BEIJING: Etisalat signed a strategic agreement with Huawei, which places the Chinese telecom operator "as a key partner in Etisalat's drive to expand its position in the global telecommunication services industry, according to a press statement. As part of the agreement, said the press statement, Huawei will share telecommunication industry trends and best practices from its presence and experiences in international markets. It will carry out an All-IP evolution strategy for Etisalat and develop reports and recommendations for all of Etisalat's subsidiaries. Huawei will also present a technical and services roadmap based on revised All IP evolution Strategy and operational data. The agreement was signed during the state visit of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, to China. The signing took place in the presence of Sheikh Al Maktoum, between Etisalat Chief Operating Officer Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar and Ding Shaohua, Huawei's president of global sales and president of the Middle East and North Africa. "This agreement will help Etisalat explore unexploited market opportunities, drive data revenues, differentiate our service offering and increase retention across our geographical reach, said Julfar. "This is an important agreement and one which fulfills the promise of our long and valued relationship with Huawei, which also reflects the strong relationship the UAE enjoys with China. Han Junjie, Huawei vice president for the Middle East and North Africa, said, "We are delighted to partner with the leading telecommunications service provider in the Middle East. Etisalat is renowned for its thirst for innovation and its high quality expectations. These are some of the reasons we have sought to enter such a partnership with the UAE's Etisalat. Etisalat recently reported that voice traffic between the UAE and China grew 17 percent and that international roaming traffic grew by over 50 percent during 2007. "The growth in telecommunication traffic and roaming reflects the growth in trade and tourism between our two countries. We are committed to increase both the number and variety of telecommunication services with our Chinese partners to serve both communities, said Etisalat's Julfar. Etisalat has been the telecommunications service provider in the United Arab Emirates since 1976. It has expanded internationally across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and owns stakes in operators in 16 countries. Etisalat was ranked as the sixth best performing Arab company by Forbes Arabia magazine for the year 2006. At the end of Etisalat's 2007, it reported consolidated revenues for the period at AED 21.3 billion, showing an increase of approximately 31 percent, over 2006 figures. Net Profits reached AED 7.2 billion, an increase of 25 percent on 2006.
