Etisalat's Vision and Strategy for 2007

Etisalat's strategy and vision for 2007 were presented yesterday at the opening of the Telecommunications & ICT Summit, MECOM 2007, in Abu Dhabi.

The summit gathered leading figures from across the world's telecommunications industry and was led by the region's most respected telecommunications provider, Etisalat . Essa Al Haddad, Etisalat's Chief Marketing Officer, delivered the inaugural key note under the title "Pioneering Technology for Today and Tomorrow's Customers".

During the presentation was acknowledged that customer understanding and knowledge is at the core of Etisalat's strategy and highlighted key successes that have been made over the last 12 months. These include achieving over 135% mobile phone penetration and 60% Internet penetration, supported by over 200,000 broadband users. Etisalat's 'Office on the Move' strategy is helping to drive this growth. Etisalat supports professionals in their work through the company's extensive and comprehensive voice and data network coverage and quality, its 420 international roaming agreements for both voice and data and its position as the exclusive provider of BlackBerry mobile Internet services in the UAE.

Recent YouGov poll surveyed a cross-section of 500 UAE residents and reported 94% would like more time with their family and 89% desired more flexible patterns of working. Therefore the company developed powerful array of rich multimedia services, many of which are exclusive to Etisalat or like 3G, were introduced in 2003 in the UAE before any other Arab nation. Mobile Television using 3G/3.5G technology was first introduced by Etisalat into the UAE in 2004 and was officially packaged and brought to market as a subscription based service this year. Etisalat has also been investing in developing mobile television on Digital Video Broadcast for Handheld technology (DVB-H), which is on display for the fourth time at its stand within the main exhibition area.

Etisalat's contribution to UAE society also extends to those who have difficulty in enjoying the benefits of technology. Etisalat offers video-enabled talk services, which allow sign language to be used, and Etisalat's text-to-voice service enables people to communicate quickly and more conveniently. Etisalat is also embarking on a campaign to support those with special needs and bridge a digital divide. In conclusion was discussed the future of convergence and the unstoppable, ubiquitous way technology will interact with every day life.