Emirates Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) is expected to decide soon on its vendor partners for the third generation (3G) pilot project leading up to the actual launch by late 2003, a senior official said Sunday.
“Five vendors are in the running -- Ericsson, Alcatel, Siemens, Motorola and Lucent. From these, two or three may be chosen for the pilot project,” said Etisalat's chairman, Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, cited by the Gulf News.
"It has never been Etisalat's policy to go for a single vendor in its infrastructure requirements. Having multiple partners also helps us to access the best technology available today,” he said.
"Even for the 2G network we contracted five vendors. We should decide on the names within the next month or so. The pilot project for the 3G services will be taken up towards the end of the year. 3G is not just a new technology, it brings with it a new range of business opportunities and enables the creation of a wireless information society," he said – Albawaba.com
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