Etisalat and Huawei develop a new collaboration Framework for M2M and Internet of Things communications

Trial and launch of M2M and IoT communications solutions to enhance Etisalat’s business services portfolio

Mobilk - Etisalat Group - a leading telecoms and ICT solutions provider in the Middle East, Asia and Africa - and Huawei - a leading global ICT solutions provider - have announced plans for a joint new research and development framework exploring how new machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and innovative Internet of things (IoT) can be adopted in various industries to enhance business efficiency and lead to more innovative services. 

The joint research and development programme will allow the two companies to harness the potential of M2M communications across industries. Etisalat Group and Huawei will explore how enhanced connected M2M communications can be applied to provide better services to Business customers and, in turn, deliver a framework for future growth.

Khalifa Al Shamsi, Chief Digital Services Officer, Etisalat Group said: “The framework we have agreed underscores Etisalat continuous desire to be an industry leader in trialing and commercially launching new and innovative M2M and IoT connected services within the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Developing such service innovations will be fundamental to enhance Government and business efficiency and a tool for enriching peoples’ lives in the region, and will also open up exciting, new business opportunities within Etisalat Group’s business portfolio.”

IoT and M2M communications refer to ICT applications and technologies that allow devices to communicate directly with other systems and devices over wireless and wired networks. IoT/M2M solutions are increasingly used by organisations around the globe to improve productivity (through real-time operational measurements and smart controls), reduce costs, improve the current services and open new revenue streams. Today there are many vertical industries—from transportation to logistics, utilities, finance, smart cities and healthcare—which have already benefitted immensely from integrating IoT/M2M services into their business.

“Today’s Internet of Things phenomena will make intelligent sensing widely available through machine-to-machine information sharing and collaboration. Forward thinking operators are taking a more direct role in this value chain, and this latest memorandum between Huawei and Etisalat underscores our shared commitment to contributing to the maturity of this sector,” said Alan Wang, President of Huawei Etisalat Global Key Account.

The joint cooperation plan follows a series of recent partnerships between Etisalat Group and Huawei to bring a number of technology firsts to the region. This has included a joint effort to explore and deploy super-speed 5G mobile broadband services in the region, as well as ultra-fast 400Gbps fiber technology aimed at offering more reliable and affordable broadband services to homes and businesses.