Qatar’s Ooredoo and Kuwait’s Zain Group have completed the first closing of their regional tower deal, placing about 4,000 towers in Qatar and Kuwait into a platform the two telecom operators own equally.
The first closing combines the tower portfolios of Ooredoo Qatar, held through its Al Abraj unit, and Zain Kuwait, held through ITK, the companies said in a statement on Thursday.
Ooredoo Group and Zain Group each hold a 50% stake in the platform. The companies did not disclose a value for the transaction.
More tower portfolios will be added to the platform over time, subject to closing conditions and regulatory and other approvals, the companies said.
The platform will focus on passive telecom infrastructure such as towers. Ooredoo and Zain will keep their active network equipment, including the technology, software and intellectual property they need to run their networks.
The companies said the platform is designed to improve capital efficiency and to offer infrastructure as a service to operators.
“Completing this first closing marks an important milestone in building a regional tower platform designed to create significant value, with a clear path to expansion through additional market contributions,” said Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, group chief executive officer of Ooredoo Group.
Bader Al-Kharafi, vice chairman and group chief executive of Zain, called the first closing “a defining step in the evolution of digital infrastructure for both Zain and Ooredoo.”
Ooredoo thanked Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Municipality for their support during the approval process. Zain thanked regulators in Kuwait.
Ooredoo, which is listed in Doha and Abu Dhabi, operates in nine markets and reported full-year 2025 revenue of QAR24.6 billion. Zain is listed on Boursa Kuwait.
