Etisalat's free type approval offer set to spark new telecom hardware market into life

The offer gives the vendors free type approval by UAE Lab - the premier testing facility for a range of communication devices until the end of November.

The announcement marks a further stage in the Corporation's withdrawal from the sale of telecom equipment and the offer will encourage the introduction of new models. Mr. Mohammed Al Fahim, Etisalat's Executive Vice President for Marketing, said: "We have launched this free offer to encourage vendors to bring in more models to the UAE and as a statement that we are withdrawing from the telecom equipment sellers market in good faith.

"We are convinced that as a result of this initiative a wider choice of telecommunications hardware will soon become available to customers."

The free use of the UAE Lab's facilities for the offer period is a big bonus for the vendors. The LABEL of approval from UAELAB carries weight with retailers and is crucial to the commercial success of the products.

Vendors are being offered free testing of network compatibility for as many as five telephone models, two ISDN NTE BRI models and two cable modem models.

Until now, PABX systems had to be approved at the location where they were being installed. But following an Etisalat new policy, vendors can get the model type approved by the LAB, and can carry out any number of customer site installations. The certificate of compatibility is issued to the vendor and he is free to install in line with his customers' requirements.

With this special offer open to vendors of the UAE, Etisalat is convinced a vibrant market in telecoms equipment will evolve, resulting in a flurry of new models coming on to the market to continue giving customers real choice. In the light of Etisalat's decision to withdraw from this market to pave the way for increased competition, vendors and customers alike are gearing up for a major change in telecoms hardware retailing.