UAE telecoms operator Etisalat has catapulted the UAE to the second position in the most fiber-optic connected nation globally at 56 per cent surpassing Hong Kong's 46 per cent growth, said a senior official.

According to the latest statistics from research conducted by FFTH Council Europe, the number of premises in the UAE linked with Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) has increased by more than 27 per cent in 2011 from 30.89 per cent in 2011.

This increase has helped UAE push Hong Kong to the third place at 45 per cent, followed by Japan at 42 per cent, while South Korea ranks first at 58 per cent.

At the forum organized by the Ministry of Education, Ali Alahmed, chief corporate communications officer at Etisalat said, 'Etisalat is adding new achievements to its success record. It has been a result of huge investments in developing the telecom infrastructure of the country, amounting to nearly Dh6 billion in 2011.'

'By the start of 2012, FTTH has covered about 56 per cent of households in the UAE, and has made Abu Dhabi the world’s first fiber-connected capital city,' he stated.

'Through its FTTH network, Etisalat has introduced the fastest Internet broadband at 30Mbps for residential customers through eLife services and 100Mbps for businesses,' said Alahmed.

'The FTTH service has benefitted various industry sectors, including banks, healthcare, and education which are direct beneficiaries of these technological advancements', he added.
 
In his paper titled 'Etisalat efforts to support and develop the education sector in UAE: Technology for Education', Alahmed outlined the key initiatives introduced by Etisalat to support the nation’s education sector.

He also pointed out that establishing Etisalat Academy in 2000 and Etisalat University College in 1989 had been vital to the local qualified engineers in telecommunications and ancillary businesses.

About 1400 employees underwent training courses at the Academy in 2011, while 508 engineers and technicians graduated from the Academy before joining Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research.

According to Alahmed, Etisalat had contributed Dh330 million to build advanced technology infrastructure in order to provide technological equipments and services for nearly 250 schools in Abu Dhabi.

The corporation had also given Dh57 million for Abu Dhabi Education Council to serve and support schools within the emirate, he added.

Commenting on the UAE's FTTH success, Vivek Malhotra, principal consultant, ICT Practice, South Asia and ME, Frost & Sullivan said at present no other Gulf country other than the UAE features in the top 30 FTTH list.

'The UAE is soon expected to be the leader and the first country in the world to have 100 per cent household broadband internet penetration through FTTH technology. Almost all the FTTH connections in the country have been provided by Etisalat,' Malhotra added.-TradeArabia News Service