Etisalat brings FTTH to UAE

JANUARY 17, 2008 -- Etisalat, the telecommunications service provider of the United Arab Emirates has announced the completion of the first phase of its Fiber-to-the-Home (search for FTTH) deployment, which will eventually cover the entire nation. Etisalat says its new fiber network will meet current customer needs more efficiently and will help to meet future requirements for ultra-high bandwidth applications, in addition to offering a significantly enhanced experience for its business and residential customers.

"We are very excited about the possibilities that have now been thrown open through this delivery model," asserts Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, chief operating officer of Etisalat. "Our plan is to deploy this Next Generation Network in stages across the UAE. The end result will mean our customers will be able to access their preferred services more effectively. This technology has revolutionized the access to fixed-line services, and we are proud that the UAE is among the first countries in the world to enjoy this status," he contends. "Providing the first batch of customers with last-mile FTTH access has been a milestone for us."

Telecommunications technology is constantly progressing, and Etisalat claims it has established a reputation as an operator that is continuously identifying new ways for its customer to reach out and experience the best services and technologies that the world has to offer. The industry as a whole is looking at new ways to deliver progressively increasing bandwidth over longer distances than ever before. The ultimate aim is to deliver superior speeds and rich services to customers in the last-mile--inside their homes and businesses--using a single fiber.

FTTH Technology enables better service delivery in key areas such as high-speed Internet Service (HSI), bringing customers speeds of up to 60 Mbits sec, telephony, IPTV (Advanced digital TV), and other high-bandwidth online experiences such as gaming and Video On Demand (VOD). As with all other services provided by Etisalat, it is ultimately the customer's experience that defines the success of a platform or a service, and FTTH is fully equipped to handle customer requirements such as high bandwidth, flexibility, responsiveness, and reliability, says the carrier.

"Etisalat is now rolling out last-mile connectivity to FTTH ahead of other operators in the world to replace the current network with fiber optical technology," reports Julfar. "We expect that by the end of 2008, our customer base with direct FTTH access will be in the hundreds of thousands. We are confident that our customers will appreciate the ease and convenience with which they can now access the world-leading futuristic technology offered by Etisalat," he adds.

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