Emirates Data Clearing House announces agreements with major mobile operators in Kuwait and Bahrain and hosts the Annual International User Group Meeting in Dubai

EDCH's clients, telecom operators from all over the world including Africa, Asia, Europe and the GCC, will come to the UAE to attend the event.

The meeting coincides with a series of major announcements reconfirm the leading position of Emirates Data Clearing House (EDCH) as an Etisalat company with world standard expertise in GSM roaming clearing. Three new contracts were signed with MTC Vodafone and Wataniya Telecom in Kuwait, and with MTC Vodafone in Bahrain. The agreements, which are announced for the first time today, were signed with these major operators in the summer of 2003. EDCH will make other significant announcements with African and Asian renowned operators very shortly.

Under the agreements, EDCH will provide a single point of support in Data and Financial Clearing for Kuwaiti and Bahraini mobile operators to facilitate their roaming services for better utilization of available resources and improved profitability.

These new agreements bring EDCH's share of the Middle Eastern and African markets to 70%. It also nearly doubles their international market share, which is rapidly approaching a double-digit percentage. EDCH now handles more than 1.5 million roaming call records per day, up from 350,000 only two years ago.

'These agreements cement EDCH's position as a major Clearing House more than capable of competing on an international level,' commented Ahmed Almehyas, Manager, Emirates Data Clearing House. 'Bahraini and Kuwaiti operators, with whom we contracted, are well established operators which will generate immediate revenue. We have taken these contracts from one of the biggest Clearing Houses in the world.'

EDCH has doubled its client list in the last 12-18 months because GSM operators know they can expect the highest standards of service from the UAE based company. Plans are in place to expand the marketing team at EDCH with a view to a major push into European markets, which are currently dominated by 2 or 3 major Clearing Houses.

EDCH is also continuing to develop its internal systems and software. This means that even though the number of roaming call records handled everyday has tripled in only two years, the IT systems still have capacity to handle any further growth.

'Our aim now is to move into European markets as well as the Far East and South America,' added Almehyas. 'Our relationship with CelTel in Amsterdam has seen us pick up several new clients in the African market and we are very confident that we can make a major impact on the world stage. Europe is a very important market and we are actively looking to appoint a marketing partner to assist us in this market.'

To help raise awareness about its products and services, EDCH regularly participates at international events and forums, as well as the recent GSM Arab World meeting in Syria. EDCH will be participating in events in ITU Telecom World in Geneva next week.

EDCH was established by Etisalat in 1994 when GSM mobiles were launched in the UAE. EDCH's role is to provide a single point of support for the GSM roaming facility. Today it has grown in stature and is now well known all over the world, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, providing simplified roaming, better utilization of available resources and improved operator profitability for its clients.