Etisalat has been named as the most admired telecommunications company in the Gulf in a recent report. In an ‘Arabian Business’ review of the 50 most admired companies in the Gulf region, Etisalat was highlighted for demonstrating a distinct set of values including dynamic innovation, effective leadership, strong growth and a firm commitment to breaking new ground in the Middle East and beyond.
Etisalat has led the Middle East telecommunications industry for over 30 years. The corporation has made the UAE one of the most connected nations, with more than 5.78 million customers on its GSM network, 1.3 million subscribers to the fixed line network and over 2 million Internet users. The penetration of mobile phones into the market has crossed the 130 percent mark, the highest in the region, and comparable to the highest in the world.
Etisalat was the first Middle East service provider to introduce mobile services in 1982 and the first to introduce Public Frame Relay and ATM services in 1991 and 1993 respectively. In 1994, Etisalat completed a network to cover the entire UAE with telecommunications services, and brought the commercial Internet to the Middle East in 1997. MMS services, 3G and then 3.5G were introduced later, again before any other Middle East operator. Finally, in 2006, Etisalat began to introduce mobile television on 3G/Edge and also on DVB-H for consumers and then brought BlackBerry for business users. Both services have now been commercially launched.
Etisalat has also established a significant geographical footprint stretching from West Africa to Pakistan. Today the company services some 32 million subscriptions to fixed-line and mobile telephony, Internet and television, including over 7 million subscriptions in the UAE. The Etisalat brand was taken to Egypt in 2007 with Etisalat Misr launching on May 1. Etisalat Afghanistan will begin operations later this year.
This study, within Arabian Business Magazine is the latest publication to acknowledge the importance of Etisalat to the UAE and the regional telecommunications industry. Other accolades come from Middle East Magazine which has ranked Etisalat first in the United Arab Emirates and fourth in the Middle East among the top 100 companies based on its financial performance and capital growth. The corporation was also selected as one of the top 500 companies based on capital according to the ‘Financial Times’. It was ranked as the 6th best performing Arab company by ‘Forbes Arabia’ magazine for the year 2006, which included more than 1600 Arab joint stock companies in various sectors.
Etisalat’s leadership in innovative marketing has also been recognized. It’s new corporate identity, launched in 2006, won the coveted Design Week Benchmark Award, as the best brand in the telecommunications category. It was also recognized as Customer Service Provider of the Year 2006 and overall Service Provider of the Year 2006 by Comms MEA magazine. Arabian Business has also awarded Etisalat for its contribution to the local community, with a special award for corporate social responsibility in 2006. In 2007, Etisalat has been acknowledged byNetwork Middle East Magazine as providing the most innovative new product, BlackBerry. This solution has since been rolled out in Saudi Arabia, by Etihad Etisalat under the Mobily brand.
Etisalat’s exectutive team is led by HE Mohammad Hassan Omran, chairman and chief executive officer, HE Mohammad Al Qamzi. For further information please visit www.etisalat.ae.
Source: Arabianbusiness.com
