Etisalat has inked an agreement with Alcatel-Lucent for a planned deployment of the LTE network in the UAE. Using Alcatel-Lucent’s end-to-end solution, Etisalat will deploy the first commercial LTE network in the Middle East within the first quarter of 2011.

“As the region’s leading-edge telecom service provider, this is a significant milestone for our corporation and we are proud to be the Middle East’s first and widest LTE network, thereby fulfilling our promise to continuously deliver superlative  communication experiences to our customers every step of the way,” said Mr. Mohammad Omran Chairman of Etisalat.

Alcatel-Lucent will provide Etisalat with a complete end-to-end High Leverage Network solution – including LTE base stations (eNodeBs), all-IP wireless Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a converged end-to-end network management solution and a range of professional services including project management, planning, installation, commissioning and integration.

“This is a crucial step towards the adoption of LTE in the Middle East. Alcatel-Lucent’s technical leadership and transformation expertise will help Etisalat unleash LTE’s full business potential and deliver a mobile broadband experience far beyond anything that has been seen before in the region”, said Ben Verwaayen, CEO, Alcatel-Lucent. 

Alcatel-Lucent have been selected so far by 12 customers for commercial deploymentsand is involved in over 60 trials worldwide.