Etisalat enables HSDPA broadband Internet access on 3G Mobiles

Under the patronage and in the presence of HE Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Government Sector Development in the UAE, the 9th International Telecom Summit for the Arab States - ARABCOM 2006 - was held on 11th and 12th April 2006 at Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai. The conference was attended by representatives of many telecom related government and private sector organizations, and Etisalat was a key participant.

At the conference, Khalifa Al Forah, Manager Mobile Systems, Emirates Telecommunications Corporation- Etisalat- spoke about a number of technologies and advanced services that Etisalat has pioneered in the region. He also conducted a comparison between the broadband internet access through 3G mobile (HSDPA) technology and the WiMAX technology for broadband Internet access wherein he illustrated how these two technologies complement each other rather than compete.

Etisalat is now equipped to provide services and applications on the 3.5G platform by launching HSDPA. Etisalat is the first operator in the region to launch this service, which will provide mobile users with broadband connectivity speeds on their mobile phones.

Etisalat's innovation in terms of providing different technologies and systems matched to different devices has enabled the imminent launch of 'Quad Play' service that will include voice, video, data transfer and wireless connectivity all through one source.

He also spoke about a number of services provided by Etisalat including Push To Talk, which allows users to communicate with a group of people without making a phone call; Push Email, which allows mobile users to access their emails in real time, including viewing and modifying attachments; customer-centric service launches like Anti-spam SMS, which enables customers to block content providers from sending them SMS messages; and many other services.

"Etisalat has enjoyed a reputation of being a pioneer in the region, especially since it was the first to launch mobile phones in 1982, and MMS and 3G in 2003. The Corporation is committed to providing its customers with the world-class services and latest developments that they have enjoyed all along. We are happy to come together with the regional leaders in the telecommunications industry and play a part in the development of the region as a whole", said Al Forah.