Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) recently sealed an agreement with Etisalat, a fixed line and wireless services provider in the Middle East.
This collaboration will enable TM to leverage on Etisalat’s SmartHub facility at Fujairah Cable Landing Station (CLS) to deliver its content, Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), Internet Exchange (IX) and high speed data services for its customers in the region.
This company said that the partnership enables TM to connect its customers in the Middle East and neighbouring region via diversified routes to Europe and Asia. Etisalat SmartHub’s converged integration of multiple network infrastructure components (bundling services) provides integrated, robust and seamless connectivity with low latency. This not only enables reliable service delivery but is also in line with TM’s aspiration to become preferred hub in global market.
Commenting on the partnership, Rozaimy Rahman, Executive Vice President, Global & Wholesale, TM said, “As one of the fast growing telcos in Asia, we at TM are constantly investing and partnering with world class providers to offer better reachability and connectivity through reciprocal business. This alliance with Etisalat will maintain TM’s Point of Presence (POP) in the Middle East and communications hub of choice in the region, thus enabling TM to create a value proposition as one of the key players in the Middle East region”.
“This is the right platform for TM in promoting its services, as Middle East is a growing market for the potential customers. The range of services that can be offered include IP Transit, Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IPVPN), Global Ethernet (GE), International Private Leased Circuit (IPLC), Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks (providing secure connectivity), voice hubbing and others,” he added.
Also commenting on the collaboration, Ali Amiri, Executive Vice President, Carrier & Wholesale Services of Etisalat said, “Etisalat is honoured that we have added yet another telecom major into our expanding portfolio of customers. This partnership will allow TM to further expand its reachability by establishing a multi-functional network node at Etisalat’s SmartHub. Over the past year, the hub has already proved its capability in providing the consistency and best-in-class connectivity in the region. This addresses the need of the operators who have to adapt to the changing business dynamics and requirements in the region and globally. Etisalat’s SmartHub is designed to provide our partners with a one stop shop for connectivity to the region.”
According to Wikipedia, Etisalat is also known as Emirates Telecommunications Corporation. It is one of the Internet hubs in the Middle East, providing connectivity to other telecommunications operators in the region. It is also the largest carrier of international voice traffic in the Middle East and Africa and the 12th largest voice carrier in the world. As of October 2008, Etisalat has 510 roaming agreements covering 186 countries and enabling BlackBerry, 3G, GPRS and voice roaming. Etisalat operates Points of Presence (PoP) in New York, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore.
