Etisalat is taking a giant leap with brave new technologies
5G to be key highlight at Gitex to showcase future of mobility
The UAE is witnessing an increased adoption of advanced technologies and Etisalat is taking a giant leap by launching the 5G network, investing in futuristic technologies and smart services, according to Saleh Abdullah Al Abdouli, CEO of Etisalat Group.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Al Abdouli said the ‘Future of Mobility’ is one of Etisalat’s key focus areas this year, as traditional mobility ecosystems are now diversifying with various technological and social forces making an impact and radically changing our way of life. This includes the emergence of connected and autonomous vehicles, which will have a profound impact on the way people travel and interact.
He added that 5G will be one of the key highlights for Etisalat in showcasing the future of urbanism and mobility. The mobile communications system will be a game changer for the telecom industry with its rich potential, an evolution that would elevate services, performance and enablement. Such new technologies are one of the gateways enabling UAE’s digital aspiration/vision, market trends and Etisalat’s long-term strategy.
“Etisalat’s main theme this year at Gitex Technology Week is focused on ‘Driving the Digital Future to Empower Societies’. This is built on our vision to provide futuristic solutions and services that will have a fundamental impact on people’s lives,” Al Abdouli said.
Digital adoption
Al Abdouli said in the past few years, Etisalat has evolved into an ICT service provider by enabling an ecosystem with an advanced network and futuristic solutions like AI and robotics. The UAE ranks number one in digital adoption among Middle Eastern countries, having implemented core digitisation initiatives.
Al Abdouli explained that for instance, blockchain technology will transform the way services are delivered, turning the workplace completely paperless. The adoption of blockchain would help the government prepare for future challenges. Over 50 per cent of the UAE’s federal transactions would be powered by blockchain in 2021.
The UAE has also chosen to adopt the development of the ‘future industry’ in various aspects as a development means. AI will also make a major impact in daily living. The use of robots and digital personal assistants will be commonplace.
Al Abdouli said Etisalat is currently working with entrepreneurs to increase customer adoption of digital self-care channels, thereby enhancing customer experience and reducing 50 per cent of calls to Etisalat customer care by using AI, analytics and insights, and machine learning.
Enabling smart cities
The government’s continuous endeavour to drive smart solutions across existing urban systems will increase quality of life, Al Abdouli said. For example, Etisalat tied up with the Ministry of Interior to link homes and establishments by connecting fire alarm systems to the civil defence control room, thus reducing emergency response times.
Marketplace of the future
Cloud will provide the digital infrastructure for tomorow’s cities, he said. Smart services, autonomous driving and drone technologies, will be better managed with the cloud’s ability to store and analyse data. Etisalat launched the Telco Cloud, virtualising the customer premises equipment (CPE), and Business CPE via the virtual service. This will enable agile products and services capable of self-care and auto-healing.
Modernising the network
In the past year, Etisalat has laid a solid foundation to invest in futuristic solutions and nextgeneration technologies to deliver the best-in-class services, Al Abdouli said.
In 2018, the company continued investing in the modernisation of mobile and fiber-optic networks and infrastructure development through investments in future technologies such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 5G. “Our 3G network coverage reached 99.98 per cent, while 4G LTE covers 98.98 per cent. Fiber-tothe-home (FTTH) coverage has reached 94.3 per cent of homes across the UAE,” he said.