KABUL - Jamal Aljarwan, chief regional officer Asia Cluster, Etisalat Group, recently made his first stop of an Asia-wide tour in Afghanistan, where he was joined by high-ranking officials to visit the Group's operations in Afghanistan and discuss the development of the Group's initiatives in the country, as well as the recent pilot of the first 3G services in the country launched by Etisalat Afghanistan earlier this year.
Commenting on his first visit to Afghanistan, Aljarwan said: "Etisalat Afghanistan has become one of the fastest growing telecommunications operators in the region, and Etisalat is committed to providing the people of Afghanistan with a strong telecommunications network.
The launch of 3G services in Afghanistan is the first step in that direction, and will act as a catalyst for ICT development in the country, and positively impact business and economic growth in a country that is rebuilding its national infrastructure. Such developments have allowed Etisalat Misr to recently conduct the first video call over a mobile network in the Egypt's history, while Etisalat was the first operator to launch 4G mobile services in the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"With the implementation of an ICT infrastructure, healthcare, education, transportation, energy, financial services, tourism and government services are all sectors that would effectively benefit from this development, all of which would greatly support the rebuilding of a country such as Afghanistan. Etisalat is committed to playing a central role in further driving ICT industry growth and diversification."
Etisalat's launch of 3G services in Afghanistan marks an evolution in mobile communications in the country, and underlines the significant progress and partnership that the Etisalat Group and Afghan government have undertaken in setting a milestone for the county's rebuilding and development following years of unrest.
Ahmed Alhosani, CEO Etisalat Afghanistan explained: "We see this as a global success story, and one that is a platform for further development and growth in Afghanistan. This is also a gateway for Etisalat's regional growth plans across Asia, a region of strategic importance and business value. In Afghanistan alone, we have over 4 million subscribers, and we see great potential for us in this market.
"Since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2007, we have invested heavily to support network and services development in Afghanistan.
As the fastest growing mobile phone operator in Afghanistan, we are providing voice and data services in 30 provinces and 182 districts with more than 12,000 retail outlets."
Aljarwan also visited the Etisalat Afghanistan customer service center, where the local workforce is made up of 90% Afghan workers, in line with Etisalat Afghanistan's long standing resolve of partnering in the development and enhancement of human capital and skills levels of local Afghan employees, as well as empowering women to develop their skillsets and achieving career growth and development.
Etisalat Group, the telecommunications group with operations in 17 markets across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, recently became the first mobile operator to launch of 3G services in Afghanistan in a test pilot. When fully operational, the Etisalat 3G network in Afghanistan will allow customers to enjoy visual communications, high speed voice and data transfer and advanced internet broadband connectivity. (Agencies)