Orascom and Zein Win Another YearThe Ministry of Telecom announced today that it has renewed the contracts with Orascom Telecom, which manages Alfa mobile phone company, and Zain, which manages MTC Touch, for another year.  The renewal came on the day that the contracts were due to expire, “in an urgent measure to prevent the shutdown of the cell phone service,” it said. The communiqué said that the extension was in accordance with the terms and conditions that were approved by the Council of Ministers in January 2010, and after the two companies had waived their right to a $2.5 million in compensation should the Council of Ministers reject to renew the contracts. “The agreement was concluded after the two companies had placed purchase orders for equipment needed to introduce the Third Generation mobile phone system that the ministry has launched.”