Gulf Telecom Leadership to Meet in Doha for Finance Forum

London and Doha, December 7, 2008 – Leading telecom executives, investment bankers, investors and professional advisers from around the world are getting together in Doha on March 18 and 19 for TMT Finance & Investment Middle East, (www.tmtfinance.com) the major networking event for financiers and telecom, media and technology executives in 2009.

The two day event, which is taking place at the The Sharq Resort Village, Doha, Qatar, includes a stellar line up for the Leadership Panel chaired by consultancy Booz&Co and will feature CxOs from Qtel, STC, Etisalat, Batelco and Telecom Egypt. The executives will discuss the changing structure of the telecom industry and their strategies for regional and global expansion in emerging and developed markets.

The M&A Advisers Panel includes senior investment bankers from Citi, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and a leading legal and professional services adviser debating the major opportunities and challenges for consolidators in the TMT sector in 2009. The best merger and acquisition opportunities will be highlighted. Other major sessions and issues featured at the event will include:

Fixed and Mobile Middle East: Geographical trends and opportunities; Beating the debt challenge: How to access local and international finance; New growth opportunities: Expanding in Africa and Asia with a focused highlight on the Levant markets; The Sovereign Wealth Funds Panel: Public and private financing initiatives and Investing in Future Media: which technologies will drive growth in the emerging markets?

“2009 will be a challenging year and much of the driving force for international business and growth will emanate from the Middle Eastern region” said Dominic Lowndes, Director, TMT Group at BroadGroup. “We are already receiving a huge amount of interest from global institutions in coming to Doha to participate in this event. There are some really outstanding opportunities for investment in the emerging markets for those with the right local and regional partners”.

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) is Patron of TMT Finance and Investment Middle East 2009 which is organised by consulting firm BroadGroup. Booz&Co is Conference Partner, and Orient Consulting is PR Partner. Qatar Airways is Official Airline Partner. Capital MS&L is Investor Relations Partner. Further sponsors and partners will be announced in the coming weeks. Media partners include Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya
.commerce and The Gulf.

“The sharing of knowledge is a fundamental factor to the importance of this event,” commented Ghassan Hasbani, Vice President, Booz and Co. “TMT Finance and Investment 2009 brings together the leadership of operating companies across the region, Africa, India and beyond. We believe that this year will be an especially important meeting and encourage partners globally to participate.”

Reflecting the investment drive by major telecommunication operators in the region, this special conference for professional TMT practitioners in finance and law firms, and the financial and strategic leadership in operating companies, will focus on investment opportunities, where they exist or are emerging and capable of providing sustained growth.

Visit www.tmtfinance.com for full programme and event details.

Contact Information

Dominic Lowndes

Director TMT Group

BroadGroup

Contact via E-mail