Something incredible just happened, and you’ve captured it all on your trusty Smart Phone camera. While you can’t call your friends to tell them all about it because you’ve just run out of free minutes on your usage plan, you know that the best way to get your video across to your nearest and dearest is via WhatsApp. As you tap to press send, your video won’t upload, and you come to that horrible realization that your data plan ran its course and that there will be no more uploading until you’ve recharged your plan. Yikes!

Fret no more, as Ooredoo has officially made this all-too-familiar nightmare a thing of the past! With their new awesome Xpress Recharge campaign, you can literally express and share your experiences with your loved ones via Whatsapp, Skype, Tango and Viber with free unlimited usage. Here to tell us all about this brilliant campaign is Mijbil Alayoub, Director of Corporate Communications at Ooredoo Kuwait.

Hello Mijbil! Please introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Mijbil Alayoub, I have more than 20 years of experience in the corporate communications field, worked in different establishments such as the Ministry of Information, EQUATE, Zain Group, and the Kuwait Fund for the Advancement of Sciences. I hold a degree in mass communications from Northeastern University in Boston, and a degree from the London School of Business in management.

How long have you been working with Ooredoo, and what are some of the latest developments for the mobile customer?

I joined Ooredoo Kuwait in January 2015 as the Director of Corporate Communications, my main role is setting up and executing strategies related to public relations and corporate image and reputation, as well as working on corporate social responsibility strategies. I also oversee the public relations and internal communication, which is managed by my colleague Fatemah Dashti, as well as the corporate social responsibility and social media, managed by my colleague Yousef Al-Shallal.

Can you tell us more about the all-new Xpress Recharge service?

Ooredoo’s new service gives customers free and unlimited access to 4 of the most used communication applications. The network recognizes the usage of these applications automatically. Data consumption of these applications is free and unlimited for a period that varies from 24 hours to 30 days, depending on the value of the recharge.

What applications are included in this service?

The applications included in this service are WhatsApp, Tango, Viber and Skype as they are considered to be the most used apps by our customers, and help them connect with their families and friends everywhere in the world.

How will customers be getting more value for the money spent on these packages?

Users recharging with KD 1 will get 24 hours of free unlimited usage of WhatsApp, Skype, Tango and Viber, while recharging with KD 2 gives users 7 days of free usage. KD 3 users can enjoy the free service for 15 days, while KD 5 and above can enjoy the services for 30 days, which is great value for money.

Does the Xpress Recharge service apply to new users only, or can old Xpress subscribers benefit from this service?

The service is activated by default on all new Xpress SIM cards. However, current Xpress users who are signed on to other packs can get this service by dialing the USSD code *500# on their phone, or sending X to 500 via SMS.

Can you tell us a little more about Ooredoo?

Ooredoo Kuwait is a member of the international Ooredoo Group. Commercially launched in December 1999, the company provides mobile, broadband Internet and corporate-managed services tailored to the needs of customers and businesses. Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential. Ooredoo operates in more than 10 countries spread from Southeast Asia to North Africa. The group celebrated reaching 100 million customers across its operations last March, and is growing steadily.

What is the main focus of your corporate social responsibility program?

We strongly believe in empowering youth and championing women. We have been working strongly with different reputable entities in Kuwait to support them in joint initiatives, and also establishing our own initiatives. We launched our volunteer program in June, which witnessed big participation from young men and women interested in this field. We’re also working on other initiatives with our global partners at Ooredoo Group, such as the Leo Messi Foundation. We’ll announce these initiatives in time.

Is there anything else you wish to add?

Ooredoo was the first to introduce prepaid lines in Kuwait back in 2000, changing the telecom market in the country to make it adapt to a customer-centric policy, therefore we aim at maintaining providing our customers with best/top prepaid service in town and offer them value for money. 

You can stay in touch with the latest updates from Ooredoo, and participate in their competitions through our social media channels, @ooerdookuwait on Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Facebook.