Abu Dhabi becomes the world’s first capital city entirely connected to fibre optic networks

Press release:
Etisalat today announced that Abu Dhabi is now the first capital city in the world which is entirely covered with a fibre optic network (FTTx). The completion of this project marks new milestone for Etisalat and an achievement for the country, and has contributed to the UAE being ranked amongst the top five countries in the Arab world in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) and ranked 24th in the world according to the Global Information Technology Report 2011 issued by the World Economic Forum, outperforming many countries.

This new achievement opens the doors for a new era in the telecommunications 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. Fibre offers revolutionary services and solutions which can meet subscribers’ needs for decades to come.

This network will also contribute to achieving sustainable development which the UAE government seeks in the economical, social and infrastructure development fields.

On this occasion his Excellency Mohammed Omran, Chairman, Etisalat said: “This milestone can be added to Etisalat’s previous achievements accomplished over the past 30 years, putting the country at the forefront in global telecommunications as we are proud to announce Abu Dhabi as the first capital city in the world that is entirely connected to the fibre optic network.”
“We are pleased to dedicate this great achievement to our wise leadership who have always been a beacon for us and a motivator to achieve more successes and achievements,” Omran stated.

Nasser Bin Obood, Acting CEO, Etisalat said: “The fibre optic network is a key turning point in the development of telecom infrastructure, as this network with all its enormous benefits and features is expected to have an impact in all sectors”.

“Our significant investment in this network, which amounts to approximately AED 6 billion may have somehow impacted the net profits of the Corporation in the recent past, but we are confident that this short term impact will prove to be beneficial for many in decades to come. It is an investment that directly impacts the country’s position and its network readiness, supporting the government’s guidelines in enhancing and harnessing e-government tools and information automation,” Bin Obood added.

After Etisalat launched the first of its services that is based on this network in 2009 â€" eLife â€" which offers fixed line, internet and TV services in a single subscription with better service quality, high reliability and speed, the corporation received significant demand and acceptance of the service. It now effectively services more than 230,000 subscribers.

Bin Obood revealed that the number of houses connected to the network (Home Pass) has reached 1,125,247, from which 722,582 houses are ready to use the network (Home Ready) whereas 429,801 are activated homes (Activated ONT).

The total length of the fibre optical network that Etisalat currently deploys all over the UAE equates to five times the distance between the earth and the moon, consisting of a total of 2.8 million km of cable being deployed all over the country. It is expected that Etisalat will complete the deployment of this project all over the country in 2011, to make the UAE the first country that is entirely covered with the fibre optic network in the world.

As a result of this network, Etisalat today offers the fastest broadband internet services for its customers in the region, reaching speeds of 30 MBps for individuals and 100 MBps to the business sector, in addition to next generation TV services such as HDTV and 3DTV.

Etisalat’s fibre optic network has also provided a number of unique benefits to the business sector through the provision of a dedicated scalable network, providing maximum levels of reliability and uptime – features which are of significant importance to the business sector, offering faster response times, permanent service availability as well as information security.

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