The state-owned telecoms monopoly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Etisalat, has selected Sweden's Ericsson as technology provider for a General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) network, a senior industry source said Tuesday, December 11.
"Trials were on for some time and Ericsson has been selected after evaluation of the different technologies," the source told AFP. Etisalat is due to launch GPRS very soon since the system has been put in place by Ericsson, which beat off bids from Alcatel, Motorola, Lucent and Siemens. The exact value of the contract is not known, but would run into "a few million dollars," the source said.
The network will provide third generation (3G) mobile services for 200,000 users in the first phase. Services could be provided to more users as and when demand increases. GPRS will also pave the way for the launch of Enhanced Data for Global Evolution (EDGE), which Etisalat plans to launch next year. EDGE will enable speedy communication and transmission of data up to 384 kilobits per second. With a population of 3.1 million, the UAE's mobile telephony penetration is more than 50 percent.
Etisalat, which currently has 1.1 million fixed lines, 1.7 million GSM users and around 250,000 Internet subscribers, posted net profits of $654 million in 2000, up 21.7 percent on the previous year. The telecoms sector in all six Gulf Arab monarchies remains state-owned but Saudi Arabia and Oman have plans for privatization. — (AFP, Abu Dhabi)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
