The Qtel Group will roll out a new service to manage social networks and blogs through a single address book, which are accessible through Internet and mobile phones. The service will be launched in key markets served by Qtel Group in mid-2010. The announcement was made at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday. The new service will enable customers to unify all their accounts, contacts and details for a full range of microblogging, blogging and social media services into one platform, which can be accessed either through their mobile phone or Internet. The Qtel Group developed this new service, which it said follows in-depth customer research across 17 markets it serves. The research brought out the need for a ‘simple, convenient and integrated’ service that enables people to manage and access their diverse web of social networks. Qtel Group CEO Nasser Marafih said, “Social networking has made a major impact on society, changing the way that people are networking within their communities, sharing information and interacting. We will provide a service which could simplify the way people can manage the full range of social networks, with a particular focus on providing one-touch access via their mobile phones. This new service delivers a simple unique customer experience in a way that is flexible enough to cater to the uniqueness of our diverse markets, and really demonstrates how mobile technology is changing the way we stay in touch with the world.” The Qtel Group customers will be able to interact with their social communities in a seamless manner, such as updating their Facebook status with a new photo and then ‘tweeting’ on Twitter, without having to switch sites. The in-depth customer research also revealed that customers believe surfing is more fun especially when they are able to tell their friends what they have found. So the new offering will include micro blogging to enable Qtel Group customers to search, discuss, recommend and follow topics that appeal to them. http://gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=343728&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

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