SoftAtHome, a software provider of home operating platforms that help service providers deliver convergent applications to the Digital Home announced today that it is opening a new office in Dubai to support the current deployment of its technology with Etisalat and address the needs of other operators in the region.

SoftAtHome provides a software platform that enables Operators and 3rd party developers to create innovative and convergent applications for the Digital Home by combining services such as voice, video, content sharing, security, broadband access, connectivity or management, and deploy them across different devices in the home including TV Set Top Boxes (STB), Home Gateways (HGW) and Connected TVs. With a new platform, SoftAtHome is fostering a new business model where Operators can leverage the open approach of the SoftAtHome solution to work with 3^rd party application developers and bring innovation to the Digital Home

In 2010, Etisalat has selected SoftAtHome to deploy their multiplay offering across the UAE, including IPTV, Video on Demand, Personal Video Recording, Internet TV, OTT services, digital content sharing, application store and broadband access. The solution will be deployed across the UAE first, followed by other countries in the Middle East and where Etisalat as a presence.  Etisalat.  In order to consolidate its strategic choice, Etisalat has also taken a stake in SoftAtHome to become shareholder of the company.

Today, in order to support Etisalat in the deployment of their multiplay services and to accompany them in the deployment across other subsidiaries, SoftAtHome is opening its first subsidiary outside of Europe in Dubai. SoftAtHome also selected Dubai as a strategic place to address the needs of other operators in the Gulf region as Dubai provides a complete infrastructure and easy access to countries in the Middle East.

Michel Degland, CEO of SoftAtHome says “We are very pleased to open our subsidiary in Dubai and to deploy our solutions across the UAE. It represents a key milestone in the development of our company and in our commitment to be successful in the Gulf region”.

About SoftAtHome

SoftAtHome is a software company backed by Orange, Etisalat and Sagemcom to deliver total convergence through an operating platform for the digital home environment. It fosters a new ecosystem made up of service providers, 3rd party application developers, integrators and hardware vendors to accelerate the advent of the digital home. The company is headquartered in France with development and sales teams in France and Belgium.

For more information, visit us at www.softathome.com

E-marine today announced a maintenance and storage agreement with the East African Submarine System (EASSy), a fiber-optic cable that will greatly improve access to high-performance Internet, business and mobile-phone data services in twenty-one African nations. E-marine will now take responsibility for maintaining up to an 8,600km-strech of the EASSy submarine cable network. It will also provide secure storage for supplies and accessories in its state-of-the-art Bonded Cable Depot in the Port of Salalah, Oman.

The agreement was signed by “EASSy O&MSC Chairs, Vinod Kumar Verma and Ryan Sher and Omar Bin Kalban, Managing Director & CEO of E-marine.

Mr Trevor Martins, Chairman of the EASSy Management Committee said: “The increasing demand for telecommunications systems to connect Africa to the rest of the world was the motive behind building EASSy. This is a critical cable route upon which millions of people will come to depend, hence we require a partner with the expertise, resources and successful track record to ensure the reliability of the system and mitigate against any downtime risks. We are confident of achieving this with the support of E-marine and will ensure that the EASSy communities are fully connected and are able to secure a better future.”

The East African Submarine System (EASSy) is a 10,500 km submarine cable system constructed along the east coast of Africa. It is owned and operated by a group of African and international telecom operators.

Omar Bin Kalban, Managing Director & CEO of E-Marine said: “The East African Submarine System is one of the breakthrough cable projects in the region. It will offer massive capacity to twenty-one coastal and land-locked countries in eastern Africa, helping to bridge the digital divide between nations. We are delighted to have been given the responsibility of ensuring that this great cable is maintained and we are committed to delivering the highest level of quality of service to EASSy and its customers.”

E-marine PJSC is an ISO Certified Company and one of the market leaders in submarine cable installation, maintenance and repair. E-Marine owns three Cable Ships and One Special Purpose Cable laying support vessel which are all fully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.

E-Marine has to its credits many prestigious regional and international projects as well as maintenance and storage contracts for various submarine cables systems. E-Marine has valid maintenance contracts for more than 55,000 km of submarine cables from the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean, East Africa and Red Sea. The strategic location of E-Marine’s facilities as well as its customized solutions and highly competent professionals makes E-Marine the leader in the region for submarine cable related services.

For further information, please visit www.emarine.ae, www.eassy.org and www.wiocc.net.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Saeed Al Badi,

Senior Manager Media Relations

Tel: 02 6182173

Fax: 02 6334448
PRD@etisalat.ae

Etisalat was informed today by the UAE Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) to suspend BlackBerry services providing email, web browsing, instant messaging and social networking from October 11, 2010 until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied which brings the BlackBerry services in line with the UAE’s telecommunications regulations.

This is an important decision made by the Regulatory Authority and we fully understand the legal and social considerations behind the decision.

Etisalat has an obligation to act within the law and the regulations of the TRA, while at the same time, providing our customers with the best service. Etisalat has a significant share of customers in the UAE for its mobility services, including BlackBerry customers and hence it is very important for us to ensure our customers enjoy continuity of services.

Etisalat’s focus at the current time is to make sure its valued customers experience continuity of mobility services. In line with its commitment towards its customers, Etisalat will soon be announcing a range of alternative mobility products and services for its existing blackberry customers.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Saeed Albadi,

Senior manager Media Relations
Tel: +971 2 6182173
Fax: +971 2 6334448
PRD@etisalat.ae
www.etisalat.ae

“ETISALAT is a master brand, a brand that all “ look up to”. As an Iconic Brand, Etisalat is a role model for many to Emulate. With its polices that are relevant to the current needs of the market, Etisalat is a choice at all times of Economic happenings. Etisalat’s Human Resources polices are most Innovative & Inspire confidence amongst Employees to contribute value. Etisalat HR is built in to fabric of the business. Commented Mr. Phil Knight Global Chairman , Best Employer Brand Awards

Etisalat has expanded its Asian footprint significantly over the past years has launched services under Etisalat brand in Asian markets like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and exists in India under Etisalat DB. Overall Etisalat has more than 100 million subscribers spread across 18 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia covering 2 billion people.

Etisalat is meeting the branding challenge by working across a diverse array of cultures, languages, religions and competitor landscapes. Importantly Etisalat believes strongly in the role of its employees and believes that creating the right company culture provides customer service excellence. That has been the focus in HR and Branding teams as Etisalat is steadily establishing itself as a global brand.

Etisalat is committed to equip its staff through its Educational arm Etisalat Academy with the latest skills and knowledge to help them achieve their personal objectives and enjoy a fulfilling career. Etisalat Academy is the region’s leading provider of business skills, leadership and government development, telecommunications and IT training, with the capacity to train more than 1,500 professionals per day. The Dubai based academy campus boasts an auditorium, sixty training rooms, and overnight accommodation for 260 people.

Etisalat has developed many training and development programs that last for one and two years. Additionally, Etisalat organizes training programs for more than 6000 of its employees at its Academy on top of external training courses.

As one of the largest national companies, Etisalat provides UAE nationals with special opportunities, facilities and training. Etisalat trains and recruits a large number of UAE nationals every year and today, more than 35% of Etisalat employees are from the UAE – of the total Etisalat staff count. Over 50% of higher management positions constitute the UAE nationals. Amongst Etisalat’s senior management team, over 90% originate from the United Arab Emirates.” he added.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Saeed Albadi, Senior manager Media Relations

Tel: 02 6182173

Fax: 02 6334448
PRD@etisalat.ae

Etisalat’s Board today declared an interim dividend of Fils 25 per share for the first half of 2010.

Etisalat recorded Net Profits of Dh 3.9bn for the first half of the year 2010 and revenues of Dh 16 billion.
For media enquiries, please contact:

Saeed Albadi,

Senior manager Media Relations

Tel: 02 6182173
Fax: 02 6334448
PRD@etisalat.ae

Etisalat today announced its consolidated financial results for the first six months of the year 2010, Growth of 2% in Etisalat net consolidated revenues to reach AED 16 billion compared to AED 15.7 billion recorded during the same period in 2009. Etisalat recorded net profit of AED 3.9. billion for the group compared to AED 4.6 billion recorded during the same period in 2009.

Net assets also increased by 2.5% to reach AED 41.4 billion compared to AED 40.4 billion recorded last year. Earnings per share have reached AED 0.49 during the first half of year 2010.

In the second quarter, Etisalat’s Net Revenues were AED 8.1 billion and Net Profits were AED 1.9 billion compared to AED 8.1 billion and AED 2.4 billion in the same period last year.

Etisalat has 7.8 million mobile subscribers in the UAE, 1.28 million fixed-line subscribers and 1.39 million Internet subscribers at the end of the first half.

Commenting on these results, Mohammad Omran, Chairman of Etisalat, said: “Etisalat has followed a powerful strategy to offset the potential impact of today’s global economic conditions which continue to effect the results of companies around the world. We have seized opportunities to stand strong and have faced all the challenges and continue to achieve exceptional results.”

“The international markets have seen a great deal of fluctuation, but in spite of this we have been able to deal with this situation through a practical strategy which is based on maximizing positives and reducing the negative impact as much as possible. Despite the unique circumstances that the global economy finds itself, we have received strong contributions from our international subsidiaries well in advance of the business plan. This encourages us to continue our international expansion worldwide.”

Nasser Bin Obood Al Falasi, Acting CEO for Etisalat, said: “Since 2005 Etisalat has followed a strategy that looks to diversify its income in the UAE. We have done this by launching new services to increase revenue and reducing our reliance on mobile. Most recently we have introduced the latest broadband services which are supported by our fiber-to-the-home network.”

“Etisalat has followed a strategy which is appropriate to the economic circumstances that we have faced. This involved achieving vertical growth in the minutes and activating the packages and offers which increase usage of broadband services. Additionally we launched new bundles and services based on the FTTH network such as the 50 fils international calls offer, increasing the availability and capacities of Internet and TV services while providing added value and innovation to our customer service channels.”

For media enquiries, please contact:

Saeed Albadi,

Senior manager Media Relations
Tel: 02 6182173
Fax: 02 6334448
PRD@etisalat.ae

Etisalat today received approval for two Arabic-language Internet domain names – .emarat (in Arabic script). These are http:// اتصالات.امارات and

http:// مؤسسة-الامارات-للاتصالات.امارات

. Etisalat’s announcement of a full Arabic Internet presence highlights its commitment to the UAE national identity through support of the Arabic language.

“The Arabic language is one of the cornerstones of our national identity and we are proud to register our domain name in Arabic,” said Nasser bin Obood Al Falasi, Acting Chief Executive Officer at Etisalat. “As the largest company in the UAE and one of the nation’s most important corporate ambassadors to international markets, having our domain in Arabic not only reinforces our proud position as a UAE company, but supports our international expansion into other Arab countries.”

Dot emarat was approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) making the UAE one of the first four countries in the history of the Internet to secure an internationalized top level domain name.

The new launched domain name will allow people whose primary language script is Arabic, to access websites entirely with Arabic characters.

Etisalat operates in 18 countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It has over 107m customers in these markets, whose population now exceeds 2bn.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Saeed Albadi, Senior Manager Media Relations
Tel: 02 6182173
Fax: 02 6334448 PRD@etisalat.ae

Mikheil Saakashvili, the President of Georgia was received by Dr Ahmed al Jarwan, General Manager of Etisalat Real Estate its new Al Kifaf building in Dubai.

Ahmed al Jarwan welcomed the Geograin president and his delegation and said: “We are happy to welcome Mikheil Saakashvili. This meeting is a real opportunity to present the vision and ideas of Etisalat and how the company is developing. We are also able to discuss the major developments within the telecommunications sector inside the UAE.”

President Mikheil Saakashvili said: “We are grateful for this meeting to see the latest technology that Etisalat is providing in the UAE. We are delighted for the opportunity to discuss the latest technology with one of the largest operator groups in the world. Etisalat’s world class infrastructure and services offered in the UAE are well known to us, as are its aggressive and successful international strategy.”

Etisalat is now working in 18 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa and offers services to more than 107 million subscribers out of a total population of nearly 2bn.

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For media enquiries, please contact:
Saeed Albadi,

Senior Manager Media Relations

Tel: 02 6182173
Fax: 02 6334448
PRD@etisalat.ae

Mobily will benefit from Etisalat Vast Experience
Company has 70% market share of of all wireless subscriptions
36% of all broadband connections in the Kingdom.

Etisalat chairman Mohammad Omran said the new strategy of Mobily for the next five years aims at strengthening, “Mobily” leadership in broadband services and applications, as a pioneer in this technology in the Middle East, in line with global trends in mobile communications.

“The New strategy will focus on the integration of communication services or what is referred to GED “Growth Efficiency Differentiation “, stressing that Etisalat will utilize its know -how and experience to give Mobliy its utmost support in this regard:” said Mohammad Omran in his address during Mobily’s “WE CARE” event .

Omran described mobily as one of the most successful investments for the group, commending the professionalism of Mobily’s executive management and its vision that resulted in achieving significant growth for the company with net income of more than three billion Saudi Riyals in 2009.

Mobily successfully completed trials for the coming upgrade of its state of the art evolved high speed packet access (HSPA+) network testing speeds of 42 megabits per second (Mbps). The 42 Mbps speed, expected to be rolled out in major cities in the interim, will be the first major speed upgrade since Mobily became the first operator in the region to launch HSPA+ towards the end of 2009 at speeds of 21 Mbps, and closed the year with one million customers subscribed to its high-usage bundles, and an overall customer base 18.2 million. Mobily’s state of the art High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) network now covers 90% of all populated areas in the Kingdom, representing 414 cities, regions and areas ; almost giving anyone who needs Internet mobile broadband always-on connectivity.

Mobily’s HSPA network has given a much needed boost to household Internet usage in the Kingdom with household penetration rates more than doubling from around 14% for end of 2008 results to 32% for yearend 2009, according to the Communications and Information Regulatory Commission’s annual report.

According to the same report out of 1.41 million wireless broadband subscriptions, one million were on Mobily’s network, giving the company a market share of 70% market of all wireless subscriptions and 36% of all broadband connections in the Kingdom.

Mobily was the first Saudi operator to launch BlackBerry platform to businesses at the end of 2006, and was also the first Saudi operator to bring BlackBerry Internet Service to the masses in mid-2007. The company was was also the first Saudi operator to launch Apple iPhone 3G in February 2009.

In conclusion, Mohammad Omran commended the efforts of the Saudi government in developing the telecommunication. He also highlighted the strong performance of Mobily of which Etisalat owns 27%.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Iyad Al Zou’bi,

Senior Manager,

International Media Relations, Etisalat

Tel: 02 6182622

Mobile: 0506123568

ialzoubi@etisalat.ae

- Omran: We have won in Egypt

- Al Abdouli: We faced big challenges and our success exceeds all expectations

- Etisalat has been aligned with the customer’s needs and has won the trust of

millions of people and achieved highest growth rate in the history of mobile

market in the Middle East.

Etisalat Misr’s customer base reached 14 million within three years of starting its operations in a very competitive market like Egypt. Etisalat launched Etisalat Misr in May 2007 making it the first company to offer 3G services in the country. Since then, the Egyptian telecommunications market has changed with a huge number of new services and lower prices being offered, driven by fierce competition from which the customer has greatly benefited. Etisalat Misr was the only company to deliver new mobile and internet services making it a major driving force for technology development in the market

Commenting on this new milestone, Mohammad Omran, Chairman of Etisalat said: “Etisalat’s international journey started in 2004. Entry into markets such as Egypt was part of our international strategy and we made a commitment to win in Egypt. We were confident of our success in the Egyptian market for many reasons including the attractive investment environment, the population size and the nature of the telecommunication sector. We planned our entry into Egypt carefully to achieve the ultimate benefit for all stakeholders including the people of Egypt. The company’s achievements exceeded all expectations in terms of subscription rates and what was targeted in the bid conditions and feasibility studies in terms of network coverage. I can confirm that we have achieved during the first two years what was planned to be achieved in 5 years, and by the end of the third year the number of our subscribers exceeded 14 million”

“As the case in all our international operations, immediately after winning the license we started expanding the first stages for network readiness benefiting from our previous experience in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. We covered Egyptian cities in a way that exceeded the license conditions helping us to achieve the accolade of fastest commercial launch in the region.” Omran commented.

“We built a state of the art network and started working in a very limited time. This was highly praised on both local and international levels. Our investment in the network has reached LE 8 billion till date, and we expect that we will invest LE 8 billion more in the coming three years as networks expansion is a priority for the company.” Etisalat’s Chairman added.

“Etisalat’s strategy is to develop a significant international footprint and to benefit from economies of scale. This will serve for the future and provide satisfying returns for our investors, of whom the UAE Government is the largest. However this desired growth cannot be achieved by having a presence in one market only and requires more operations and investments in markets that are open for growth and development. We have achieved what we were planning for so far and now we operate in 18 markets serving 107 million customers covering around 2 billion customers” He concluded.

Commenting on the operational level, Engineer Saleh Al Abdouli, CEO of Etisalat Misr said “When we started working in the Egyptian market, we faced big challenges and fierce competition from large providers who have been operating in this market for many years. Some thought that a third provider will not have a chance to compete and that the market was moving towards saturation. We had to build a new network which is different from other networks and can provide mobile 3.5G technology and completely new services that were not launched in the market before”.

“From day one we had to compete strongly and to provide new services and innovative systems which are different from what was already available in the market in order to attract customers to our network. We actually succeeded in standing apart through everything we offer and in providing our customers with new valued added services and new pricing systems. The market response to our effort was really great. Etisalat Misr achieved the highest growth rates in the history of the mobile market in Egypt.” Abdouli added.

Etisalat Misr developed the latest mobile network in Egypt based on the 3.5 G technology. The new technology allowed the provision of new unprecedented services including video calls, Mobile TV, wireless high speed internet. The company also provided unmatched capacities after it competed developing its entire network from HSPA to HSPA+ which provides capacity up to 21 Megabits Per Second (Mbps). With the completion of this achievement Etisalat Misr became the first company in Africa and the second in the Middle East coming after Etisalat UAE to make this offering.

The company succeeded in testing higher 42 mbps capacity for high speed wireless internet in Egypt and the region and the results of these tests were very satisfying. Through this technology Etisalat provided advanced services including the BlackBerry smart services. Etisalat also was the only company to provide video calls and technical visual support for people with special needs. These services were widely accepted and received the ITP Award for the most innovative non-voice service in 2009.

Etisalat Misr offered new subscription schemes. Calls and internet offers were totally aligned with the customer. It offered the lowest price for calls per minute, providing a price of 1 penny per minute for local calls. Etisalat was always the first to provide international roaming rates which is one pound for incoming calls. Etisalat also was the first operator to launch a flat rate for international calls LE 1.99 per minute, in addition to many other offers and services allowing Etisalat Misr to lead the market to unprecedented success. Now Etisalat is not only considered a strong competitor but also a proactive company in terms of launching services and offers for individuals and businesses.

Commenting on prices and offers, Al Abdouli said: “Etisalat was different from any other provider because its prices included the tax for the first time in Egypt – an unexpected surprise to the market and which was revealed only on the first day of its operations. Shortly after all other operators followed Etisalat’s steps in this offering.”

“We have full adherence to the market ethics and the competition, we are also committed to fair competition away from any unfair practices that could harm the market and the customer” Al Abdouli concluded.

Etisalat Misr has the widest and strongest coverage 3.5G in more than 80% of the county in addition to providing HSPA+ applications which offer high internet speeds to download and transfer data. The company was the only operator in Egypt to be awarded its own international gateway license. The company now provides special services and rates through its special gateway. Etisalat Misr also acquired EgyNet and Nile Online to provide fixed internet services, this step comes in line with the company’s commitment to provide comprehensive services for its customers. This way Etisalat’s customers will have the opportunity to reach high quality internet services promptly anytime and anywhere.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Iyad Al Zoubi, SM international Media Relations

00971506123568

0097126182622

E-mail ialzoubi@etisalat.ae