Emirates revamps telephone system

Al-Futtaim Technologies, the systems integration arm of UAE-based Al-Futtaim Group, has won a contract with Emirates to install internet protocol (IP) telephony systems from Alcatel-Lucent at the airline's Dubai group headquarters. Work on the project, which will cover over 3,000 subscribers, has already begun. Once completed, the system will allow Emirates to reduce its total cost of ownership (TCO) for the new facility, while providing it with a “mission-critical” voice communications system. “This contract represents a strong endorsement of Al-Futtaim Technologies’ capabilities and solutions,” said Venkat Raghavan, divisional manager at Al-Futtaim Technologies.

“Total cost of ownership and a sound return on investment are driving customer decisions to implement the latest converged technologies. We see an increasing number of customers approaching Al-Futtaim Technologies to assist them with implementing the most modern IP telephony and converged network solutions,” he added.Tom Burgess, Emirates’ vice president of technology services, said: "Al-Futtaim Technologies’ technical excellence and commitment convinced us they were the right choice for the project, and we are delighted to have them as our partner. We selected the Alcatel-Lucent solution due to its flexibility and reliability. The new solutions will improve employee productivity by delivering advanced communication services while minimizing downtime.”Last week Alcatel-Lucent announced it had won a contract to upgrade and expand UAE operator Etisalat’s mobile network.Al-Futtaim Technologies offers information communication and related technologies, including telephony, contact centre solutions, next-generation networks equipment and business applications to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprise customers. Source