Vodafone Group is nearing an agreement with Kuwait-based Zain to expand access to networks across the Middle East, Bloomberg reported citing two people familiar with the matter. The accord covers Zain's operations across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Bahrain, and would see Vodafone and Zain cooperate on roaming and handset procurement. According to the report, an announcement may be made before end-August. Vodafone is seeking to expand in countries where it has no existing presence with roaming deals and carrier agreements. The operator last year signed accords with at least 10 Asian carriers to lower roaming rates and give subscribers and enterprise customers better network coverage.
