net calls, reflected in the reduction of the net loss by more than 34% to SR544M compared to SR820M for the same period in 2009. The reduction in cost was also reflected in the increase of gross profit by 43% compared to the 29% increase in the third quarter of 2009. “Zain Saudi is increasingly moving from start up to an established business that has created significant value. The current financing of the business will support our intended strategy of continuing to invest in our network roll out, which will see Zain Saudi offering 93% national coverage as part of the second phase of our expansion plan. This will mean that we will be able to reduce our operational costs further as we won't need to maintain national roaming agreements. We intend to continue to drive greater efficiencies across the business whilst seeking to improve our revenue growth. “This quarter, we have focused on our current customer base, preferring a period of customer retention which has improved our revenue and profitability, whilst reducing our costs. Our range of market leading products and services are increasingly being adopted by our customers and we will be launching marketing campaigns during the next quarter to drive service usage further.” --MORE
