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Yemeni Omani United (), trading as YOU (''formerly'' MTN Yemen) is a
mobile network operator A mobile network operator (MNO), also known as a mobile network provider, mobile network carrier, mobile , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, wireless operator, wireless telco, or cellular company, is a telecommunications provider of se ...
in
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
. It was established in September 2000 as a local and international joint-stock company and became the second
GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a family of standards to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks, as used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and Mobile broadband modem, mobile broadba ...
service provider in Yemen under the trade name Spacetel Yemen, which was part of Investcom LLC. In July 2006, MTN Group acquired Investcom LLC, resulting in the rebranding of Spacetel Yemen to MTN Yemen. In 2021, MTN Group announced its exit from the Yemeni market and transferred its majority shareholding to Emerald International Investment LLC, which rebranded MTN Yemen to Yemeni Omani United (YOU) in 2022.


History


As Spacetel Yemen

The company launched its local mobile service in February 2001, which is after the company was established by months. Before its establishment in September 2000, Spacetel Yemen paid $10 million for its 15-year 900 MHz concession in July 2000. According to the marketing manager of Spacetel at the time, the company's network covered up to 80% of the population in 2004. In 2005, Spacetel Yemen signed a contract worth $20 million with
Alcatel Mobile Alcatel is a French brand of mobile handsets owned by Finnish telecommunications company Nokia and used under license by Chinese electronics company TCL Technology. The brand originates with former French conglomerate Alcatel, who began buildin ...
to expand and update its network.


As MTN Yemen

After completing its rebranding in 2007, MTN Yemen acquired additional frequencies in the 1800 MHz band in February 2008.


As YOU

After its rebranding to ''YOU'' in March 2022, the company began providing 4G (LTE) as part of its services. This came as 4G infrastructure was introduced to Yemen in September of that year. The government in Aden contested the handover of shares from MTN Group to Emerald International Investment LLC, denouncing it as illegal and alleging that Ansar Allah (
Houthis The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydism, Zaydi Shia Islamism, Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadersh ...
) had seized control of the company under the guise of "foreign investors". Consequently, a decree was issued to prohibit the company from functioning in territories under Aden's control, particularly in the city itself and the other southern governorates. The company reassured its customers in the Southern governorates that their numbers, balances, and subscriptions were safe, and that it took the matter to court. On this matter, the chairman of the company, Abdullah Al Balushi, said "If we did not believe that our legal position was correct, we would not have resorted to the judiciary. However, we are confident in the legality of the company and the soundness of its transfer procedures, and we have sufficient documentation to confirm this." he continued "The procedures for the replacement and sale of shares in closed joint-stock companies in Yemen are well-known. Nevertheless, we ensured that the change was announced and that all concerned parties were notified of the new situation." The company along with Yemen Mobile has been accused by SMEX of selling customers' active phone numbers to new ones, rendering the original owners unable to use their numbers completely.


Rebranding and ownership

Before its current rebranding, the company operated as ''MTN Yemen''. After
MTN Group MTN Group Limited (formerly M-Cell) is a South Africa, South African multinational corporation and mobile telecommunications provider. Its head office is in Johannesburg. MTN is among the List of mobile network operators, largest mobile netwo ...
acquired Investcom LLC for $5.5 billion in 2006, the company's name changed from Spacetel to MTN Yemen. MTN Group held a majority stake in the company from 2006 to 2021. In 2021, MTN Group exited the Yemeni market, transferring its 82.3% stake to Emerald International Investment LLC, a subsidiary of Zubair Investment Center LLC, which had previously held a minority stake in MTN Yemen. MTN's exit from Yemen was part of a broader strategy to withdraw from the Middle East, citing profitability concerns, since Yemen contributed only 0.3% to the group
EBITDA A company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (commonly abbreviated EBITDA, pronounced ) is a measure of a company's profitability of the operating business only, thus before any effects of indebtedness, state-mandat ...
. MTN says that it aims to focus solely on providing services in Africa.


See also

*
Telecommunications in Yemen Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...


Notes


References


External links

*{{Official website, https://www.you.com.ye/ Mobile phone companies of Yemen Telecommunications companies of Yemen