Abu Dhabi: Etisalat Tuesday 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 a new milestone for etisalat and an achievement for the country.
The UAE is being ranked amongst the top five countries in the Arab world in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) and ranked 24th globally, according to the Global Information Technology Report 2011 issued by the World Economic Forum, outperforming many countries.
A new era in telecommunications
This new achievement opens the doors to 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.
On this occasion, Mohammed Omran, Chairman of 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."
Enormous benefits
"We are pleased to dedicate this great achievement to our wise leadership who has always been a beacon for us and a motivator to achieve more successes and achievements," Omran said.
Nasser Bin Obood, etisalat's acting CEO, 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."
After etisalat launched the first of its services based on this network in 2009 — eLife — 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.
Millions of kilometres of cable
The total length of the fibre-optic network that etisalat 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 kilometres 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.
