Telecom major Etisalat has been named ‘Best Overall Operator in 2007’ twice in the same year.

The company was awarded ‘Best Overall Operator in 2007’ during an award ceremony organised by Arabian Business magazine at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, last night.

In November, the organisers of Telecom World Middle East Awards awarded Etisalat for the same category.

Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Government Sector Development and Chairman of the UAE Supreme Committee for the Supervision of the Telecommunications Sector presented the award to Mohammad Hassan Omran, Chairman of Etisalat. The Arabian Business Awards aim to recognise and award companies and organisations with exceptional performance and achievements based on the highest international and regional standards.

Eng Sultan Al Mansouri, Minister of Government Sector Development and Chairman of the UAE Supreme Committee for the Supervision of the Telecommunications Sector, congratulated Etisalat for being recognised as the Operator of the Year: “This recognition once again highlights the achievements of Etisalat and its contribution to the development of all sectors of the UAE over the last 30 years. We are proud of all of our national companies that have helped to enhance the reputation of the UAE.”

HE Mohammad Hassan Omran, said: “This award is a testament to the hard work of all of our staff in the UAE and across all the subsidiary companies which make up the Etisalat family of companies. Being recognized for the second time within such a short period of time as the ‘Best Overall Operator in 2007’ is a tremendous achievement and has set a new benchmark for the industry and ourselves. This supports the development of Etisalat’s reputation as one of the leading telecommunication companies worldwide.”

Mohammed Khalfan Al Qamzi, said: “This award confirms the strength of our strategy and the ability of our team to deliver the highest levels of quality and performance across all markets in which we operate. We continue to set ever higher standards in order to offer our customers the best choices and services available.”

Etisalat recently announced the acquisition of 15.97 per cent in the Indonesian mobile operator ‘Excelcomindo’, the third largest mobile operator in Indonesia. Etisalat has agreed to pay $438 million (AED 1.6 billion) for the stake. With this acquisition, Etisalat now operates across 16 countries worldwide. 

Earlier in 2007, Arabian Business magazine ranked Etisalat as the 14th most admired company, and the most admired telecommunications company in the Gulf in 2007 in a table of the region’s 50 most admired companies.--TradeArabia News Service