Etisalat is key participant in UAE stand at WSIS exhibition

This event is being hosted by the Government of Tunisia under the patronage of the United Nations, and will run from the 16th to 18th of November 2005. The Corporation's main participation will be in the exhibition on the sidelines of the main summit, and will run from 15th November to 19th November.

Ahmed Bin Ali, Manager Corporate Communication, Etisalat, said:

"Etisalat has always been committed to participating in international conferences, especially those concerned with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Our presence within the UAE stand at the exhibition on the sidelines of the WSIS summit is testament to the role of the Corporation as a pioneer in telecommunications and related services in the entire region and beyond."

As one of the key Business Units that are participating in the exhibition, eCompany is set to showcase its versatile range of Internet services and e-Business solutions at the event in Tunisia. On the consumer side eCompany will be showcasing its 'LearnOnline' eLearning courses, which includes new eLearning curriculums for schools@LearnOnline and new foreign language eLearning courses to name just a few.

Internet access services like Al Shamil broadband for homes, BusinessOne broadband for Small and medium enterprises, leased line services and others will also be featured by eCompany.

On the corporate side, eCompany will showcase its comprehensive ePayment solutions including its Mobile payments service which provide consumers with a simple, convenient and secure way of making payments using a mobile for a wide variety of services. In the eSecurity space, eCompany will display its Identity Management solutions through use of PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) including Managed Vulnerability assessment which will utilize automated scanning and penetration testing tools to help customers mitigate risk of vulnerabilities. On the Enterprise infrastructure side, eCompany will be showcasing its co-location, hosting and VPN (Virtual Private Network) Host Connect solutions for corporate customers including Disaster Recovery solutions.

As part of its participation in the exhibition organized alongside the conference, Etisalat Academy will be briefing the participants and visitors on training programmes offered to universities and college graduates as well as employees working in various professions and business sectors.

These programmes include Telecommunication Sciences, Business Administration, Customer Service, marketing, accounting, the Contact Center sector training as well as basic sciences.

The Academy will be also displaying the e-learning programmes launched by the G77-United Nations. The e-learning programmes were designed especially for the Middle East and North Africa to fill the gap between academic studies and current job requirement. Etisalat Academy took the initiative to spread the programmes in MENA.

The programmes include courses in Science Administration, e-government, accounting, quality assurance and management, marketing, customer services and English Language.

The United Nations has placed huge significance on this initiative to spread e-learning throughout the developing countries, including the MENA region. The first phase of the project, which includes 600 training sessions, was finalised and approved by international institutes.

A subsidiary of Etisalat, Emirates Telecommunications and Marine Services FZE- e-marine- is a key player in the region in the field of laying, maintaining and storing submarine communication cables. This subsidiary also carries out marine surveys and identifies the best location for submarine cables, in addition to managing marine projects and providing consultancy services. The company owns three fully equipped and modern cable ships, and is currently about to procure a fourth one, customized for marine work related to the Oil and Gas industry.

The Corporation is exhibiting details of some of its prominent achievements over the last year. The focus was on submarine cable repairing projects that were undertaken off the coast of the subcontinent, and the laying of a key segment of the submarine cable, SMW-4.

Emirates Data Clearing House (EDCH) is another key business unit of Etisalat, and its offers complete support for GSM mobile operators in terms of financial services and data exchange. EDCH is one of only five companies in the world offering its suite of services, and has now grown to service 43 telecom operators in 35 countries.

EDCH handles financial clearance and settlements, data exchange, and management reporting in addition to security against fraud and negotiating mobile roaming agreements on behalf of its clients.

Emirates Internet Exchange (EMIX) is a business unit of Etisalat that is the first network access point to the Internet from the Middle East. EMIX bases their network on multiple STM-1 cables and the company satisfies the bandwidth requirements of telecommunication companies and ISPs in the region while bringing them efficiency and economy.

"We are very pleased to be a part of this joint initiative to present the UAE in the best light at this event. The UAE's respected international status and Etisalat's pioneering role in the region are key elements that