Huawei Completes Etisalat HSPA upgrade

Chinese vendor Huawei says it has successfully deployed a high speed packet access (HSPA) network covering 97% of populated areas for UAE incumbent Etisalat. The cellco’s original 3G network was built by Huawei in 2003, and in 2006, the Chinese supplier was contracted to expand the infrastructure and provide a HSPA upgrade. Etisalat subscribers in the UAE with 3G enabled-handsets can now have access to web browsing, video calling and mobile TV entertainment without the need to change SIM cards. In addition, Etisalat is able to offer access to television programs in dual English and Arabic languages. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Etisalat had around a million 3G subscribers at the end of March 2007.