Middle East's telecommunications operator Etisalat has selected Alcatel-Lucent to extend its LTE coverage in the United Arab Emirates. The new network will address the challenge of increasing demand for high-speed mobile broadband fueled by video, gaming and other high-bandwidth applications.

The expanded network also paves the way for the introduction of advanced cloud services and evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) in 2014, as well as supporting Etisalat’s Smart City and EXPO2020 initiatives.

Etisalat is deploying Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE solution to significantly expand LTE service throughout the UAE while also upgrading existing 3G-2G infrastructure for future LTE service. With Alcatel-Lucent’s technology, Etisalat plans to cover 99 percent of populated areas in the UAE with LTE service by 2015 - including buildings, shopping malls, stadiums, airports and other densely populated areas.