have also been nominated, including AT&T, Bharti Airtel and Etisalat.

This recognition is due to how successful Roshan has become, and represents the hard work and dedication of each and every one of our employees, customers, and partners, to rebuild a better tomorrow for the company, community and country.

Do you believe in the power of Roshan?

If you would like to see Roshan and Afghanistan on the world stage, please click here to vote today. Encourage your friends and family to do the same. Together, let’s make history!

http://www.roshan.af/Roshan/Media_Relat ... story.aspx
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan's Customer Care Division Awarded ISO-9001 Certification
Quality recognition reflects Roshan's leadership in innovation and customer service



Press Release Source: Roshan On Tuesday September 13, 2011, 8:29 am EDT

NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Roshan, which continues to break new ground in innovation and customer service as Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider, today announced that its Customer Care Division has been awarded ISO-9001:2008 certification, the highest level of quality management recognized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Roshan's Customer Care Division is the first in Afghanistan and one of only a handful of in-house customer service call centers in the world to achieve ISO-9001 certification.

"Roshan has consistently set the benchmark for customer service in Afghanistan, and in the region. The ISO-9001 certification demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the highest standards of innovation and quality in meeting the needs of our customers," said Altaf Ladak, chief operating officer. "Our market leadership position is the result of our focus on our customers and ensuring the best possible customer experience in a highly competitive marketplace."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Roshans-C ... l?x=0&.v=1
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Dear World: Messages of hope and inspiration from Afghanistan

Also see the related photo gallery.

http://www.theismaili.org/cms/1324/

The harsh taste of dust in the air, the whirring sound of helicopters circling above, armoured military convoys speeding past horse-drawn fruit carts. This is Kabul — a major waypoint along the old silk route; a crossroads between the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, the former Soviet states and the Far East.

You don’t need to spend much time here to realise that in Afghanistan, everyone has a story to tell. Stories about the people, their hopes for the future of their country — for peace and development. Many are inspiring, but most go untold.

Enter Grace Chung, a postgraduate student at Harvard who spent a summer interning at Roshan, Afghanistan’s leading telecommunications provider. She had witnessed first-hand the positive impact of Roshan’s social welfare programmes on communities in Afghanistan, and she could see glimmers of hope and a level of determination among beneficiaries that had gone unnoticed by the rest of the world.

While at Roshan, Chung came up with an idea to help draw attention to the ordinary people in Kabul. She decided to implement a Dear World campaign.
Dear World: Sharing time and knowledge. Photo: Grace Chung
Dear World: Sharing time and knowledge. Photo: Grace Chung

Dear World is a global movement that gives voice to people’s messages through stark yet compelling photography. Having started in post-Katrina New Orleans, the movement’s distinct portraiture became a signpost for human inspiration.

On the face of it, Chung’s plan was simple enough — collate a selection of messages and share them with a global audience. However the logistics proved more complex, especially in a city like Kabul. The challenges included identifying participants, arranging to meet them and complying with the stringent security regulations in the region.

Fortunately the stars aligned and Chung was able to photograph a number of participants from various organisations. Roshan Community, the corporate social responsibility arm of Roshan, facilitated the gatherings as part of their commitment to support and empower communities.
Dear World: I like the environment to be clean. Photo: Grace Chung
Dear World: I like the environment to be clean. Photo: Grace Chung

At each photo-shoot, there was an air of excitement. Participants — some as young as nine years old — came up with their own messages without any help from others. Timidity gave way to boldness, as the initiative gave them a sense of empowerment.

Through the Dear World project, participants had opportunity to articulate their aspirations and share them with a wider audience. It also encouraged them to craft positive, inspirational messages and bond around common dreams, while feeling valued and satisfied that their voices could be heard.

Despite suffering the ravages of conflict, poverty and insecurity, participants looked to the future with optimism and determination. They envisaged something better, refusing to accept the status quo. Even young girls came forward to have their photos taken and share their messages with the world.

Glimpsing into people’s hopes and aspirations, Dear World Afghanistan revealed a common will to strive for a bigger and brighter future. Most importantly it gave voice to some of the many stories that the people of Afghanistan had been waiting to tell.
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Telco Roshan confident of continued growth
Market leader eyes double-digit expansion


Reuters
Published: 00:00 February 23, 2012

.Dubai Afghan tele-com group Roshan is confident of maintaining double-digit revenue growth for at least the next two years as demand for data among the country's young and increasingly urbanised population surges, a top executive told Reuters yesterday.

Roshan is the market leader in Afghanistan, with its 5.8 million mobile subscribers giving it 35 per cent market share, ahead of units of South Africa's MTN and the UAE's etisalat.

"We have been growing revenue in double-digits over the last couple of years," said Altaf Ladak, Roshan's chief operating officer (COO), adding the firm was confident it would maintain double-digit growth for at least two more years.

This bullish outlook is in part based on Afghanistan's untapped potential. The country has mobile penetration of about 45 to 50 per cent, among the lowest globally, while the actual number of unique customers is about half of that, Ladak said.

Article continues below

Many phone users have two or three SIM cards to use according to whichever operator offers the best promotions, so about three-quarters of the country's 30 million people are thought to still be without a phone.

Competition and cost
"Competition is very aggressive in terms of price and the cost of doing business in Afghanistan is high — you have security and fuel costs and you don't have the infrastructure that other countries provide," said Ladak.

"You need two generators on a site and fuel prices are high. We spend 10 per cent of our opex [operational expenditure] just on fuel."

About a fifth of Roshan's sites have grid power, with the rest relying on generators.

"You build a site and sometimes you build a road to get there," said Ladak.

Roshan — 51 per cent owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, 36.75 per cent by Cable & Wireless Communications Plc and 12.25 per cent by Swedish group TeliaSonera — is profitable, he said, without giving figures. In the past two years, Roshan's non-voice earnings — including text — have grown from near zero to about 10 per cent of total revenue.

"I think we can double that within the next two to three years," said Ladak. "Data services are growing fast — you have two major groups of people who use data. One is the expatriate community and second the youth — it's a very young country and these people are hungry for social media."

Data revenue is rising despite operators using 2G networks, with the government in the process of tendering for 3G licences.

"We are looking at it," said Ladak.

Roshan is present in all Afghan provinces and covers about 60 per cent of the population.

"My view is that over the next three to five years we will get to about 80 per cent of the population," said Ladak.

"We're investing about $60 million (Dh220.3 million) a year in infrastructure, which doesn't include if we go into 3G. We're looking at an expansion of the network and providing additional capacity and services."

http://gulfnews.com/business/telecoms/t ... h-1.984935
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Western Union, Afghan Roshan eye mobile money transfer

DUBAI Feb 27 (Reuters) - Afghan telecoms operator Roshan has teamed up with Western Union Co to enable subscribers to receive remittances from abroad on their mobile phones, a joint statement said.

About 1.2 million of Roshan's 5.8 million mobile subscribers are already registered with its mobile payment portal, M-Paisa, which was developed by Vodafone.

Roshan - 51 percent owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, 36.75 percent by Cable & Wireless Communications Plc and 12.25 percent by Swedish group TeliaSonera - estimates about 97 percent on Afghanistan's population do not have access to traditional financial services.

M-Paisa is a virtual bank account embedded into a SIM card that is accessed via a password and many users now receive their salary via SMS.

"It's like an ATM card," Altaf Ladak, Roshan chief operating officer, told Reuters.

"A lot of people, such as policemen, may be working in one area, but their family is somewhere else. Now they can transfer their money directly.

"What drove us to do M-Paisa was the social angle, helping the country, which had a lack of infrastructure, and people who don't trust the banking system who are now getting used to this for salaries and payments."

Last week, Roshan told Reuters it expects to maintain double-digit revenue growth for at least the next two years as demand for data among the country's young and increasingly urbanised population surges. (Reporting by Matt Smith; editing by Firouz Sedarat)

MediaFinancialsIndustrialsTelecommuncations Services

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/ ... nnel=10109
kmaherali
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Post by kmaherali »

Cashing Out of Corruption
Are 15 million mobile phones enough to wage war on graft in Afghanistan?

Monday, March 19, 2012
By Jessica Leber
Audio »

Jan Chipchase

See the rest of our Business Impact report on The Future of Money. When police officers in Afghanistan's mountainous Wardak province began receiving their $200-per-month salaries via their mobile phones in 2009, many wondered why they had gotten a raise. They hadn't. It turns out their superiors had been skimming from their salaries, which were previously paid in cash.

That anecdote appears in State Department cables describing M-Paisa, a mobile-phone payment system run by Afghanistan's largest telecom operator, Roshan, that now reaches 1.2 million Afghans and is described by U.S. officials as a potential "breakthrough technology" for the country.

Whether it's a few dollars under the table or thousands stuffed in a briefcase, cash is linked to corruption at all levels in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations, government corruption is the biggest day-to-day concern of Afghans, looming larger than even poverty or violence. The U.N. estimated that between 2008 and 2009, half of all Afghans paid at least one bribe to an official; the average amount was $160.

The idea now taking hold in Afghanistan is to avoid graft by paying people electronically, using the country's network of 15 million mobile phones. "Anywhere you have a middleman touching cash, you increase the opportunity for skimming," says Zahir Khoja, executive director for mobile money at Roshan, which is partly owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development.


As cell-phone use skyrockets in even the poorest countries, mobile money is seen as a way to extend banking services more broadly. The people with by far the most to gain are the impoverished 2.5 billion who don't have access to a bank account and can't reliably receive, send, save, or borrow money.

According to Afghanistan's banking authority, the country has only about 300 branches and a few dozen ATMs for 34 million people. Less than 5 percent of Afghans have bank accounts. The banks aren't trusted, either. The largest, Kabul Bank, is embroiled in perhaps the nation's worst public corruption scandal, which caused a run on deposits in 2010 after $900 million went missing.

"The mobile network is one of the only networks that knit the country back together," says Kathleen McGowan, senior policy analyst for in Afghanistan for the United States Agency for International Development. The mobile-phone companies, which got going only in the last decade, also constitute Afghanistan's largest industry and its biggest taxpayers.

M-Paisa ("paisa" means money in the Dari language) allows anyone with a cell phone to receive a payment by phone with just a text message or, because most Afghans are illiterate, a call to a voice-activated menu. The recipient can then obtain cash at an M-Paisa agent. There's no bank involved; under a special license issued last year to Roshan, subscribers' funds are kept in escrow-like accounts.

http://www.technologyreview.com/business/39828/
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Post by kmaherali »

press release

May 21, 2012, 9:00 a.m. EDT

Roshan and Western Union Launch International Mobile Money Transfer Service in Afghanistan
Service allows fast, easy and reliable remittances to Roshan Customers in Afghanistan


KABUL, Afghanistan, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Roshan, Afghanistan's leading total communications provider, and Western Union, a leader in global payment services, have today jointly launched the Western Union Mobile Money Transfer service in Afghanistan that enables Roshan's M-Paisa customers to receive money from abroad. Roshan launched M-Paisa in 2008, and became the first company to bring mobile financial services to the people of Afghanistan.

Now, M-Paisa customers in Afghanistan can receive Western Union Mobile Money Transfer transactions from around the world directly into their mobile wallet accounts from families, in particular from countries with the largest population of Afghans living abroad, like UAE, Germany and Canada.

"To partner with such a recognized global brand such as Western Union is another example of innovation that Roshan brings to Afghanistan," said Karim Khoja, chief executive officer, Roshan. "Together, Roshan and Western Union are enabling distant families to be connected, and also offering peace of mind for those with relatives in Afghanistan, who have previously struggled to send money back home. The launch of this service is another step to making financial inclusion a reality for the almost 97 percent of Afghans who do not have access to traditional financial services, and is a continued demonstration of our mission to support economic development and empowerment throughout Afghanistan."

Roshan launched M-Paisa using technology from Vodafone, one of the world's leading international mobile communications groups. Today, since the launch of the mobile money service in November 2008, M-Paisa has over 1 million customers enabled to receive their salaries, pay bills, receive and repay microfinance loans, send and receive money and purchase airtime directly from their Roshan phone.

Western Union's Mobile Money Transfer service is available in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Canada, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Paraguay, the Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda and the U.S. Western Union also has numerous agreements with other mobile operators and banks to introduce the service in the future.

About Roshan Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading total communications provider with nearly 6 million active subscribers and a network that covers over 230 cities and towns in all of the country's 34 provinces.

Roshan is a true Afghanistan success story, serving as a catalyst for economic growth and actively contributing to the country's long-term development. Since its inception eight years ago, Roshan has invested over $500 million in Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and taxpayer, contributing approximately 5% of the Afghan government's overall domestic revenue. Roshan directly employs more than 1,200 people, 20% of whom are women, and provides indirect employment to more than 30,000 people.

Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to the country and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

Elizabeth Z. McElroyDirector, Marketing Communications and Public Relations RoshanOffice: +93 (0) 79 997 5477Email: elizabeth.mcelroy@roshan.af Web: www.roshan.af

Maggie EdingerAccount Executive, CorporateHill+Knowlton StrategiesOffice: +1 212 885 0370Email: maggie.edinger@hkstrategies.com Web: www.hkstrategies.com

SOURCE Roshan

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/roshan ... 2012-05-21
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan the First Operator to Reach 6 Million Customers in Afghanistan

Press Release: Roshan – Mon, Jun 11, 2012 2:33 PM EDT
....

Demand for data services enables market leader to surpass another significant milestone


KABUL , Afghanistan , June 11, 2012 /CNW/ - Roshan, Afghanistan's leading total communications provider, today announced it has surpassed six million active subscribers less than one year after the company became the country's first operator to cross the five million mark. Roshan attributes the rapid subscriber growth to its superior network quality, innovation and overall customer service and customer experience. Roshan has also experienced significant growth in non-voice services and, in particular, in providing leading data products to its customers.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/roshan-fi ... 00699.html
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press release

June 27, 2012, 10:33 a.m. EDT

Roshan Earns 'Best Private Company' at Third Annual Ethical Corporation Awards

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Roshan, Afghanistan's leading total communications provider, today announced it has been named the "Best Private Company" by the Ethical Corporation for its transformative impact on the country and its people by implementing a myriad of sustainable corporate social responsibility programs. The award was announced Monday at the third annual Ethical Corporation Awards Ceremony, held in London, where many world brands competed for this prestigious award.

The award recognizes Roshan's demonstrated commitment to serve as a catalyst for economic growth and actively contribute to Afghanistan's long-term development through the company's commercial operations and dedicated corporate social responsibility arm, Roshan Community.

More....

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/roshan ... 2012-06-27

*****

http://events.ethicalcorp.com/awards/
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Post by kmaherali »

Afghanistan's superhero: mobile phones fight crime, liberate women and enrich the poor
Posted on July 27, 2012 by Kate Van Brocklin
Topics: Agriculture, Culture, Globalization, Innovation, Microfinance, Technology and the Internet, Women
Countries: Afghanistan

Photo: RoshanAs Afghanistan’s leading telecommunications provider, Roshan’s mobile phone service is transforming security, information sharing and entrepreneurship in the world’s second most corrupt country.

In June, Shainoor Khoja spoke to an audience at Mercy Corps about Roshan’s long-term investment in poverty alleviation through technology. Khoja described Roshan's operations across Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, places most companies usually don’t wish to work.

As former managing director of Roshan Community, Khoja established one of the first corporate social responsibility departments in Kabul, Afghanistan. In one of the toughest places in the world, Roshan shows how the private sector's engagement in their customer's communities can advance socio-economic growth in developing areas.

Her arguments brought life to a 2005 study published by telecom provider Vodafone, which found that "a 10 percentage point increase to a country's mobile phone penetration equates to a 0.6 percent increase in GDP.” Not bad for a cell phone.

When Roshan began operations in Afghanistan in 2003, there was little telecommunications infrastructure. Basic services, like landline phones, were prohibitively expensive. Making an international phone call literally required walking to another country. Roshan has now built a network that provides over six million Afghans with ways to communicate, and securely send and receive money.

Roshan looks for ways to create self-funding commercial services that provide stability, which in turn act as catalysts for jobs and growth in the area. It’s a perfect mission for Roshan, an entrepreneurial arm of the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of mission-driven organizations that work to improve the living conditions of vulnerable Africans and Asians.

“If you just provide stability and aid, you create a dependency,” said Khoja, describing a three-legged stool. “If you invest and create jobs, but you don’t have that stability, you’re not going to be successful in your economic development.” Roshan paves the way for other businesses to enter areas with fragile infrastructure by introducing and modeling best practices, and even turning down long-term exclusive contracts.

In Afghanistan, Roshan decided that one way to improve stability is through electronic money transfers.

“The typical Afghan bank looks like a [freight train] container with Wi-Fi and a lot of cash on the floor,” said Khoja. Roshan's mobile money component provides security and reliability—one of the most pressing concerns for families.

Having launched M-Paisa, Afghanistan’s first mobile money transfer service in 2008, Roshan lets people deposit and withdraw money, pay back a microfinance loan, pay bills, buy airtime and pay salaries. In a country of 45 million where there are only 17 commercial banks and 45 ATMs, Afghans need secure ways to access and deposit money. With text messages and numbered codes, Roshan allows money to be transferred securely. Khoja estimates that the system should reclaim up to $60 million a year that had been lost to corruption.

Roshan also engages unreachable communities in rural areas by lending shopkeepers money for branding, training and cabinetry so that they can set up their own shops and use Roshan's mobile services. “Their success became part of our success,” said Khoja.

Roshan wanted women to be an integral part of Afghanistan’s technological revolution, and it's working. Of the company's 1,200 employees, 20 percent are women. “We speak to the elders, explain what a second income could mean to the family and why it’s important for women to be engaged,” said Khoja. A recent study shows that 20 percent of women in Afghanistan own their own phone, exemplifying how Roshan’s penetration is challenging gender roles in the country.

Roshan also provides a service that gives farmers and agricultural traders daily, real-time market prices for a wide variety of goods by mobile phone. This information service, called Malomat, was launched by Roshan, Mercy Corps and USAID to help ensure that they are securing the highest value possible for their crops. Farmers and traders have two options: the user can either send an SMS and then receive information from Roshan with the pricing, or they can call the Malomat dedicated number and a guide will tell them the price of the commodity. Malomat is open to Roshan customers and non-customers alike.

Many of Roshan’s programs improve employees’ incomes and local businesses in the communities where they live while simultaneously promoting commerce for Afghanistan’s economy. In a country where communication was once difficult, the mobile phone is proving to be both an advisor and bank to millions.

RELATED: Western Union and Roshan launch a beautiful partnership in Afghanistan
RELATED: Five poverty-fighting women to watch

http://www.globalenvision.org/2012/07/2 ... nrich-poor
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan Secures 3G License for Afghanistan

September 22, 2012

Roshan Secures 3G License for Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan – Roshan, Afghanistan’s leading total communications provider, today announced that the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology (MCIT) has issued the company with a license that will enable Roshan to further expand and develop its already market-leading, innovative data packages via the 3G platform. Roshan celebrated the issuance of the license in a signing ceremony presided by His Excellency, Minister Amir Zai Sangin and other honorable ministerial dignitaries at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Kabul. Roshan is aiming for a commercial roll out of its 3G service later in the year.

Roshan has brought to market a range of robust data platforms for Afghan individuals and business. Most recently, Roshan launched “Kahkashaan,” an innovative galaxy of web portal services that allows customers to access rich content on their mobile phones, including ringtones, pictures, games and applications. The company was also the first to bring Blackberry and M-Paisa mobile money services to Afghanistan.

“We are delighted to introduce 3G technology to Roshan’s six million and counting customers, expanding access to data-rich products and converged solutions to meet their needs,” said Karim Khoja, chief executive officer of Roshan at the ceremony. “Not only does the license further bolster Roshan’s robust and high-performing data services, but it also complements our existing state-of-the-art network that currently offers the widest, most reliable and highest quality coverage across all of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces,” added Khoja.

“3G technology is vital for the economic growth and development of Afghanistan in a host of different sectors – from education to health to commerce,” said His Excellency, Minister Sangin. “In awarding this license to Roshan, we are embracing the mobile broadband revolution, expanding the country’s data services and enhancing capacity, aimed at improving the lives of Afghans as they connect with each other and the rest of the world,” added Sangin.

About Roshan

Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading total communications provider with over 6 million active subscribers and a network that covers over 230 cities and towns in all of the country's 34 provinces. Roshan is a true Afghanistan success story, serving as a catalyst for economic growth and actively contributing to the country's long-term development. Since its inception eight years ago, Roshan has invested over $550 million in Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and taxpayer, contributing approximately 5 percent of the Afghan government's overall domestic revenue. Roshan directly employs more than 1,300 people, 19 percent of whom are women, and provides indirect employment to more than 30,000 people. Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to the country and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

Media Contacts:

Shaheen Shivji
Manager, Public Relations
Roshan
Office: +93 (0) 79 997 4845
E-mail: shaheen.shivji@roshan.af
Website: www.roshan.af

Daniel Dean
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Office: +1 212 885 0477
E-mail: daniel.dean@hkstrategies.com
Website: www.hkstrategies.com

http://roshan.af/Roshan/Media_Relations ... istan.aspx
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan Brings Home to Afghanistan Three Prestigious Stevie International Business Awards

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 48621.html


KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Roshan, Afghanistan's leading total communications provider, today announced it was the recipient of three awards at the Ninth Annual International Business Awards in Seoul, South Korea. More than 3,200 entries from organizations and individuals across the world vied for the prestigious Stevie awards.

Roshan Chief Executive Officer Karim Khoja was awarded the Silver Stevie, winning the title of 'Executive of the Year' for the telecommunications category. Roshan Community, Roshan's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, received the Silver Stevie for 'CSR Program of the Year in the Middle East and Africa.' A Bronze Stevie was awarded to Roshan's Customer Care Division in the category of 'Customer Service Department of the Year' for the telecommunications industry.
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan in Partnership with Cisco

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tae-yoo/e ... Technology

Excerpt:

Now, pockets of positive change can be seen throughout Afghanistan. For example, Roshan, the country's leading telecommunications company, is helping to bring the benefits of a robust broadband infrastructure to health care, education, and other sectors. Health is a crucial concern: In a nation recovering from 25 years of conflict, the health care system has been left in ruins. UN statistics estimate that one in 10 Afghan children dies before their fifth birthday, among the highest mortality rates for under-fives in the world. And, according to the World Health Organization, there are only two doctors for every 10,000 people in Afghanistan.

Recognizing this, Roshan has worked with partners such as Cisco to make a significant investment in tele-health solutions that allow international medical experts to reach patients across Afghanistan. A broadband connection and advanced telemedicine solutions help doctors at the French Medical Institute for Children in Kabul provide consultation on about 80 radiology cases per month to both the Aga Khan University Hospital, in Karachi, and the Bamyan Provincial Hospital.
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan brings home the prestigious World Communications Award for Best Customer Care

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Roshan, Afghanistan´s leading total communications provider, today announced it won the Best Customer Care Award at the eleventh annual World Communication Awards ceremony, held in London. Roshan´s victory marks the sixth consecutive year the operator has been recognized by the World Communication Awards.

More....

http://www.wallstreet-online.de/nachric ... tomer-care
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan Officially Recognized For Quality In Afghanistan
Technology and Network and Sales Organization Awarded Global ISO 9001:2008 Certification—Two Firsts for Afghanistan


PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1yR05)

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Roshan, Afghanistan's leading total communications provider, today announced that the company has been awarded the highest quality recognition of ISO 9001:2008 for its technology, network and sales operations. ISO is gained by organizations that focus on improving company operations through utilizing performance principles such as strong customer focus, leadership, involvement of people, governance, factual approach to decision making and continual improvement.¹ Recognized in over 150 countries, the two certifications,—a first for any telecommunications operator in Afghanistan—were awarded to Roshan after a year-long rigorous evaluation process conducted by ISO certified auditors.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 87161.html
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Post by kmaherali »

How Afghanistan Is On the Leading Edge of a Tech Revolution


In the eyes of the rest of the world, war-torn Afghanistan is a place with a beaten-down infrastructure, the minimum of modern amenities and certainly none of the services made possible by the latest technological advances powering the Internet, financial services and telecommunications.

Surprisingly, however, Afghanistan is on the leading edge of the mobile-money and banking revolution sweeping through developing countries from Kenya to Indonesia. For example, these days it’s not at all unusual to see an Afghan policeman on Kabul’s security cordon, known as the Ring of Steel, checking his Nokia 1101 to verify that his monthly salary has been transferred to his mobile wallet. Then, just as quickly, texting a sum of money to his wife’s mobile phone in rural Afghanistan so she can buy groceries for the family or a new propane tank for the kitchen.

Nothing this slick exists in the U.S. or most other G7 countries, but in Afghanistan – a country of 30 million where nearly 70% of the population is illiterate and fewer than 5% of people have a bank account – this scenario is part of reality. “I’m not aware of any such deployment in the U.S.,” says Tomasz Smilowicz, managing director with Citi’s Global Transaction Services in New York, referring to Afghanistan’s mobile-money service, known locally as M-Paisa . “It’s a success, no questions about it.”

http://world.time.com/2013/03/02/how-af ... evolution/
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Post by kmaherali »

Mobile Afghanistan: How A National Telecom Network Delivers Social Goods

http://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldf ... ial-goods/
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Post by Admin »

khaama.com/roshan-among-top-10-most-innovative-companies-of-2015-3062

Roshan among Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in “Social Good”

By Zabihullah Moosakhail - Wed Mar 25 2015, 4:02 pm


Roshan AfghanistanFast Company, one of the leading business magazines in the world, recently released its annual Top 50 and Top 10 ranking of the Most Innovative Companies worldwide for various business and innovation categories in which Roshan Telecommunication Company from Afghanistan was ranked number 7 at the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in “Social Good”.

Fast Company recognized Roshan for its ethical business practices and work on social and economic development across Afghanistan.

The Top 10 Most Innovative Companies list usually includes very prominent international corporations, including tech giants such as Apple and Google. This is the first time that an Afghan company has been included in Fast Company’s ranking, bringing prestige and honor to Afghanistan and especially to the country’s telecom industry.

Karim Khoja CEO of Roshan says “Being named one of the world’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Social Good is a proud moment for us as a leading Afghan telecom company and for Afghanistan that our innovative work and social contributions has been recognized globally,”

Roshan started its operation in 2003 and its investment is now more than $600 million in telecom infrastructure in Afghanistan.

Roshan has more than 1,100 employees of whom 20 percent are women.
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Post by kmaherali »

Forbes ranks Roshan Telecom high in the 16 Companies Considered ‘Best For The World’ rankings

ismailimail / 17 hours ago


Ismailimail is pleased to announce that Roshan, Afghanistan’s leading telecommunications provider has been named one of the 16 Companies Considered ‘Best For The World’ by Forbes Magazine, one of the premier business magazines in the world.


“Our goal was to spearhead economic development and to facilitate greater social cohesion in Afghanistan through the introduction of accessible telecommunications technology.

We believe that the ability to speak with friends and family, wherever they are, is a right that every Afghan deserves.”

– Karim Khoja, CEO Roshan Telecom

All of those efforts have earned Roshan the distinction of being a “Best for the World” honoree by B Lab, an eight-year-old non-profit based in Berwyn, PA that invented the concept of a “Benefit Corporation,” a company that turns a profit while benefiting its workers, its community and the Earth, sometimes at the expense of its owners.

https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... ilimail%29
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Post by kmaherali »

Executive Masterclass on the Harvard Business School case study: Roshan: Light at the end of the tunnel in Afghanistan

On November 6, 2015, Aga Khan Foundation Canada hosted an Executive Masterclass on the Harvard Business School case study, Roshan: Light at the end of the tunnel in Afghanistan.

Roshan Telecom, established in 2003 at the height of the Afghan war, has been widely cited as an exemplary model of corporate social responsibility, bringing mobile connectivity, economic opportunity, healthcare, and education to Afghanistan. The story of Roshan is one of unexpected transformation: of a private sector enterprise contributing to the social and economic development of Afghanistan through mobile connectivity. And the lessons drawn from the Roshan experience have significant value well beyond Afghanistan.

The masterclass, was be facilitated by Shawn A. Cole from Harvard Business School and Karim Khoja, CEO of Roshan, who provided additional insights, perspectives on evolving challenges and opportunities in not only in Afghanistan, but in other developing and emerging economies.
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... ghanistan/
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Syniverse Supports Roshan’s Revenue Assurance

Post by Admin »

businesswire.com/news/home/20151203005106/en/Syniverse-Supports-Roshan%E2%80%99s-Revenue-Assurance

Syniverse Supports Roshan’s Revenue Assurance

Predictive analytics technology detects and responds to fraud and revenue leakage


December 03, 2015 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Syniverse today announced that it has signed a multiyear agreement with Roshan, Afghanistan’s largest telecommunications company, to provide revenue assurance and fraud detection services. The agreement will provide Roshan with predictive analytic solutions that protect the company against the latest forms of mobile fraud and optimize its revenue flow.

Mobile fraud has surged to present an especially penetrating threat to businesses and consumers, as companies now stand to lose on average of $92 million in revenue each year from mobile fraud, according to a report by J. Gold Associates.

“At Roshan, we not only strive always to provide the best quality products and services to our customers, but also to bring best business practices and international expertise to Afghanistan through collaborations with leading global companies,” said Karim Khoja, CEO of Roshan. “By working with Syniverse, Roshan will be able to use the strongest fraud protection tools available to optimize its revenue flow and better serve its 6.5 million customers.”

Roshan will implement Fraud Management and Revenue Assurance solutions, which are based on Syniverse’s Risk Management portfolio. The Fraud Management solution helps both companies and operators combat the full range of today’s mobile fraud by using predictive analytic capabilities to enable the best collection of data and use of it to respond to particular patterns. Syniverse’s Revenue Assurance solution provides clear and accurate data on an operator’s entire revenue flow and identifies any problem areas in the end-to-end billing cycle that can be enhanced to help eliminate revenue loss.

“With the Communications Fraud Control Association reporting that mobile fraud is responsible for $38 billion in revenue loss for operators globally, it’s imperative that operators have a full-scale strategy for protecting themselves and their customers from this threat,” said Joseph George, Senior Product Management Director, Syniverse. “Syniverse’s fraud strategy – based on a global, mobile and data-driven approach – will enable Roshan to quickly implement a full-strength fraud-protection solution to provide the best user experience to its customers.”

Syniverse’s agreement with Roshan builds on its recent progress with its Risk Management portfolio. This year, Syniverse signed its 100th fraud customer, marking a milestone in the growth of the company’s fraud team since its inception in 2007.

About Syniverse

Syniverse is the leading global transaction processor that connects more than 1,500 mobile service providers, enterprises, ISPs and OTTs in nearly 200 countries and territories, enabling seamless mobile communications across disparate and rapidly evolving networks, devices and applications. We deliver innovative cloud-based solutions that facilitate superior end-user experiences through always-on services and real-time engagement. For more than 25 years, Syniverse has been simplifying complexity to deliver the promise of mobility – a simple, interoperable experience, anytime, anywhere. For more information, visit www.syniverse.com, follow Syniverse on Twitter or connect with Syniverse on Facebook.

About Roshan

Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading total communications provider with over 6.5 million active subscribers and a network that covers over 287 districts and cities in all of the country's 34 provinces.

Roshan is a true Afghanistan success story, serving as a catalyst for economic growth and actively contributing to the country’s long-term development. Since its inception in 2003, Roshan has invested approximately $600 million in Afghanistan and is the country’s single largest private investor and taxpayer, contributing approximately five percent of the Afghan government's overall domestic revenue. Roshan directly employs around 1,000 people – 19 percent of whom are women – and provides indirect employment to more than 35,000 people. Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development.

The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to the country and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

To learn more about Roshan, visit www.roshan.af, http://www.facebook.com/RoshanConnects or @roshanconnects on Twitter.

Contacts

Syniverse Public Relations
Bobby Eagle, +1-813-637-5050
bobby.eagle@syniverse.com
or
Roshan Media Contact
Shafi Sharifi, +93 (0) 799.99.9065
Shafi.sharifi@roshan.af
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Post by kmaherali »

Once a Bright Spot, Afghan Telecoms Face Unsustainable Losses

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/bu ... .html?_r=0

Extracts:

The Afghan government has again increased taxes on the industry to replenish its coffers, cutting into the industry’s shrinking profits. And the country’s telecom companies are competing for a dwindling pool of customers after the drawdown in American and coalition troops and contractors.

“The success that was is no longer there,” said Karim Khoja, the chief executive of Roshan, one of the largest Afghan telecom companies. “The economics keep making it more and more difficult.”

........

Roshan pledged in 2014 that it would stay, no matter the cost. The company was founded by the charitable fund of the Aga Khan as a way to spark investment in one of the world’s poorest countries.

The company, however, is re-evaluating its promise. Its chief executive, Mr. Khoja, said Roshan would never recoup its $600 million investment in the country. Revenue slid 10 percent in 2014 and declined slightly in 2015, according to the company.

“I have to keep the balance between longevity and sustainability,” Mr. Khoja said. “You cannot sell below your cost forever.”
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Post by kmaherali »

Bringing Connectivity to Afghan Girls

Before 2001, decades of conflict had left Afghanistan’s education system in tatters. Over the last ten years, however, there has been significant progress in improving education in the country and making it more accessible to Afghan children. More schools have been built and more children are enrolled in schools since 2001. According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education, there are an estimated 10.5 million children enrolled in school today compared to only 500,000, almost all boys, in 2001. Yet there is still a long way to go to make education accessible to all Afghan children.

According to Human Rights officials in Afghanistan, there are close to 6.5 million children who are “acutely vulnerable” which include an estimated 2 million orphans in the country. The number of orphans has been increasing because of the increased violence in recent years. These orphans are often forced to work as child laborers and have little or no prospect of going to school. Fortunately, there are several public and private orphanages in Afghanistan which provide shelter and access to education for these orphans.

Helping all children, especially the most vulnerable ones like the orphans, to have access to education is imperative for all governments. It is also important that the private sector helps in different ways to give our young children, boys and girls, an opportunity to learn and grow.

http://roshan.af/blog/?p=337
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan Mobile Company Impacted by Recent Bombing

http://www.indiawest.com/news/india/eig ... 4251d.html


"Tolo News said most victims were civilians, a large number of them reportedly from the Roshan mobile company."


http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/off ... truck-bomb


"The incident took place at 8:22am Kabul time in front of the German Embassy and Roshan telecommunications company in Kabul."

"Major damage has been inflicted to Roshan Telecommunication Company, the German Embassy, Azizi Bank and a media outlet – all located in the diplomatic district of Kabul – between Zanbaq Circle and 15th Street of Wazir Akbar Khan in Kabul’s PD10."

http://www.wkbw.com/news/national/80-ki ... fghanistan
"A lot of the casualties appeared to be from the Roshan telecommunications company, she said."

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/4078 ... -civilians
"One of the biggest telecom companies, Roshan, is badly affected."
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Post by kmaherali »

Roshan HQ collapsed

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40132368

The offices of Afghanistan's largest mobile phone company, Roshan, were almost directly opposite the site of the explosion. The three-storey building collapsed.

Now being treated in hospital for wounds to his stomach, Abdul Rashid was one of the luckier employees.


"All the people were trapped under the rubble, everyone was injured - I would say 80 or 90% of my colleagues were hurt."
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The Building of Roshan Telecommunications, an Aga Khan community company, was hit by a bomb blast, and more than 50 vehicles were destroyed or damaged, Danish said. Windows of nearby buildings and compounds were shattered and police cordoned off the district. Suicide Truck Bomb in Afghan Capital Leaves at Least 93 Dead, 450 wounded .. https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/arti ... -embassies

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/arti ... -embassies

Suicide Truck Bomb in Afghan Capital Leaves at Least 93 Dead

by Eltaf Najafizada

May 31, 2017, 2:01 AM EDT May 31, 2017, 3:50 PM EDT

A suicide truck bomb in Kabul killed at least 93 people and wounded 450 on Wednesday morning near a diplomatic enclave in one of the worst attacks on the Afghan capital since 2001.

The explosion happened near the German embassy about 8:25 a.m. in the Wazir Akbar Khan area, a busy neighborhood that’s home to the presidential palace and many diplomatic missions, some of which were damaged in the attack. Women and children were among the dead and wounded, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said by phone. The Taliban denied involvement and no other group so far has claimed responsibility.

The vehicle was stopped by Afghan forces from entering the secured Green Zone, home to government buildings and embassies, according to a statement from the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission. A Roshan Telecommunications office was also hit by the blast and more than 50 vehicles were destroyed or damaged, Danish said. Windows of nearby buildings and compounds were shattered and police cordoned off the district.

U.S. President Donald Trump reached out to Afghan leaders to discuss the bombing, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. In a statement, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called the bombing a “senseless and cowardly act.” He said the U.S. “stands with the government and the people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace, security, and prosperity for their country.”

The death toll from the attack, which took place during the first week of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, may increase as many of the wounded were in a critical condition, said Health Ministry spokesman Ismail Kawasi, who confirmed the casualty numbers. The casualty count makes it one of the deadliest attacks since 2001.

“We want peace but those who kill us in the holy month of Ramadan don’t,” Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s chief executive who shares power with President Ashraf Ghani, said in posts on Twitter. They must “be destroyed and uprooted.”
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Security has continued to deteriorate in Afghanistan with the resurgent Taliban claiming more territory across the country and Islamic State militants stepping up attacks. A U.S. watchdog said last month that a record number of civilians died last year, 16 years after then-U.S. President George W. Bush first sent special forces to the country after the Sept. 11 attacks to topple the Taliban regime which sheltered al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

“Today’s tragedy shows that the conflict in Afghanistan is not winding down but dangerously widening, in a way that should alarm the international community,” Horia Mosadiq, an Afghanistan researcher with Amnesty International, said in a statement. “Afghan civilians continue to pay in a conflict where armed groups deliberately target them and the government fails to protect them.”

Trump is now mulling whether to deploy as many as 5,000 extra troops to Afghanistan in a bid to bolster the 8,400 U.S. service men in the country and Afghan forces, which are stuck in a stalemate with the Taliban and a small but growing presence of Islamic State insurgents.

On May 24, Tillerson told reporters on Air Force One that Trump’s Afghan policy review is still a “work in progress’ and a couple of weeks away from being presented.

“Trump’s generals are clear that the investments made by the U.S. and its allies, the blood and treasure expended, should not go to waste and that this would require some sort of improvement in troop strength, even without an ambitious surge,” said Ashok Malik, who heads the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation’s neighborhood regional studies initiative. “Incidents like this one pretty much strengthens the case made by the NSA and the generals.”

Referring to Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia on May 20, he said: “Of the many things President Trump said in Riyadh, the one thing he clearly did not do was announce a disengagement from Afghanistan.”

The U.S. intelligence community believes “the political and security situation in Afghanistan will almost certainly deteriorate through 2018 even with a modest increase in military assistance by the United States and its partners,” Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told lawmakers in Washington last week. “Meanwhile, we assess that the Taliban is likely to continue to make gains, especially in rural areas.”
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Post by kmaherali »

Forwarding as received:

In case ITP family is not in picture, a suicide attack happened close to Roshan (AKDN telecommunication initiative) and took lives of more than 100 civilians including more than 21 members of the jamat

More than 500 people including members of the jamat is injured and I will expect all of you and your families and jamat to pray for their quick recovery

Hazer imam graciously bestowed his condolence message to the Afghan Jamat and condemned the attack

I am sorry to share this pain in a group that always shares happiness and joy... but I think families are those who share both happiness and tragic moments together! Pray for us- your Afghan brothers and sisters

Thank you family

Forwarding as received - extremely sad news....
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