ABU DHABI and PARIS, March 3,
2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and
NYSE: ALU) and Etisalat today announced an agreement to
extend Etisalat's LTE coverage in the United
Arab Emirates, one of the largest and fastest growing markets for
mobile data services.
Etisalat is to deploy Alcatel-Lucent's
LTE solution for this extension, applying the most
efficient and sustainable means of delivering a LTE-FDD
(long-term evolution frequency-division duplexing)-based
network and high-speed mobile broadband to customers in the
UAE. The new network will address the challenge of increasing
demand for high-speed mobile broadband fueled by video,
gaming and other high-bandwidth applications.
The expanded network also paves the way for the introduction of
advanced cloud services and evolved Multimedia Broadcast
Multicast Service (eMBMS) in 2014, as well as supporting
Etisalat's Smart City and EXPO2020 initiatives.
Key Facts:
- Etisalat is deploying Alcatel-Lucent's LTE solution to
significantly expand LTE service throughout the UAE while also
upgrading existing 3G-2G infrastructure for future LTE service
- Agreement with Alcatel-Lucent will enable Etisalat to offer
advanced cloud services and evolved Multimedia Broadcast Service
(eMBMS) in 2014
- Today's announcement builds upon an agreement between Etisalat
and Alcatel-Lucent, announced in December 2011, aimed at developing
the most efficient and sustainable means to deliver mobile
broadband to customers, using the lightRadio™ product family
- The expanded network will not only offer increased speeds,
capacity and quality, but also give Etisalat the ability to support
service in smaller coverage areas, with lower power-consumption and
even greater efficiency
- Alcatel-Lucent's technology will support Etisalat's plan to
cover 99 percent of populated areas in the UAE with LTE service by
2015 - including buildings, shopping malls, stadiums, airports and
other densely populated areas
- Etisalat is one of the largest telecommunications companies in
the Middle East, operating in 18
countries and serving over 100 million subscribers
- Agreement with Etisalat underscores the progress of The Shift
Plan, the industrial strategy to reposition Alcatel-Lucent as a
specialist vendor of IP Networking and Ultra-Broadband Access
Quotes:
Haitham Abdulrazzak, CTO of
Etisalat UAE, said: "This additional business
collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent will enable our
customers in the UAE to continue to experience
cutting-edge broadband connectivity in terms of mobile
broadband internet access, mobile TV applications, video
streaming and video calls. This expanded relationship with
Alcatel-Lucent supports our goal of making Etisalat one
of the world's top five operators in ultra-broadband
speed. "
Luis Martinez Amago, President
of Alcatel-Lucent's EMEA region, said:
"Etisalat's deployment of Alcatel-Lucent's LTE
solution underscores the confidence they have
in our ability to rapidly expand the reach of their
network to keep pace with exploding ultra-broadband demands of
customers throughout the UAE.
ABOUT ETISALAT
Etisalat is the Middle East's
leading telecommunications operator, with a market value of
approximately Dh81 billion (US$22
billion) and annual revenues of over Dh32.9 billion
(US$9 billion). Etisalat has
operations in 15 countries in the Middle
East, Africa and
Asia. Nearly 42,000 people are
directly employed by the company.
Etisalat's international acquisition programme began in earnest
in 2004 when it won the second mobile license, the first
third-generation (3G) mobile license in Saudi Arabia. Since then, the company has
witnessed rapid expansion that has positioned it as one of the
world's fastest growing operators, with subscribers from four
million in 2004 to 141 million in 2013.
Strong commitment to excellence and innovation has seen Etisalat
become one of the world's fastest-growing telecom groups, rapidly
expanding across Asia and
Africa. Its UAE operations,
strategically located at the crossroads of East and West, enables
Etisalat to be the major hub in the Middle East for Internet, voice, broadcast,
roaming and corporate data services. Etisalat has been recognized
as "Best Operator" 10 times since 2006 and "Best Wholesale
Provider" four times in the last three years.
Etisalat has over 6.3 million mobile subscribers in the UAE,
representing a market penetration in excess of 140%, placing the
UAE amongst the most highly penetrated markets in the world. This
success can be attributed to the quality and coverage of Etisalat's
extensive network, which has made UAE one of the most advanced
countries globally in terms of seamless and high quality
connectivity. For more information please visit:
http://www.etisalat.ae
About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE:
ALU)
We are at the forefront of global
communications, providing products and innovations in IP and cloud
networking, as well as ultra-broadband fixed and wireless access to
service providers and their customers, and to enterprises and
institutions throughout the world. Underpinning us in driving the
industrial transformation from voice telephony to high-speed
digital delivery of data, video and information is Bell Labs, an integral part of the Group and one
of the world's foremost technology research institutes, responsible
for countless breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and
communications industry. Our innovations have resulted in our Group
being recognized by Thomson Reuters as a Top 100 Global Innovator,
as well as being named by MIT Technology Review as amongst 2012's
Top 50 "World's Most Innovative Companies". We have also been
recognized for innovation in sustainability, being named Industry
Group Leader in the Technology Hardware & Equipment sector in
the 2013 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices review, for making global
communications more sustainable, affordable and accessible, all in
pursuit of the Group's mission to realize the potential of a
connected world.
With revenues of Euro 14.4
billion in 2013, Alcatel-Lucent is listed on the
Paris and New York stock exchanges (Euronext and NYSE:
ALU). The company is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris.
For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on:
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the
Alcatel-Lucent blog http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow
the Company on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.
SOURCE Alcatel-Lucent