Abu Dhabi: Acting CEO of "Etisalat Group", Eng. Hatem Dewidar, confirmed that the Internet of Things platform from "Etisalat" has succeeded in linking one million segments with various government agencies such as Emirates Transport and the Ministry of Interior ... indicating that the company is acquiring 50% of the domestic capacity of data centers through ten licensed facilities, in addition to the opening of two new centers of greater operational space and capacity in Dubai and Al Ain.

Speaking today to the media on the occasion of the launch of the GITEX Technology Week tomorrow, Dewidar said that the participation of "Etisalat" for this exceptional year comes under the slogan "Empowering the digital future and its prospects", as the "Etisalat" pavilion displays a set of technologies that connect individuals, devices and systems to each other, such as 5G network, artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of things and other advanced smart communication technologies that will contribute to massively advance the economies of the MENA countries by enhancing value for various industries.

The Acting CEO of "Etisalat Group" affirmed that "Etisalat" is keen to focus on innovation as part of its strategy of "leading the digital future to empower societies", which is embodied in all the company's business, as Etisalat's philosophy during the past four decades has focused on making a fundamental change in the telecommunications sector. In the UAE, which contributed to the push to explore new opportunities and focus on developing our main business during the journey of digital transformation and fully prepared for the future.

He said that “Etisalat” is present in 16 markets and provides its services to more than 149 million subscribers, pointing out that “Etisalat” has raised the prevalence of the fifth generation network during the last period to exceed the barrier of 35% in the main cities in the Emirates, in line with the continuous development and modernization process. It keeps pace with the aspirations of the wise leadership, which Etisalat has proven to be the first in the world as the fastest mobile network in the world, in addition to being at the forefront in the world in the penetration rate of the optical fiber network for homes.

Dewidar described the fifth generation network as having the ability to enable new experiences and vital use cases in relation to the new digital situation, which was impossible before the fifth generation, whether for consumers or companies, as this technology will enable us to do everything remotely in education, health, factories, ports, entertainment and others Lots.

He added: The provision of high speeds on fixed fifth generation networks from homes is a major achievement as a result of the deliberate steps of innovation during these difficult times, after the global achievement achieved by Etisalat in the fifth generation journey as it succeeded in completing the first record call in the UAE and the world via independent 5G technology quickly. Upload reached 3.1 Gbps.

Dewidar said that Etisalat’s journey during this year is full of transformations within and outside the company. The group has shown flexibility in dealing with the global crisis, maintained its commitments to the societies in which it operates and contributed to reducing the effects of the Covid 19 crisis on businesses, customers and subscribers by expediting the activation of Digital channels to allow adaptation to the new environment, and to meet the challenges faced by customers and the business sector .. Pointing out that during the height of the Corona pandemic, the percentage of use of video conference applications and voice over the Internet applications on the fixed broadband network and the mobile network increased by more than 250% and increased. The percentage of data traffic in video services and applications by more than 50%, in social media by more than 80%, and in gaming applications by more than 200%.

He noted that “Etisalat” was able during the Corona pandemic to provide support to quarantine areas and other vital areas in the health care sector, as this sector was supported by exceptional access to these applications.

On the main achievements made by "Etisalat" on the network ..

The Acting CEO of the Etisalat Group said that Etisalat has made global achievements by setting pioneering standards in the telecommunications sector and achieving achievements in terms of infrastructure beyond its counterparts in developed global markets, indicating that the coverage rate of the advanced 4G LTE network The percentage of 3G network coverage reached 99.70% and the penetration rate of optical fibers connected to homes reached 95.7% of homes all over the Emirates, so that the UAE maintains the global leadership in the field of optical fibers connected to homes for the third year in a row, and the spread of the generation network has reached The fifth 5G to more than 35% in major cities in the Emirates.

Regarding the initiatives taken by “Etisalat” to enable enterprises to continue their work during the current circumstances .. Dewidar said that “Etisalat” provided many private initiatives to support the entire community during the height of the spread of the new Corona virus, as more than 10 million “Etisalat” subscribers received the phone. The mobile phone provides free browsing to more than 800 websites in the education, health and safety sectors, in addition to free mobile data that is provided to more than 12,000 students from families that do not have home internet to support and enable the distance learning system in addition to meeting the needs of people of determination by providing Dedicated services for them. Etisalat also provided access to 9 applications and platforms for remote learning to enable video and voice calls.

And about new services that had an impact on business management.

He said that with the need for digital money transfers emerging, the eWallet wallet has upgraded its features and capabilities by offering seamless international money transfer services to 200 countries and expanding the partner portfolio to over 400 brands and 4,000 outlets across the UAE.

He added that “Etisalat Digital”, the digital arm of “Etisalat”, witnessed advanced steps in the fields of cybersecurity, the Internet of things and cloud communication .. In the field of cybersecurity, “Etisalat” has completed the acquisition of Help AG in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, thus establishing the strongest electronic security unit in The region, which will be a key factor in achieving a safe, smooth and efficient digital transformation for customers.

Dewidar emphasized Etisalat's keenness to enable society to communicate digitally, work and learn from home, and use digital services, adding that there are at least 130 robots working to complete 70 operations in the Etisalat support office with more than 800,000 transactions per month, as it achieved the automation of robotic processes. 98% efficiency as employees are able to create, innovate and communicate with customers to enhance their experience.

He pointed out that blockchain technology represents another area with enormous potential to help reduce middlemen, costs, increase speed, access to provide transparency, and the ability to trace business processes .. Blockchain technology is expected to generate business revenues of more than $ 3 trillion by By 2030, at least 20% of the economic infrastructure around the world will use blockchain-based systems.

On Etisalat's efforts to support innovation, Dewedar said that innovation is now an integral part of Etisalat operations and has become an essential element in everything we do inside and outside the company, in light of the great internal efforts to build artificial intelligence capabilities. Etisalat has entered into a partnership. With Microsoft, Accenture, and EBTIC to build a team to lead the company's artificial intelligence system and the sector in general, the team currently consists of 20 young Emiratis working in internal use cases that focus on increasing operational efficiencies mainly with infrastructure planning and network optimization.

He said that in the long term the plan aims to build the capabilities of the next generation of Emirati youth and cases of using artificial intelligence for internal use, and will continue to increase efficiency, productivity and enhance customer experience over the first two years .. The team will also continue to explore external use cases as well, and from the second year it will aim To form external use cases based on market requirements .. The future plan is to expand the team from 20 to 50 to focus on artificial intelligence use cases that include the entire development journey from the inception of the idea to the introduction of services to the market.