Arab Broadcast Forum to be aired for first time on Mobile TV

Any Etisalat customer with a 3G or 3.5G enabled mobile phone can subscribe to its mobile TV service by sending an SMS to 1010 with the message 'r mtv', and then tune into the conference by selecting Abu Dhabi TV from the menu of options.

Ahmed bin Ali, Vice President Corporate Communications at Etisalat said: 'The UAE today is the most connected nation in the Middle East, with the highest penetration of mobile, Internet and 3G subscribers. This creates an environment that encourages the dynamic creation of rich content.

Technology is opening opportunities for anyone to participate in the reporting of news, for example, and a growing pool of citizen journalists is emerging in the UAE as it is in the rest of the world. As such, it is appropriate that we are enabling this new generation of content producers to view the Arab Broadcast Forum over Mobile TV, as well as over traditional broadcast media and help as many people as possible to participate in the development of the industry'.

The Arab Broadcast Forum is taking place at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi between the 4th and 5th of May, and will bring together the leading thinkers in the broadcast industry to discuss topics such as 'The Arab League Media Charter' and the continuing growth of 'citizen journalists' and their increasing contribution to news content.

The entire conference will be broadcast LIVE on Abu Dhabi TV which is the official host broadcaster for the conference, and also one of the channels offered across Etisalat's Mobile TV service.

Edward Borgerding, CEO of Abu Dhabi Media Company said: 'Abu Dhabi TV is proud to once again serve as host broadcaster for this prestigious event. The Arabic media landscape is rapidly changing, fuelled by an ever-increasing pool of talented professionals. As technology is a key enabler of the media, and increasingly of television content, we are delighted that subscribers to Etisalat's Mobile TV service will be able to tune into the full live conference for the first time in 2008'.

Etisalat is the Diamond Sponsor of the conference and will be demonstrating its expertise in mobile TV and other multimedia services throughout the Forum.

Etisalat has been demonstrating the value of its Mobile TV services in the UAE for many years and is the region's pioneer in this technology.

It has broadcast many sporting events in previous years, in preparation for the commercial launch of its subscription-based service last year. Etisalat has since introduced similar services in Egypt and Saudi Arabia through its subsidiaries Etisalat Misr and Mobily.

Today, subscribers can access 15 channels including Abu Dhabi Sports, Abu Dhabi TV, Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera International, BBC World, CNBC Arabia, Dubai Sports, Emirates TV, MBC1, Sama Dubai, Melody Aflam, sharjah, Kairali and Melody Hits.

Mobile TV uses Etisalat's extensive 3.5G network, which covers more than 98% of the populated areas of the UAE.

To subscribe to the service, customers should have an appropriate 3G or 3.5G-enabled device and SMS 'r mtv' to 1010.