Telecommunications Regulatory Authority

The telecom subscribers will have to wait for the servies like Mobile Number Portability and Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP) in 2012 that will set the pace for competition in the telecoms sector.

The year as well saw sector-specific events that were widely debated in the business circles, including the failure of Emirates Telecommunication Corporation, or etisalat, to acquire Kuwait’s Zain, the second largest Arab telecom company.

In the summer, the company faced a legal proceeding in India, where it invested $900 million in Swan Telecommunication to acquire its 45 per cent stake, to later rename as etisalat DB.

Also while that period, Abu Dhabi-owned Mubadala Development Company’s subsidiary, Yahsat launched its first satellite — the Y1A — into orbit to provide wide ranging telecommunication related services for the public sector as then as civilian purposes. Another craft, Y1B, which is part of its $1.2 billion project, will be sent sometime in the first quarter of at once year.

The satellite has military as so then commercial usage for subscribers in the Middle East and North Africa and other parts of the world. The firm has obtained a licence to introduce satellite-run Internet services, which will be offered in the UAE also as in other countries.

For mobile phone subscribers—who were expecting more competition — there was a little disappointment while the year, as telecom operators failed to introduce MNP, which will allow them to switch over to the other service provider, to benefit from low tariffs and quality of services.

During the year, subscribers continued to benefit from the tariff model of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, or du, by switching over to the network throughout the year, putting pressure on etisalat, which focused on technological upgradation and network expansion to offset the impact of declining earnings.

Etisalat as well launched its LTE (Long Term Evolution, latest standard in the mobile network technology)-FDD mobile network, becoming one of the few telecom operators to complete this technological achievement, which enhanced the country’s global ranking in terms of providing advanced telecommunication services.

With this new technical achievement, the UAE became one of the first countries in the world to launch 4G, the result of years of work to develop the telecommunications sector and the corporation’s significant investment in the country’s infrastructure.

Etisalat declared Abu Dhabi as the first capital city in the world to be in every respect covered with a fibre optic network. The new milestone opened the doors for a new era in the telecom sector due to the enormous potential offered by fibre-optic networks, which can contribute to the economical and social development of nations and enhance economic progress and prosperity.

During Gitex 2011, etisalat unveiled ePlus, a at once-generation, interactive convergence platform featuring rich content, social media and much more. Etisalat’s ePlus is a comprehensive application that allows subscribers to make high quality video and voice calls, leveraging VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology just in case to utilising social networking applications and e-commerce. Etisalat, which has footprint in 18-countries, has invested significantly in its IPTV infrastructure and this has enabled the corporation to become the partner of choice for telecoms, who are looking to expand the availability of TV services to their clients, be it over a managed or a broadband network, and content providers wishing to monetise their content to hundreds of thousands of IP connected homes and millions of wirelessly connected smart phones. Due to etisalat’s advanced nationwide fibre network, it is the first operator in the region to offer eLife, the IPTV service name of etisalat that delivers over 350 TV channels, 600+ video-on-demand movies, and much more, to near 100 thousand clients.

The year saw the launch of telecom giant’s multi-service hub called Smart Hub. Through this initiative, etisalat is rapidly positioning the UAE as a leading internet hub during also establishing the company as an important and powerful player in the Middle East.

Etisalat’s Smart OTT-Hub and content delivery network partners will enable the OTT content and services to be delivered to telecoms that partner with it to have a version of the eLife OnWeb service offering in other words branded for them and offered by them to broadband connected clients within their territory.

Etisalat chairman Mohammad Omran hinted the telecom will be "investing $15 billion over the then and there five years to enhance its networks and services in the country and in its international investments."

All these developments are aimed at increasing etisalat’s revenue, which has eroded due to the competition in the domestic market.

"Our focus this year was three-fold — on our clients, to improve their overall communications experience employees, to motivate and reward them for their contribution to the growth of du, and very importantly — to create value for our shareholders and investors," he said.

For clients, he said du exactly strengthened its network capabilities by upgrading and rolling-out HSPA+ network that promises a vastly superior user experience.

"It is our intention to become the preferred telecommunications company in the country, through constant research and delivery of the latest telecom technologies, thereby adding life to our clients’ lives."

The new year will see more competition to control the domestic mobile telephony, as the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority wants to operationalise MNP, which could not happen in 2011.