Q-Post invites suggestions from courier firms for new postal laws
Qatar’s General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) has invited suggestions from the large, foreign courier companies operating in Doha about the proposed, new postal laws that are expected to be enacted shortly, the Q-Post chairman, Ali Mohammad Al Ali, disclosed yesterday.
Copies of the draft-law, he said, had already been circulated to these companies and some of them had sought a few amendments, which would be considered, he added. The nature of changes and other details related to the law were however not disclosed. He said that Q-Post, since the last two years, was offering services that were better or at least, at par with those offered by large, international courier companies. Hence, despite having the monopoly over mail services, under Qatari laws, the corporation have allowed such firms to operate since it was confident of offering a superior quality of services to clients. Ali said, recently, the major global courier firm, DHL, had sought a tie-up with Q-Post to launch joint services in the country. He said that the company found Q-Post with its 25 branches all over Qatar, number of personnel and a fleet of over 50 vehicles, as the most attractive partner.
Meanwhile, Q-Post and Dolphin Energy Ltd (DEL) yesterday signed an agreement appointing the corporation as its main handler for outbound mail from its two sites, in Doha and Ras Laffan. Ali signed the deal on behalf of Q-Post while DEL was represented by its executive vice president and chairman for Qatar, E A Sandy Lowe. The signing ceremony was also attended by DEL’s deputy general manager, Yousif Rashid Al Khater and Q-Post’s deputy chairman, Abdulaziz Al Khater and spokesman, Abdullah Al Hajri. Speaking to the media following the ceremony, Lowe said, Q-Post, under this deal, will ensure that all its mail sent to destinations in the GCC region, would be delivered overnight and that between its Doha and Ras Laffan offices would be cleared and delivered twice daily. He said that DEL decided to enter into the deal with Q-Post instead of any private companies since the corporation’s services offered several advantages over others, such as its extensive network.
Ali said that in about two years, Q-Post will offer all its services electronically, under a major upgrade project undertaken by the corporation. Within the next five years, about 45 e-government services will be offered through Q-Post branches, he added. The facility of renewing Residence Permits through the postal system, which is now available only at the Doha General Post Office and the Q-Post counter at the LuLu Hypermarket, will be extended to all 25 branches by the end of June, he disclosed. Q-Post now has corporate deals with 170 local firms for using Mumtaz Mail and 44 companies for e-government services, he added.
