Etisalat participates in Connect 2005

Emirates Nasser Bin Obood, Deputy CEO of Etisalat, delivered the Inaugural address on behalf of the corporation. The summit is on the 29th and 30th of May 2005, at the JW Marriott Hotel, Dubai.

Speaking to industry leaders and high-profile delegations from telecom operators across the region at the summit, Mr. Bin Obood said: "I am confident that Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), the company I represent, consistently presents a positive image of the UAE. I am certainly proud of what we have been able to achieve, of our position as the UAE's national telecommunications service provider and our track record since the company was established 1976."

On the importance of the industry itself, Bin Obood said: "It is frequently said that the state of its telecommunications is as good an indicator as there is of a country's general condition and direction. By this measure, we all bear a responsibility for ensuring that our own countries enjoy the most up to date and efficient service that is available."

His address also included the recent high-profile international expansion steps that the corporation has taken. He said that Etisalat has made determined efforts to reach out beyond the borders of the UAE to look for new opportunitiesöö. After successful entries into Saudi Arabia and Sudan, Etisalat is currently about to enter the markets of Yemen, Pakistan and Turkey. This, he said, was a natural step for the Corporation which has consistently shown a willingness to adopt a competitive mindset, even as a sole national provider.

Based on what Bin Obood said about new technology development, customers would do well to look out for the services Etisalat plans to launch in the near future. These are fully compatible with the existing networks, and the market is tested for demand, so the corporation is understandably confident that the services to come will each attract a strong subscriber base. The most prominent of these are the mobile office, convergence of all technologies offered, and the penetration of broadband to make UAE among the top 10 connected nations in the world by 2008.