Bahrain Telecommunication Company BSC, trading asBatelco, is the principal telecommunications company in Bahrain. The company’s headquarters are in Bahrain and the company is listed on the Bahrain Bourse. The Chairman of the Board is Abdulla Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. It provides services for mobiles through GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 2100 and LTE 1800 while its residential Internet is an ADSL, Wireless or FTTH service. Batelco is one of Bahrain's five Internet service providers.
Batelco employs approximately 1,300 people in Bahrain. Mikkel Vinter is the current Chief Executive Officer of Batelco.
Mergers and acquisitions
1998: 44% of Qualitynet was acquired by Batelco in a public offering by Kuwait's Ministry of Communication, as part of a strategy to privatise Internet and data communications services within the State of Kuwait.
2001: Batelco Jordan was formed following the merger of National Equipment Telecommunications Systems and First Telecommunications Group with Batelco.
2003: Batelco Egypt Communications was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of Batelco Middle East, in Cairo as an Egyptian Joint Stock Closed Company.
2006: Batelco purchases 96% share of Umniah Mobile Communications – Jordan.
2007: Batelco purchased a 20% stake in Yemen's SabaFon mobile communications company, for US$144 million in cash.
2008: Consortiums led by Batelco, Hong Kong's PCCW and U.S. Verizon Communications won final approval to operate a new Saudi fixed-line phone network called Etihad Atheeb Telecom Company. Etihad Atheeb has since gone public in February 2009, offering 30 million shares at SAR 10 per share representing 30% of its capital in an IPO; which was 2.5 times oversubscribed. The IPO raised US$80 million.
2009: Batelco partnered with Millennium Private Equity to form Batelco Millennium India Company Limited to purchase 49% stake in Chennai based S Tel Limited, a recently established Indian mobile operator for US$225 million.
2012: Batelco announced its agreement for the sale of its shareholding in S Tel Private Limited to its Indian partner, Sky City Foundation Limited for BD 65.8M.
2014: Batelco Group acquired Ali Alghanim & Sons General Trading and Contracting Company W.L.L. 46% shareholding in Quality Net
2019 : Batelco sold its 90% shareholding in QualityNet to stc Kuwait. Batelco also created a new division called BNET, which provides broadband network services to all licensed operators including Batelco. Whereas, Batelco remained focused solely on retail and corporate operations.
