plans to spend up to Dh3 billion a year on infrastructure in the UAE, including the roll-out of a fourth-generation mobile network to carry video.
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Capital expenditure on its UAE networks will be between Dh2bn (US$544.5 million) and Dh3bn a year, said Nasser bin Obood, the acting chief executive of Etisalat.
The spending would be focused on mobile networks, data cabling and IT systems, he said.
The operator's 4G mobile network would be launched "very soon", starting "with the main cities, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Sharjah," Mr bin Obood said.
Osman Sultan
, the chief executive of Etisalat's rival du, said that his company was also looking to launch 4G services.
"Our trials have been completed. But there's no date to be announced now," Mr Sultan said. "Hopefully this year, but it's not a firm commitment."
Mr Sultan declined to specify du's planned infrastructure investment this year. Both executives were speaking on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Telecoms CEO Summit.
Philip Brazeau, who heads the telecommunications practice at the Middle East law firm Al Tamimi, said Etisalat's investment in a 4G network would improve services such as mobile video.
"The telcos which will be the most successful in the long term are those that are going to invest," he said. "To see Etisalat making that investment indicates that they're building for the future requirements of the community.
"4G is your iPhone-like device with video capabilities, with the ability to do much what your computer does today."
Mr Brazeau said the value of Etisalat's planned investment was "pointing in the right direction". However, he added that "it's not going to be the end of their investment".
Irfan Ellam, a telecoms analyst with Al Mal Capital, said the planned investment was in line with his projections, into which he had factored Dh2.26bn of capital expenditure this year.
He added that Etisalat's total capital expenditure, including in its operations outside the UAE, was forecast to approach Dh20bn over the next five years. "I am projecting Dh19.45bn for the next five years, with Dh4.6bn in 2011 and Dh3.9bn in 2012," he said.
Jorg Erlemeier, the Middle East head of Nokia Siemens Networks, which has worked with Etisalat, said increased demand for data capacity made such investments necessary.
"Lifestyles in today's world demand huge volumes of bandwidth as there is a desire to be connected anywhere and any time," he said. "In the near future, operators need to ensure the best broadband experience, and this can be achieved through investment, primarily in 3G and 4G.
This is excellent news for mobile customers and the UAE in general," Mr Erlemeier said.
News of the planned investment comes as Etisalat and du prepare to face a new era of competition.
Under a government ruling, the two operators will soon start sharing the fixed-line infrastructure, which will mean they compete to provide landline and broadband services across the UAE. Mr bin Obood said this would "most probably" be implemented by the end of this year.
"It is going fine. Testing is going on," he said.
"We are placing all our plans on the infrastructure-sharing agreement, when it comes to the wired infrastructure, going nationwide," Mr Sultan said. "We will pay to access this infrastructure, which will be invested by Etisalat"
Further competition could be coming. At present, only Etisalat and du provide mobile phone services in the UAE.
But Majed al Mesmar, the deputy director general of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, said that the Government may consider granting more licences.
"Our commitment to the World Trade Organisation is to consider liberalising the market by 2015," Mr al Mesmar said.
bflanagan@thenational.ae
ORDER OF PLAY ON SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - 4pm (UAE)
Gael Monfils (15) v Kyle Edmund
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Magdalena Rybarikova
Dusan Lajovic v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 - 4pm
Adam Pavlasek v Novak Djokovic (2)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Gilles Simon
Angelique Kerber (1) v Kirsten Flipkens
Court 2 - 2.30pm
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Marcos Baghdatis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Christina McHale
Milos Raonic (6) v Mikhail Youzhny
Tsvetana Pironkova v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The view from The National
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
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The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
