Etisalat Chairman unveils strategy to realise group synergies

He stressed on the need for a close working relationship between subsidiaries and the value of leveraging synergies between operations. Mr Omran was speaking at the Telecom Finance Middle East and Africa forum, which is being held at Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, Dubai, from 21-22 May.

"This year will see an increasing impetus placed on our non-core businesses and on the synergies that the group's scale, scope and operational footprint brings to the fore," said Mohammed Hassan Omran, Chairman of Etisalat.

Mr. Omran continued: "The Etisalat family and group of companies are in their strongest position to expand and take advantage of new opportunities within its existing local and international markets.

This is because of our vision to play a key role in the world's telecommunications markets and to be positioned in the top 10 in terms of market capitalisation. We will do this using the great synergies that we enjoy - synergies of value; of expertise; network; diversity and synergies of culture, innovation, and ultimately success."

Etisalat's chairman also discussed some of the ways in which these synergies may realize value for its regional customer base: "Extensive managerial resources and attention have been dedicated to leveraging the unique attributes of Etisalat's top three markets - Saudi, UAE and Egypt, and we will be launching a special service proposition to mobile customers across those markets that would greatly enhance the appeal of mobile services to roaming customers."

Omran lauded the efforts of the UAE government and the vision of its leaders in fostering excellent relationship with the rest of the world. "The spirit and direction of the UAE as a nation is reflected in the work of Etisalat and all its subsidiaries and we take our position as industrial ambassadors of the nation very seriously. This is why we are committed to ensure that every aspect of our operations is successful."

Under the leadership of H.E. Mohammad Hassan Omran, Etisalat has grown strongly with the launch of many products and services that are the first of their kind in the region. He has also expanded his company's influence to 16 countries.

"Etisalat has been successful in all the 16 markets in which it operates today and has invested in providing telecom solutions and services that add value to the customer and facilitates the most ideal use of technology," Omran said.

Omran also stated that Etisalat is seen as a true partner to develop African and Asian countries by setting up state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure that paves the way for more development projects, while also developing local human resources to handle such projects.

Etisalat is the largest Arab telecommunications company in the Middle East, with 63 million subscribers and has introduced the most advanced services to the region.