Consumers urged to look for the UAELAB label

Although this will mean greater choice for consumers, it also opens the market to substandard or incompatible telecom equipment.

To avoid this, customers are encouraged to look for the UAELAB Label of approval on each piece of telecom equipment that they purchase.

The UAELAB, a division of Emirates Telecommunications Corporation - Etisalat, is the premier telecommunication testing facility in the region. The UAELAB tests imported telecom equipment to ensure it is compatible with the Etisalat networks. Following testing and approval, each individual piece of equipment to be sold in the UAE is affixed with the distinctive UAELAB permit number and label.

"With this trusted mark of assurance, the consumer can rely on the knowledge that the product has been tested and approved by his own telecommunication Service providers", said Mohammed Al Fahim, Etisalat's Executive Vice President of Marketing. "All equipment which has undergone the rigorous testing by UAELAB and has been approved will show this label. The label ensures the product is fully compatible with our network."

UAELAB has developed a reputation as one of the foremost technical testing laboratories in the Middle East and Africa. Product testing and approval by UAELAB is now required as a prerequisite for sale of some telecom equipment sold in these countries.

UAELAB testing equipment meets exacting international standards, and all tests are carried out in their high-tech facility in Abu Dhabi. Products sold in the UAE but not submitted for testing by UAELAB may or may not function properly with the Etisalat networks. With certification, UAELAB does not certify the quality or longevity of the product, but solely confirms its compatibility with the telecom network.