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Nokia Siemens Networks and Zain have won the Global Telecoms Business Wireless network infrastructure innovation award for 'One Network', the world's first borderless mobile telecoms network service.

The announcement was made at the Global Telecoms Business Awards in London.

The ground breaking 'One Network' service reduces the cost of making telephone calls by allowing customers to communicate freely across geographical borders and continents without roaming call surcharges and without having to pay to receive incoming calls wherever they travel in the 16 countries that currently participate in Zain's One Network.

In addition the customers are able to top up their prepaid accounts with airtime purchased from more than one million sales outlets in any of the countries in which One Network is operational.

Nokia Siemens Networks worked together with Zain as a partner of choice to implement 'One Network' in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and Iraq. The One Network service has revolutionised and replaced traditional methods of international roaming. Among the many benefits for subscribers, the service is automatically activated upon crossing the geographic border of the countries, with no prior registration or sign-up fee required. Pre-paid customers can also top up their phones with recharge cards bought from either their home country or more than one million outlets available across the One Network countries. The airtime topped up can be added to and used in any of the One Network countries.

Originally launched by Zain in September 2006 and more recently to Zain's Middle East operations in Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, up to 500 million people in Zain's markets stretching from Manama in Bahrain to Freetown in Sierra Leone can be treated as 'local' customers should they have a Zain mobile line.

George Held, One Network programme director, said: "Nokia Siemens Networks has been a true partner for us in rolling out One Network in the Middle East. They have demonstrated understanding and foresight to work with us to bring this remarkable service - and its many personal and commercial benefits - to our customers in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan."