ID :
11452
Sat, 07/05/2008 - 09:07
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/11452
The shortlink copeid
etisalat and France Telecom to make joint investments
Abu Dhabi, July 5, 2008 (WAM) - etisalat and France Telecom will collaborate in a number of diversified areas including in Home services, contents, international network, besides making joint investments in the sector according to a report in 'Khaleej Times.'
An MoU which was signed in Paris, yesterday between Mohammad Omran, chairman
of etisalat and Didier Lombard, chairman and CEO of France Telecom, is being
dubbed as ‘landmark’ as it will open flood gates of sector-specific business
opportunities, collaborations, launch of products and making forays into the
entertainment business.
The collaboration is part of etisalat‘s ambitious to launch Fibre to the
Home (FTTH) facility, provided through optic fibre cable across the country.
The FTTH will provide telephone, e-vision and internet through one
connection.
In the area of Home networking solutions and multiple-play services, the
concept of “Orange Livebox� (home gateway) and “Orange TV� (IPTV offer via
set-up-box) rolled out by France Telecom to over 6.8 million customers in
Europe will be of interest for etisalat as it pursues its FTTH (Fibre To The
Home) deployment in the UAE.
France Telecom, Sagem and Thomson jointly launched SoftAtHome to define
standards for triple - play offerings. etisalat is planning to
use SoftAtHome solutions to launch multiple-play offers in their markets.
Subject notably to the approval of the other shareholders of STAKE:
SoftAtHome, it is the intention of both France Telecom and etisalat that
etisalat will become a shareholder of SoftAtHome to get an ability to
shape future home networking technology developments.
>From a Content acquisition and distribution perspective, etisalat and France
Telecom are currently evaluating the opportunity to acquire, aggregate
and/or market specific contents to be distributed on their respective
footprints.
GAMING: In particular, France Telecom and etisalat will work together so
that etisalat can distribute the multi-player online game Warhammer, which
is to be released by fall 2008.
CO PRODUCTION: etisalat and Studio 37, France Telecom’s subsidiary
dedicated to investing in films, also intend to invest jointly in
co-production of movies and audiovisual programmes.
etisalat and France Telecom have as well agreed to put in place preferred
international roaming within each operator’s footprint with the objective to
optimise international coverage for their customers, optimise voice and data
roaming traffic, improve quality of service and enable innovative services.
With significant capacity available in existing submarine and terrestrial
cables, etisalat and France Telecom will also pursue possible joint
investments in building capacity to serve areas of strategic interest to
both parties such as Western Africa where they both operate including having
a better link between Middle East and Europe across the Mediterranean sea.
The terms and conditions of the partnership will of course comply with
competition rules with specific attention to markets where both groups
operate. According to Mohammed Hassan Omran, chairman, etisalat both Europe
and the Middle East are a nerve centre for technology innovation in the
telecom space and characterised by a very demanding customer base. “This
agreement with France Telecom will leverage the technological expertise and
deep customer insight of both companies to offer the latest services to
customers in a converged IP environment across the markets we operate in,�
he said.
Didier Lombard, Chairman and CEO, France Telecom said etisalat and France
Telecom were becoming partners in a number of fields of strategic
importance. Both companies believe in the convergence of telecommunications
services and access to Content as a key enabler for business in mature and
emerging markets. This relationship will help us to build on the success
that we have had developing Orange into a leader across communications and
content. He said that etisalat intends to become a shareholder in
SoftAtHome, and both the companies will jointly invest with Studio 37 to
produce content.
An MoU which was signed in Paris, yesterday between Mohammad Omran, chairman
of etisalat and Didier Lombard, chairman and CEO of France Telecom, is being
dubbed as ‘landmark’ as it will open flood gates of sector-specific business
opportunities, collaborations, launch of products and making forays into the
entertainment business.
The collaboration is part of etisalat‘s ambitious to launch Fibre to the
Home (FTTH) facility, provided through optic fibre cable across the country.
The FTTH will provide telephone, e-vision and internet through one
connection.
In the area of Home networking solutions and multiple-play services, the
concept of “Orange Livebox� (home gateway) and “Orange TV� (IPTV offer via
set-up-box) rolled out by France Telecom to over 6.8 million customers in
Europe will be of interest for etisalat as it pursues its FTTH (Fibre To The
Home) deployment in the UAE.
France Telecom, Sagem and Thomson jointly launched SoftAtHome to define
standards for triple - play offerings. etisalat is planning to
use SoftAtHome solutions to launch multiple-play offers in their markets.
Subject notably to the approval of the other shareholders of STAKE:
SoftAtHome, it is the intention of both France Telecom and etisalat that
etisalat will become a shareholder of SoftAtHome to get an ability to
shape future home networking technology developments.
>From a Content acquisition and distribution perspective, etisalat and France
Telecom are currently evaluating the opportunity to acquire, aggregate
and/or market specific contents to be distributed on their respective
footprints.
GAMING: In particular, France Telecom and etisalat will work together so
that etisalat can distribute the multi-player online game Warhammer, which
is to be released by fall 2008.
CO PRODUCTION: etisalat and Studio 37, France Telecom’s subsidiary
dedicated to investing in films, also intend to invest jointly in
co-production of movies and audiovisual programmes.
etisalat and France Telecom have as well agreed to put in place preferred
international roaming within each operator’s footprint with the objective to
optimise international coverage for their customers, optimise voice and data
roaming traffic, improve quality of service and enable innovative services.
With significant capacity available in existing submarine and terrestrial
cables, etisalat and France Telecom will also pursue possible joint
investments in building capacity to serve areas of strategic interest to
both parties such as Western Africa where they both operate including having
a better link between Middle East and Europe across the Mediterranean sea.
The terms and conditions of the partnership will of course comply with
competition rules with specific attention to markets where both groups
operate. According to Mohammed Hassan Omran, chairman, etisalat both Europe
and the Middle East are a nerve centre for technology innovation in the
telecom space and characterised by a very demanding customer base. “This
agreement with France Telecom will leverage the technological expertise and
deep customer insight of both companies to offer the latest services to
customers in a converged IP environment across the markets we operate in,�
he said.
Didier Lombard, Chairman and CEO, France Telecom said etisalat and France
Telecom were becoming partners in a number of fields of strategic
importance. Both companies believe in the convergence of telecommunications
services and access to Content as a key enabler for business in mature and
emerging markets. This relationship will help us to build on the success
that we have had developing Orange into a leader across communications and
content. He said that etisalat intends to become a shareholder in
SoftAtHome, and both the companies will jointly invest with Studio 37 to
produce content.
