ABU DHABI // Internet subscribers on Etisalat's network are complaining of sluggish service and delayed or no access to favourite websites, a situation that is believed to be due to the telecom provider's upgrade of its fibre-optic network.
Etisalat customers from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah have been experiencing persistent disruptions to their internet services, with problems accessing Facebook, Google and Yahoo, among other sites.
They are also having difficulty transferring files and playing games online.
"I constantly need to access my mail at work, do research on our clients and find contact details. It's been very frustrating doing all that and sometimes [it] becomes impossible," said Hira Mansoor, 22, a marketing co-ordinator from Pakistan who works in Abu Dhabi.
Etisalat customers in Sharjah have also been affected by connectivity issues.
"We are addicted to the net and use it to find valuable information," said Syed Rehman, a 40-year-old Pakistani supervisor who works at a travel agency in the emirate.
"The websites we need to use take a long time to open up, and speed has also been a major issue."
Antonio Carvalho, a partner at the telecoms consultancy Delta Partners in Dubai, said that given the myriad websites that are affected and that no one has complained of a complete disconnection from service, the likely issue is one of connectivity. Typically, when a network is upgraded from a cable-based infrastructure to a fibre-optic network, as Etisalat's has been, there will be connectivity issues. "While the infrastructure network is being upgraded, it's fair to assume some deterioration in the customer experience," Mr Carvalho said. "But these are supposed to be temporary problems that should be sorted out in a relatively short period of time."
Etisalat executives did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Essa al Haddad, the group chief marketing officer for Etisalat, told reporters during the company's launch of its eLife service last month that network disruptions might occur as it finalised the installation of its fibre-optic connections.
"There is a challenge in running two separate networks at the same time," Mr al Haddad said. "This challenge will be with us for the next few months."
The last major disruption to internet services occurred in 2008 between January 23 and February 4 when five high-speed underwater communications cables were severed by ships' anchors, causing widespread outages throughout the Middle East.
Nahid Hassan, a spokeswoman for du, a rival telecoms operator, said that the company had not received any complaints from customers about internet connections.
Representatives from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority also did not return messages seeking comment.
@Email:dgeorgecosh@thenational.ae
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
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