eCompany, Symantec and Linksys partner to enhance the broadband experience

The promotion which will run from February 22 to March 31,2005 will give new subscribers an opportunity to experience a superior broadband experience in a secure environment backed by a range of savings in terms of reduced monthly rentals, waiver of registration fees and reduction in hardware costs.

Consumers who sign up for the promotion will get 50 % discount on monthly rental for 3 months on all Al Shamil packages. The registration fee of AED 200 will also be waived during the promotion period and consumers will also get a 50 % reduction on the cost of either the standard modem or a wireless ADSL/Cable Gateway from Linkys depending on their choice.

With the wireless broadband gateway, subscribers will find it easy to set up a home networking environment in terms of setting up of a WiFi hotspot at home. It is easy to install and users can typically connect two or more computers at home thus allowing them to share files and printers. It also allows users to extend their broadband connection with greater mobility in terms of freedom to work anywhere in their home.

Security has become increasingly important to home users, as threats such as Slammer spread across the globe in a matter of minutes. Both new and existing Al Shamil customers will now automatically be protected by world leading Symantec products Norton Anti-Virus and Norton Personal Firewall 2005 - free of charge. Now Al Shamil customers can visit www.ecompany.ae/security and enter their Username and Password in order to sign up, download, install, and activate their latest versions of Norton Anti Virus and Personal Firewall for free.

Announcing the promotion, Abdulla Hashim, Senior Manager eCompany said: "The launch of this promotion is a wonderful opportunity for UAE consumers to capitalize on the myriad benefits of broadband in terms of speed and access to a new world of experiences like music downloads, streaming videos and the like in a secure environment.

Our constant search for enhancing customer convenience is reflected by this promotion and will further reinforce the superb customer experience that customers can expect through our Al Shamil service backed by our world class partners such as Symantec and Linksys."

"Security is critical to broadband users," commented Vikram Suri, Country Manager,Southern Gulf and Levant, Symantec . "Along with the many benefits of 'always on' web access come various dangers associated with leaving your computer open to malicious code and people with criminal intent lurking on the internet. Symantec is delighted to be working with eCompany, one of a group of leading ISPs around the world who Symantec has partnered with, to deliver this protection to users. This is an important step in the delivery of our strategic alliance with eCompany earlier this year."

Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2004 is the world's most trusted anti-virus solution (based on The NPD Group's retail Top Selling Business Software list). It protects subscriber's email, instant messages, and other files by automatically removing viruses, worms and Trojan horses. New built-in features will also detect certain non-virus threats such as spyware and keystroke loggers. Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall 2005 keeps personal data in and hackers out. Right out of the box, the firewall makes users's PCs invisible on the Internet so that hackers can't find them. The program's intelligent intrusion prevention technology blocks suspicious Internet traffic, and easy-to-use privacy controls prevent personal information from being sent out without the user's knowledge

Sam Alkharrat, Regional Sales Manager for Service Providers for Cisco Systems said, "This is a key milestone that strengthens the partnership between Cisco Systems and Etisalat, and develops the first step in our joint go-to-market Strategy". "Our global expertise in terms of leading edge, easy-to-use, value-priced broadband and wireless solutions for the home means that we can deliver quality end-user experience. Al Shamil customers now have the freedom to use Internet over broadband within their home by using the Linksys Wireless Broadband Gateways. It also delivers a strong future value as the customer can always build up security, entertainment, gaming and mobility services also using Linksys extended product set".