UAE telecom operator Etisalat has launched a new customer-centric identity. The launch signals the first major overhaul in its 30-year history, and the new corporate image will position Emirates Telecommunications Corporation - Etisalat - as the new global player in the telecom industry.
The new identity was unveiled at a glittering event in Dubai on Tuesday evening (23rd May), which was attended by senior dignitaries and government officials, business leaders and media representatives. The unveiling followed a weeklong teaser advertising campaign that ran across UAE and regional media.
"Etisalat is as vibrant as ever today, as it moves into its fourth decade of operation, and our new identity strengthens our commitment towards achieving new levels of excellence in services offered to our valued customers", said Mohammed Al Qamzi, CEO of Etisalat. "Our intention is to be the best telecom operator not only locally, but also regionally and internationally. And our vision is to be truly global."
“We have a stated aim of being among the top 20 telecom operators in the world by 2010. We are entering new markets across the world and what you see from today onwards is not just a change of logo, but a significant shift at the core of the Corporation and a new direction for Etisalat as a whole.”
The new identity reflects Etisalat's values of transparency, optimism, openness, simplicity and reliability. The green colour in the logo signifies life, growth and renewal. Green is the national colour of the UAE, and Etisalat has a long and close association with its home nation- the UAE.
“By undergoing a culture shift at every level, we will establish ourselves as a truly global telecom operator, a true ambassador of the UAE success story in the international market.” Al Qamzi added.
Speaking at the launch event, Al Qamzi said: “From our engineers in the field to our senior management, our people at every level are very excited to be a part of this new phase of the Corporation’s history.”
“Etisalat’s vision is a world where people’s reach is not limited by matter or distance”, Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, Chief Operating Officer of Etisalat, said. “We will extend people’s reach by providing the services and technologies that enable individuals and businesses around the world to extend themselves so that they can reach their aspirations, ambitions and the best the world has to offer,” he said.
He said the Corporation has been building up to this moment over the last decade, steadily marshalling its infrastructure and human capital into a complete and considered service offering. “The new image seamlessly transforms us from a local operator into a regional service provider and, in the future, a truly world class Corporation".
“Telecommunications in general improves our lives by removing the boundaries of space and time,” Julfar said. “Etisalat has always provided the very best in technological capabilities and infrastructure to the communities we operate in. Our new ethos will be communicated from our home base in the UAE to the 13 other markets we operate in across the region – no market will be left behind.”
Essa Al Haddad, Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat, said: “The new Etisalat will stress openness, reliability and simplicity, empowerment and a more personalized service through a concerted campaign of improved customer care, enhanced distribution channels and effective outreach.”
“Business and individual customers can expect to see new products and services, increased functionality for existing services and improvements to Etisalat’s network of branches in the coming year, with the first of these expected in the next few weeks”, Al Haddad added.
“The change has already begun to revitalize the Corporation’s internal workings and thought processes”, Al Haddad said. “Technology gives us connectivity, but only a committed provider, able and willing to listen and respond to the needs of the community, can build connectedness.”
The new identity of Etisalat has been unveiled at a time when the Corporation is enjoying a leadership role among Gulf and Middle Eastern telecom operators. In its 30th year of operations, Etisalat has made the UAE one of the most wired nations in the region, and the penetration figures of key services are comparable to the most developed markets worldwide. Mobile penetration, with over 4.7 million subscribers, has touched the 100 per cent mark, a first in the region. 41.5 per cent of the population of the UAE have access to the Internet, another significant penetration rate in the region.
Etisalat has also regularly cemented its pioneering role in the region by being the first to launch services and applications. Some of the major introductions have been the launching of pre-GSM mobile services in 1982, 3G in 2003, and BlackBerry in 2006.
The Corporation has of late been following an aggressive international expansion strategy that has seen Etisalat winning bids and forging partnerships to enter many regional markets. A key commitment of the Corporation has been to ensure its unmatched levels of services in its home market even as it grows into a true global Corporation.
Its first significant international win was of the second GSM network licence in Saudi Arabia. ‘Mobily’, Etisalat’s service provider in Saudi Arabia, is achieving unprecedented levels of penetration in the Kingdom. ‘Mobily’ is referred to as one of the fastest growing telecom companies in the Middle East.
Success in Saudi Arabia was soon followed by winning the licence to operate the second fixed-line network in Sudan. ‘Canar’, the company set up to operate this network, is now operational and growing. Etisalat then purchased 50 per cent stake in Atlantique Telecom, a company that operates mobile phone networks in ,Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, Togo and Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
Soon after this, Etisalat placed the winning bid to purchase 26 per cent stake in Pakistan Telecom Company Limited (PTCL). With managing stake in the company, Etisalat is now represented on the board and in senior management of PTCL.
The latest entry has been into Afghanistan, where Etisalat purchased a licence to offer GSM services in an emerging market with extremely low penetration rates. Etisalat will look at partnering with local investors to set up the company to operate the network.
Zanzibar Telecom (ZanTel), in which Etisalat owns stake, was recently awarded a licence to operate telecom services across Tanzania, and not just in Zanzibar.
Other international investments of Etisalat include owning stake in Qatar Telecom (QTEL), Sudan Telecom (SudaTel) and Thuraya, the satellite telephone company.
