Etisalat is a UAE-based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 17 countries across
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
. As of July 2009, Etisalat is the
15th largest mobile network operator in the world.
The telecom's customer base is claimed to reach 85 million customers, with a total operating area population span close to 1.6 billion people.
On October 18, 2008, Etisalat reported net revenue of USD $5.204 billion (AED 19.1 billion) and net profits of USD $1.989 billion (AED 19.1bn).
Etisalat is one of the Internet hubs in the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
(
ASWithin the Internet, an autonomous system is a collection of connected Internet Protocol routing prefixes under the control of one or more network operators that presents a common, clearly defined routing policy to the Internet Within the Internet, an autonomous system (AS) is a collection of...
8966), providing connectivity to other telecommunications operators in the region. It is also the largest carrier of international voice traffic in the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
and the 12th largest voice carrier in the world. As of October 2008, Etisalat has 510 roaming agreements covering 186 countries and enabling
BlackBerryBlackBerry is a line of wireless handheld devices that was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager. In 2002, the more commonly known smartphone BlackBerry was released, which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services....
,
3GInternational Mobile Telecommunications-2000 , better known as 3G or 3rd Generation, is a family of standards for mobile telecommunications defined by the International Telecommunication Union, which includes GSM EDGE, UMTS, and CDMA2000 as well as DECT and WiMAX...
, GPRS and voice roaming. Etisalat operates
Points of Presence (PoP)A point-of-presence is an artificial demarcation point or interface point between communications entities.-Telephone systems:In the USA, this term became important during the court-ordered breakup of the Bell Telephone system...
in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
,
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country...
,
FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2008 population of 670,000. The urban area had an estimated population of 2.26 million in 2001...
,
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
.
History
Emirates Telecommunication Corporation - Etisalat was founded in 1976 as a joint-stock company between International Aeradio Limited, a British Company, and local partners. In 1983 the ownership structure changed - United Arab Emirates government held a 60% share in the company and the remaining 40% were publicly traded.
In 1991 the UAE central government issued Federal Law No. 1, which gave the corporation the right to provide the telecommunications wired and wireless services in the country and between UAE and other countries. It also gave the firm the right to issue licenses for owning, importing, manufacturing, using or operating telecommunication equipment. This practically gave Etisalat both regulatory and control powers, which completed the monopoly of the telecom giant in the UAE. In order to safeguard the country's economic development, the law made provisions for the development of the telecommunication sector in the country.
The increase of exchange lines from 36,000 in 1976 to more than 737,000 in 1998 was one of the important indicators of Etisalat network's growth and development. The company witnessed profit growth rates of 80%.
An important milestone was Etisalat's commencement of international operations in January 2001, when under the brand name of
UfoneUfone GSM is a Pakistani GSM cellular service provider. It is one of six GSM Mobile companies in Pakistan and is a subsidiary of Pakistan Telecommunication Company. It has a subscriber base of 20.05 million as of July 2009...
it started operating out of
IslamabadIslām ābād is the capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan with an estimated population of over 673,766 in 2009...
. .
Today Etisalat stands 140th among the
Financial TimesThe Financial Times is a British international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and is printed at 22 sites...
Top 500 Corporations in the world in terms of market capitalization, and is ranked by The Middle East magazine as the 6th largest company in the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
in terms of capitalization and revenues. The Corporation is the largest contributor outside the oil sector to development programmes of the UAE Federal Government.
Etisalat has also won accolades from across the region for its nationalization programme.
Business Units
In addition to its telecommunication services provider and carrier unit, Etisalat incorporates multiple business units (under the umbrella of Etisalat Services Holding LLC) that support the telecom's operations and offer services to other operators and organizations, namely: training and consultancy services(Etisalat Academy), SIM/smart card manufacturing and payment solutions (Ebtikar), data clearing house services (EDCH), peering/voice and data transit (Emirates Internet Exchange - EMIX), call center (The Contact Centre),cable TV (eVision), as well as submarine cable laying services (eMarine).
Etisalat is a major investor in
ThurayaThuraya , the Arabic name of the Pleiades, is a regional satellite phone provider. Its coverage area is most of Europe, the Middle East, North, Central and East Africa, Asia and Australia....
, a satellite geo-mobile communication systems provider.
In 2006 Etisalat started a major restructuring program that resulted in the de-merger of many of its non-core business units that were operating under a centralized and direct management; core services were consolidated and streamlined, reflecting the company's shift from a technology-driven telecom to a customer-focused services provider.
As part of the program, Etisalat has launched a re-branding campaign, releasing a new corporate logo and identity in May 2006. The restructuring culminated in the incorporation of Etisalat Services Holding LLC, which as of 2008 oversees the operation of Etisalat's
non-telecom business units.
Etisalat International Investments
Etisalat International Investments is the business unit of Etisalat that operates outside the UAE and manages the corporation's stakes in telecommunications carriers in
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
,
BeninBenin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north; its short coastline to the south leads to the Bight of Benin....
,
Burkina FasoBurkina Faso , also known by its short-form name Burkina, is a landlocked nation in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the south west.Its size is 274,000 km² with an...
, the
Central African RepublicThe Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa...
,
GabonGabon is a country in west central Africa sharing borders with the Gulf of Guinea to the west, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, and Cameroon to the north, with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. Its size is almost 270,000 km² with an estimated population...
,
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
,
IndonesiaThe Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With an estimated population of around 237 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, with the world's largest population of Muslims.Indonesia is a republic, with an...
,
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
, the Ivory Coast,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
,
NigerNiger , officially the Republic of Niger is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
,
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger...
,
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
,
SudanSudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World, and tenth largest in the world by area...
,
TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
,
TogoTogo is a country in West Africa bordering Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located...
, and
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
.
The International Investments unit also manages Etisalat's minor stakes in other telecommunications services providers, such as Sudatel (a mobile, fixed and Internet services provider in
SudanSudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World, and tenth largest in the world by area...
), and Qtel (
QatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally ', is an Arab emirate in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula...
-based telecommunications services provider).
Mobily - Saudi Arabia
One of Etisalat's first international investments was the bid to become the second mobile services operator in Saudi Arabia. Etihad Etisalat, a consortium led by Etisalat, has won the
2G2G is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology.Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991...
GSM license by offering
USDThe United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
$3.25 billion. Currently operating under the brand name
Mobily, Etihad Etisalat offers Saudi Arabia subscribers conventional and 3.5G mobile telephony services, and has floated shares on the Saudi stock market.
PTCL - Pakistan
Among the acquisitions of Etisalat in 2005 was a 26% management stake in Pakistan Telecommunications (PCTL) that was put on sale by the government of Pakistan as part of a large privatization initiative. In order to outbid competitors (which included Singapore Telecoms and China Mobile), Etisalat offered USD $2.56 billion for the stake. According to some analysts, the telecom has overpaid, as the bid went far beyond the estimated USD $2 billion value of the package.
Etisalat Misr - Egypt
In July 2006, a consortium led by Etisalat has been granted the rights to develop Egypt's third mobile network, with a winning bid of 16.7 billion
Egyptian poundThe Egyptian pound or gineih is the currency of Egypt. It is divided into 100 qirsh , or 1000 malleem ....
(EUR €2.29 billion
euroThe euro is the official currency of 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone, are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain...
). The new venture,
Etisalat EgyptEtisalat Egypt is a subsidiary of Etisalat U.A.E., the sole telecommunications services provider in the United Arab Emirates from 1976 until the arrival of Du in February 2007, and the first 3.5G network operator in Egypt. Etisalat Misr is one of 14 service providers managed by Etisalat in the...
, will compete with existing service providers
VodafoneVodafone Egypt, part of the UK's Vodafone Group, is a mobile network operator in Egypt, formerly known as Click GSM.Vodafone launched its 3G broadband services in Egypt hours after beginning the transmission of etisalat.-History of Vodafone Egypt:...
and
MobinilMobinil is Egypt's first mobile phone operator. Founded in 1998. The company is a joint venture between France Telecom and Orascom. Mobinil was the first telecom company to receive ISO 14001 certificate in Egypt and the Middle East...
. On September 12, 2006, it was announced that the network will be built by
EricssonEricsson , one of the largest Swedish companies, is a leading provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
of
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
, and
HuaweiHuawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is the largest networking and telecommunications equipment supplier in the People's Republic of China. It is headquartered in Longgang District, Shenzhen, Guangdong....
of
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, at a cost of approximately USD $1.2 billion.
In 2007, at the Comms MEA Awards ceremony Etisalat was presented with the ‘Best New Entrant’ award for its Egyptian operations. Award winners were selected by a panel of experts from KPMG, the Arab Advisors Group and Oliver Wyman, Dubai.
Canar - Sudan
Etisalat is one of the founding partner companies of Canar Telecom, a fixed-line telecom services operator. In September 2007 Etisalat has raised its stake in Canar from 37% to 82% at an estimated cost of AED 584.17 million (USD $159 million).
Canar was launched on November 27, 2005. The operator is reported to use NGN and
Wireless Local LoopWLL can refer to:* Wireless local loop* West London Line, a railway line in London....
(WLL) technologies for its voice, data, internet and multimedia services. Canar is one of the first operators in Africa to use an NGN network core.
EMTS - Nigeria
Etisalat signed an agreement to acquire 40% of and manage Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services, Nigeria’s fifth GSM operator.
Zantel - Tanzania
In January 1999, Etisalat acquired a stake in Zanzibar Telecom (a Tanzania-based mobile operator) for USD $2.4 million (AED 8.8 million) and has subsequently increased the stake by 17% in July 2007.
Since then, Zantel has introduced telcom services that are typical for the African region, such as mobile banking services for customers without access to banking facilities (Zpesa Mobile Banking).
Atlantique Telecom/Moov - West Africa
In Africa, Etisalat acquired 50% of Atlantique Telecom’s shares in april 2005. Based in the Ivory Coast, AT owns mobile operators in Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Central African Republic, Gabon and Ivory Coast. In 2007, Etisalat increased its shares in AT to 70% and again in May 2008, to 82%. AT group subscribers totaled 2.9 million at the end of 2007, which is a 107% increase from the previous year.
- Ivory Coast: Moov, is currently Ivory Coast's third-largest cell-phone operator with a 1.5 million customer base. In 2008 Moov Ivory Coast introduced the first nationwide cell-phone coverage, based on Thuraya satellite access technology. It is the first time that such a service has been offered in sub-Saharan Africa, outside South Africa. It was expected that the expanded coverage introduced by the satellite service would help boost Moov's customer base and even overtake France Telecom's unit Orange as the top telecom services provider in the country.
- Benin: Etisalat operates in Benin under the Moov brand. On 24 October 2007 the government of Benin has reassigned Telecel’s operating license to Etisalat. In February 2008, His Excellency Dr. Boni Yayi, President of Benin, honoured Etisalat chairman, Mohammad Hassan Omran during a ceremony to celebrate Etisalat’s efforts in developing and promoting the telecommunications sector in Benin.
ExcelcomindoPT Excelcomindo Pratama Tbk, also known as XL, is an Indonesia-based mobile telecommunications services operator. The operator's coverage includes Java, Bali and Lombok as well as the principal cities in and around Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi...
- Indonesia
Indonesia-based mobile services operator
PT Excelcomindo PratamaPT Excelcomindo Pratama Tbk, also known as XL, is an Indonesia-based mobile telecommunications services operator. The operator's coverage includes Java, Bali and Lombok as well as the principal cities in and around Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi...
is Etisalat’s first acquisition in the Far East. In December 2007 Etisalat took a 15.97% stake after paying USD $438 million (AED 1.6 billion). At the time of the acquisition Excelomindo had 15 million mobile subscribers.
Etisalat Afghanistan
Etisalat Afghanistan is a newly established GSM operator, 100% owned by Etisalat. It was established in May 2006 after the UAE telecom won the license to operate the fourth mobile services provider in the country. Etisalat's bid for the license was USD $40.1 million (AED147.3 million) and services were launched in August 2007.
Etisalat - Iran
In January 2009 Etisalat in consortium with Taameen Telecom (a subsidiary of the Iranian Social Security Organization (SSO)) won the bid for running the third mobile services operator in the [Islamic Republic of Iran]. The license included an exclusive two-year agreement for
3GInternational Mobile Telecommunications-2000 , better known as 3G or 3rd Generation, is a family of standards for mobile telecommunications defined by the International Telecommunication Union, which includes GSM EDGE, UMTS, and CDMA2000 as well as DECT and WiMAX...
services provisioning, but in May 2009 the licence was revoked and given to a consortium led by Kuwait's MTC (
Zain-People:*as a given name in general , orwith a first name of Zain*Zain Abbas , a Pakistan-born cricket player*Zain Amat , a Singaporean trapshooter*Zain Awan , an India-born Arab TV journalist...
). Etisalat had planned to invest over $5 billion (AED 18.39 billion) over a period of five years, but following the license suspension all plans for launching operation in Iran have been put on hold.
Tigo - Sri Lanka
Etisalat has aquired on the 16th October 2009 the Sri Lankan subsidary of
MillicomMillicom International Cellular, also known as Tigo, is a mobile phone network provider in America, Africa and Asia. Based in Luxembourg, the company provides mobile services in 16 countries. With operations across Central America, South America, Asia and Africa, using GSM, CDMA and TDMA on...
for 155 Million US$ Cash .
Etisalat UAE
Etisalat UAE is headquartered in
Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi is the capital of, and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast...
and it inclues three regional offices namely
Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi is the capital of, and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast...
,
DubaiDubai is one of the seven emirates and the most populous state of the United Arab Emirates . It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. The Dubai Municipality is sometimes called Dubai state to distinguish it from the emirate...
, and Northern Emirates.
Abu Dhabi Region
Key positions:
- General Manager: Jamal Al Nuaimi
- Deputy General Manager: Sultan Al Dhaheri
- Senior Vice President Engineering: Jamal Al Suwaidi
- Vice President HR & Administration: Abdulla Al Marzouqi
- Vice President Consumer Sales & SMB: Suhail Al Awadhi
- Vice President Finance: Sohail Ausaf
Dubai Region
Key positions:
- General Manager: Abdulla Al Mana
- Deputy General Manager: Ghanim Al Marri
- Senior Vice President - Engineering: Omar Al Hashemi
- Vice President - HR & Administration: Ahmad Al-Doobi
- Vice President - Consumer Sales & SMB: Mustafa Al Sharif
- Vice President - Finance: Obaid Al Sharid
- Quality Manager: Arif BelGaizi
The
Northern Emirates regional center is based in
SharjahSharjah is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates . The emirate covers 2,600 km² and has a population of over 800,000...
and covers the telecom's operations in the emirates of
AjmanAjmān is one of the seven emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates . With an area of just 260 square kilometres, Ajman is the smallest emirate by area...
, Umm Al Quwain,
FujairahFujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, and the only one on the Gulf of Oman in the country's east instead of Persian Gulf .-Geography:...
and Ras Al Khaimah.
Key positions:
- General Manager: Abdulaziz Taryam
- Vice President - HR & Administration: Jameela Al Awai
- Vice President - Consumer Sales & SMB: Mohammed Abdulla
- Vice President - Finance: Lamya Mohamed Sharif
Internet Services
The number of Etisalat's Internet subscribers reportedly stands at 1.02 million.
Some of the Internet services for home users that Etisalat offers include:
- 3G
International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 , better known as 3G or 3rd Generation, is a family of standards for mobile telecommunications defined by the International Telecommunication Union, which includes GSM EDGE, UMTS, and CDMA2000 as well as DECT and WiMAX...
Mobile Internet access
- Broadband Internet
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just broadband, is a high data rate Internet access—typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56k modem....
services (Al Shamil)
- Prepaid and post-paid dialup Internet access
Etisalat also operates iZone, a system of
Wi-FI hotspotsA hotspot is a physical location that offers internet access over a wireless LAN through the use of a shared internet connection and a single router...
in central locations, such as
shopping mallA shopping mall, shopping centre or shopping center is a building or multiple buildings consisting of a complex of shops representing leading merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a convenient parking area – a modern,...
s, restaurants, and
sheeshaA hookah , nargile in Turkish or shisha is a single or multi-stemmed water pipe for smoking shisha . Originally from India, hookah has gained immense popularity, especially in the Middle East and is gaining popularity in the USA, UK, and elsewhere...
cafes. iZone can be accessed by either purchasing prepaid cards (AED 15/hour, USD $4.5/hour), or if using an existing account with the operator (AED 3/hour for dial-up account holders, or AED 6/hour for broadband users).
Dial-up and ISDN Internet access services are billed by the hour, whereas the domestic and residential cable and DSL connections have a fixed monthly rate depending on speed. Other Internet links, aimed at business users, have traffic utilization plans and relatively high rates when exceeding the allocated bandwidth quota. This has caused bad publicity for Etisalat and is a major source of criticism.
Internet Censorship
Etisalat operates an Internet content filtering system that blocks access to web resources that are claimed to be controversial or offensive (i.e. sexually explicit content, certain political and religious websites, anonymizers and proxies) or harmful (i.e. numeric IP addresses, known
phishingIn the field of computer security, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication...
or malicious websites,
botnetBotnet is a jargon term for a collection of software robots, or bots, that run autonomously and automatically. The term is often associated with malicious software but it can also refer to the network of computers using distributed computing software...
command servers). The use of content filtering has been mandated by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the
United Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras...
, which is the telecoms regulatory body in the country.
The type of content that is restricted by Etisalat includes:
- Pornography
Internet pornography is pornography that is distributed by means of various sectors of the Internet, primarily via websites, peer-to-peer file sharing, or Usenet newsgroups...
, nudityNudity is the state of wearing no clothing.It is related to the concept of modesty and is sometimes used to refer to wearing significantly less clothing than expected by the conventions of a particular culture and situation, and in particular exposing the bare skin or intimate...
and sexually explicit contentSexually explicit material presents sexual content without obscuring or censoring it. The term is often used as a euphemism for pornography. It includes images and descriptions of nudity, especially genitalia, and unsimulated sex acts.The term is not very specific, and what is or is not sexually...
.
- The entire Israel
Israel officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
country code top-level domainborder="0" align="right" cellspacing="5" width="20%">
A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country ....
(.il.il is the Internet country code top-level domain of Israel. It is administered by the Israel Internet Association.The .il top-level domain is one of the earliest registered ccTLDs...
)
- Certain media-sharing websites (such as flickr
Flickr is an image and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community platform. In addition to being a popular website for users to share personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers as a photo repository...
, and all images on deviantARTDeviantArt is an American online community with worldwide appeal showcasing various forms of user-made artwork. It was first launched on August 7, 2000 by Scott Jarkoff, Matthew Stephens, Angelo Sotira and others. DeviantArt, Inc. is headquartered in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California,...
).
- Anti-Islamic
Criticism of Islam has existed since Islam's formative stages. Early written criticism came from Christians, prior to 1000 AD, many of whom viewed Islam as a radical Christian heresy. Later there appeared criticism from the Muslim world itself, and also from Jewish writers and from ecclesiastical...
websites.
- Websites criticizing the United Arab Emirates (UAEprison, and Arabtimes)
- Anonymous proxy
In computer networks, a proxy server is a server that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource, available from a different server...
sites (such as vtunnel, pzeg, etc.)
- Gay and Lesbian Rights
LGBT is an initialism referring collectively to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. In use since the 1990s, the term “LGBT” is an adaptation of the initialism “LGB” which itself started replacing the phrase “gay community” which many within LGBT communities felt did not represent...
websites (such as GaydarGaydar is a worldwide, profile-based dating website for gay and bisexual men, women and couples over the age of 18. Although many of the individual profiles are publicly accessible on the Internet, to gain more functionality and interact with other users, a registration is required and a guest...
, Mogenic etc.)
- Numerical IP address
An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label that is assigned to devices participating in a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol for communication between its nodes....
links (for example, http://10.11.1.1/)
There are claims that Etisalat breaks the rules of net neutrality by throttling peer-to-peerA peer-to-peer, commonly abbreviated to P2P, distributed network architecture is composed of participants that make a portion of their resources directly available to other network participants, without the need for central coordination instances...
, gaming and other types of network traffic in order to reduce the load on its oversubscribed international links. The effect of this interference is supposedly most noticeable during weekends or periods of high network use.
The overall efficiency of the country-wide content filtering is unclear, as many of the technologically savvy users have discovered tools and methods to bypass the content filter.
BlackBerry controversy
In July 2009, Etisalat reportedly pushed an update to BlackBerryBlackBerry is a line of wireless handheld devices that was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager. In 2002, the more commonly known smartphone BlackBerry was released, which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services....
devices operating on the telecom's national network, citing performance improvements. However, it was later discovered that the update contained eavesdropping software, developed by the US-based software development company SS8.com, who specializes in electronic surveillance. It is reported that the software enabled the telecom to monitor and forward communications on BlackBerry devices to their servers.
Criticism
Etisalat has been criticized for many reasons over the past years. Some of the issues include:
- Pricing. As the incumbent telecom services operator, Etisalat has enjoyed a virtual monopoly in the past and was reluctant to reduce service prices in line with international trends. Since the entrance of a second telecommunications services provider du
The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company , branded trade name du is a telecommunications company in the in the United Arab Emirates. Although Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is its legal name, it was commercially rebranded as du in February 2006...
, customers were hoping to see a substantial reduction of voice and data services charges. The market regulator, The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), has curbed price wars between the two telecoms, and has allowed only for certain promotional and discount programs. These could lead to cost reduction, but it is not the expected dramatic reduction of telecom services prices.
- PTCL, Pakistan Telecommunication Company. After winning the bid for a stake at PTCL (and reportedly overpaying by as much as USD $500 million), Etisalat delayed its payment and managed to renegotiate substantial parts of its stake contract. Critics of the move claim that instead of paying for the stake in cash and bringing fresh capital into Pakistan, Etisalat restructured its financing scheme and funded the acquisition by internal credit, increasing Pakistan's internal debt and deepening the economic gap.
- Internet censorship. The precision of the automatic content filter is imperfect, sometimes incorrectly blocking legitimate and non-controversial web resources. Internet users have mixed feelings regarding the handling of such incidents by Etisalat's customer support service. The content filter often reports only a single IP address when accessing Internet resources, which makes the identification of users in cases of vandalism or malicious activity difficult. Legitimate Internet users have been reportedly banned from websites and servers due to other users' disruptive online behavior.
- Blocking many Voice over IP communication services that offer international telephony, such as Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and, in some countries, to free-of-charge numbers, are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee...
and Yahoo! VoiceYahoo! Voice is a Voice over IP PC-PC, PC-Phone and Phone-to-PC service , provided by Yahoo! via its Yahoo! Messenger instant messaging application. Yahoo! Voice uses the Session Initiation Protocol , GIPS codec and the DialPad engine for voice transport...
.
- Issues with customer service levels and claims of customer care deficiencies.
See also
- Etisalat Egypt
Etisalat Egypt is a subsidiary of Etisalat U.A.E., the sole telecommunications services provider in the United Arab Emirates from 1976 until the arrival of Du in February 2007, and the first 3.5G network operator in Egypt. Etisalat Misr is one of 14 service providers managed by Etisalat in the...
- Mobily
Mobily is the trade name of Saudi Arabia's second Telecommunications company, Etihad-Etisalat consortium . The company, as the winning bidder for Saudi Arabia's second GSM licence, provides mobile telecom services nationwide, breaking Saudi Telecom's monopoly in the wireless business...
- du
- Communications in the United Arab Emirates
In the United Arab Emirates, Federal Act No. 1 of 1976 establishes the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation as the sole telephone and telecommunications provider for the United Arab Emirates, freezones and modern housing developments are exempt from this and utilise a separate...
External links
- http://www.etisalat.ae (Official portal of Etisalat UAE)
- http://www.ptcl.com.pk (Official portal of Pakistan Telecom Company)
- http://www.evision.ae/ (Etisalat Cable and Multimedia)
- http://www.emarine.ae (eMarine - Submarine Cable Laying Unit)
- http://www.ebtikar.ae (Ebtikar Card Systems)
- http://www.technologiaworld.com/ (Software Arm of Etisalat UAE)
- http://www.ea.ae (Etisalat Academy)
- http://www.etisalat.com.eg/ (Etisalat Egypt)
- http://www.mobily.com.sa/ (Mobily - Etisalat in KSA)
- http://www.etisalat.af/ (Etisalat Afghanistan)
- http://www.canar.sd/ (Canar - Etisalat in Sudan)
- http://www.weyak.ae/ (Etisalat’s entertainment portal)
- http://www.moov.com/ (Atlantique Telecom's brand in West Africa)
- http://www.etisalat.com.ng/ (Etisalat Nigeria)
- http://www.ece.ac.ae/index.html (Etisalat University College)
- http://www.atlantiquetelecom.com/ (Atlantique Telecom)
|