The facts surrounding the introduction of the branded partnership between Virgin Mobile and Qtel in Qatar last year suggest that arguably, a mobile telecommunications services provider may be introduced into the Qatar market-place without a license from the Qatar telecommunications regulator providing the partnership complies with the necessary laws and regulations.  However, while this question-mark in the industry remains, the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology's final decision to terminate the Qtel/Virgin Mobile partnership shows that it has a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to non-compliance with the telecommunications legal framework.

Telecommunications Regulatory Framework in Qatar

The telecommunications industry is regulated by the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (“ictQATAR”), which was established under the Decree Law No. 36 of 2004.