//DIGITALLY DISRUPTIVE driver experience was richly enhanced via sensors in high tech apparel - giving feedback data across the raft of vital health measurements. Or the instant availability of headsup data via a powerful microprocessor embedded in the arm of designer sunglasses. Or the most comprehensive relationship marketing tools able to interpret customer demographics and footfall to a nano level. That’s not to forget a complete section of the stand dedicated to robotics, where we could see the powerful advancements in robot technology, progressively closing the gap with humans in terms of movement and mobility. Plus, demonstrations showed how robots can execute not only manual tasks, but selection criteria not too far removed the job description of managers in a professional services business! There were also powerful exhibits of life in a ‘smart’ hospital - where micro-technology can make surfaces self-cleaning and bacteria resistant. Then again, many visitors were fascinated by the smart parking experience that even owners of today’s highly-automated supercars would find hard to believe! These are the tools of the new collaborative environment. A world that presents SMBs with a colossal opportunity. Etisalat’s stand took businesses on a digital journey, providing a genuine roadmap for their technology empowerment. Commitment to SMBs with a landmark MoU On Monday, October 19th, in the perfect setting of the GITEX event, Etisalat announced its strategic partnership with Fujairah Free Zone. This highlights a new partnership to provide an improved telecom and ICT service experience to customers of Fujairah Free Zone Authority. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Salvador Anglada, Etisalat’s Chief Business Officer, and Sharief Habib Al Awadhi, Director General (CEO) of Fujairah Free Zone Authority. The strategic partnership falls in line with the UAE’s goal to become a leading
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business hub, making it supremely convenient and easy for businesses to set up in the UAE. Importantly, it will enable business connectivity, and increase SMB competitiveness, helping place the UAE high on the IT readiness and competitiveness index. Salvador Anglada said, “Small and medium businesses, especially start-ups, fuel the economic engine of a nation. Etisalat is the ideal partner of choice for this segment in the UAE and we are committed to making the telecom and ICT connectivity a seamless experience for our business customers. We are particularly excited about our deal with Fujairah Free Zone. It gives us the opportunity to join hands with them to cater to investor and business needs of reachability, transparency and value for money. It lets us target this segment better and help it grow by making our technology work for these businesses.” As part of the agreement, Etisalat will cater to business customers who are also investors in Fujairah Free Zone, by developing exclusive promotions and packages based on specific and individual business needs. Sharif Habib Al Awadhi said, “Through our partnership with Etisalat, we are keen to provide our tenants and investors best-in-class services and connectivity.” This breakthrough agreement followed on the heels of another keynote MoU, which saw Etisalat extend its partnership with Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development to include the Al Ain branch. This was in order to develop advanced telecom and ICT services and applications, helping the entity better serve Al Ain’s growing business community. Salvador Anglada and Ali Al Nuaimi, Director of Commercial Relations Department, Al Ain Department of Economic Development, endorsed the extension of this strategic partnership between the two entities, providing considerably enhanced reach to the business community in Al Ain. Commenting on the signing of the MoU, Salvador Anglada said, “The UAE’s position as the region’s business hub is becoming stronger. Keeping with these dynamic changes, IT and telecom needs
of businesses are also evolving at a fast pace. Small and medium businesses in particular need solid connectivity to boost their reachability, transparency and competitiveness. “We partnered Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development last year, and are thrilled to extend this partnership to its branch in Al Ain. We believe that Etisalat’s sophisticated telecom and IT services and solutions will support Al Ain DED help grow businesses in the city.” Through the agreement, Etisalat will develop advanced solutions for the effective flow of information that will facilitate and simplify procedures across Al Ain Department of Economic Development. Moreover, the week-long GITEX event saw Etisalat develop several strategic partnerships with local, regional and international partners, in the context of an engagement designed to showcase and explain the remarkable possibilities of the new disruptive business opportunity.
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