Etisalat Group, the UAE's leading telecoms services operator, has joined forces with Huawei, a leading global ICT solutions provider, to develop a framework and architecture for end-to-end network 2020.

The companies believe that the year 2020 will require a different telecom networks to address customers needs.

The joint plan for Network2020 was formalised by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

It is a vision that comprises a number of technology advancements like virtualisation, software defined networks, ultra high speed networks and cloud.

Those will be the building blocks for a completely new network architecture that should address the transformation towards a more connected society and digital living. As a result, end users will be able to enjoy existing and innovative new ICT services more rapidly and with the best reliability and quality.
 
Hatem Bamatraf, the chief technology officer, said: "Etisalat believes that current telecommunication networks must be agile, intelligent, flexible and open in order to transform customer experiences and take it to the next level."

"By introducing initiatives, such as Network2020, we hope to develop a network environment that will deliver a better, more connected world and enhance the experiences of all of our customers," he noted.

Alan Wang, the president of Huawei Etisalat Global Key Account, said: "For over a decade Huawei and Etisalat have enjoyed a longstanding partnership in the field of research and development."

"By constantly looking to simplify network architecture, we have in this latest memorandum identified a specific set of technologies that we believe will foster more inspired communication services for the public over the next decade," he added.-TradeArabia News Service