Telecom service provider Qtel has launched commercial services on Qtel Fibre, bringing FTTH connections to residential customers. After months of installation and development, the service is now live for customers in Qtel Fibre zones, with work ongoing to extend the service to customers across the country in the months ahead, the company says.

His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, chairman of Qtel, said, "Today is the start of a new era of information access and greater convenience for our customers. The nationwide fiber network will provide the foundation for our nation’s ongoing progress towards the 2030 vision, and the growth of the knowledge-based economy."

To date, Qtel Fibre has been installed in more than 16,000 homes across Qatar, and new connections are being added at the rate of approximately 1,500 per week. The operator says Qtel Fibre will cover the whole of the country by 2014.

Qtel will deliver special packages over FTTH with speeds of 1 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 50 Mbps, and 100 Mbps. A new Mozaic TV se¬rvice over fiber, including time-shift and HD services, will also be launched.