SingTel and Etisalat to offer IP-VPN

UAE incumbent Etisalat has inked a deal with Singapore’s dominant telco SingTel which will allow the latter to offer internet protocol virtual private network (IP-VPN) services over Etisalat’s own dedicated network. Etisalat will also enjoy an extended reach in the Asia-Pacific region via SingTel’s ‘ConnectPlus’ IP-VPN network coverage. Etisalat, whose reign as monopoly telecoms operator in the UAE is to come to an end in the new year with the launch of services by rival firm Du, had 5.26 million mobile customers at the end of September 2006, a handsome total in a country of just over four million people.