Etisalat says its strategic partnership with China-based Huawei would enable it to cover 85 per cent of the UAE's populated areas under the advanced 4G LTE-FDD (fourth generation long-term evolution frequency-division duplexing) network in 2013. “Etisalat and Huawei's close cooperation in pioneering the world's most advanced ICT [information and communication technology] products and services, can deliver faster and more accessible telecom services to our customers across the UAE. There is no doubt that the new generation of communications will have a vital role in enhancing the development process in all communities," said Jaber Al Janahi, Vice President of Corporate Communications at etisalat. A group of mediapersons from the UAE accompanied senior executives from etisalat to China to visit Huawei's various state-of-the-art facilities, countrywide. Huawei annually invests an average of 10 per cent of its revenue into research and development (R&D). Etisalat was the first in the region to launch the 4G LTE-FDD in 2011 in collaboration with Huawei. The first phase of the project covered around 80 per cent of the populated areas in the country with close to 1,000 stations. Etisalat now plans to increase the number of stations to extend its 4G coverage in the populated areas and strengthen the internal coverage for buildings, malls and airports, in addition to other key buildings. As for the 3G network, Etisalat currently covers around 99.8 per cent of populated areas with more than 5,500 stations. “Etisalat will continue to expand its 3G network in conjunction with the second phase of the LTE project," the telecom operator said. Huawei, an employee-owned private company, has established end-to-end capabilities across the carrier networks, enterprise and consumer markets by providing competitive solutions and services, which have been deployed in over 150 countries serving more than one-third of the world's population. In 2011, Huawei recorded revenues of $32.4 billion (Dh119.16 billion), a year-on-year increase of 11.7 per cent. Huawei provides 45 of the world's top 50 telecommunications operators with unified platforms, consistent experiences, and adapted solutions. In the Middle East, Huawei has established a strong relationship with key operators such as etisalat. Huawei aims to become one of the leading mobile phone brands in the world and to be the third-largest smartphone vendor with 15 per cent market share by 2015. Huawei is currently the world's sixth-biggest maker of mobile phones. In the Middle East, Huawei's 2011 consumer sales revenue was $175 million, and its 2012 annual sales target is $200 million. The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing regions worldwide for Huawei with regional contract sales across the Middle East in 2011 totalling $3.22 billion, a 20 per cent increase from the previous year. Gulf News
