United Arab Emirates - PM Communications

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FUJAIRAH/ 14UAE 3rd NOVEMBER 2007FUJAIRAHANCIENT ANDMODERNWell-connected Fujairah has become a centrefor international and regional business activityThe only one of the emirates to be locatedentirely alongside the Gulf of Oman,the small but beautiful emirate of Fujairah isanother attractive destination for businessesand tourists alike. Despite a strong historicallegacy, it has embraced modernity and managesto draw large numbers of tourists –around 250,000 every year.Fujairah has spectacular backdrops, fromlofty mountains to sun-kissed golden beaches.It offers a paradise for water sports enthusiastsand adventure seekers, many culturaland historic sites, and all the luxury offive-star accommodation.Around Dh3 billion (£400 million) is beingspent on the tourism industry in a bid to attractmore visitors. With its new passengerterminal, Fujairah International Airport aimsto boost throughput to one million passengersa year by 2011.According to Fujairah Tourism Bureau, theemirate receives 60 per cent of its touristsfrom Europe and 40 per cent from within theUAE. Flagship holiday resorts such as theHilton Fujairah Resort and the Fujairah RotanaResort and Spa aim to appeal to both markets.The newest arrival on the scene, theMiramar Al Aqah Beach Resort, just 90 minutesdrive from Dubai, is the first resort tobe opened in the UAE by the Iberotel hoteland leisure group.Real estate developments are primarily concentratedalong the Gulf of Oman coastline.Major new billion dollar development projectsare under way,such as the Fujairah Paradiseproject, a concentration of villas, luxury hotelsand retail outlets, and the Fujairah Dana(pearl) development,comprising hotels and villason reclaimed land off the coast near Al Aqah.Further projects are planned as demand forluxury accommodation in the region growsand the leisure industry expands.The Fujairah Exhibition Centre has also becomea magnet for trade shows and conventions,whichbring in visitors from all over theGulf and the Middle East.The capital city offers a taste of local history,with a castle and a museum to keep visitorsbusy, as well as plush offices and residencies.Thesetwo contrasting faces are whatappeals to many: the modern new town andRaw materials for the regionEmirate producesrock and aggregatesfor the boomingconstruction industryThe boom in construction activity throughoutthe region,and particularly in Dubai,hasgiven a big boost to Fujairah’s cement, stonecrushing and mining industries.Established onlylast year as a joint venture between theFujairah government and the Pacific BasinShipping company, Fujairah Bulk Shipping hasboosted local export capacity to move the rockand aggregates to regional markets.Fujairah Fort, a 300-year-old mud brick structure, is an impressive local landmark“Fujairah and Ras Al-Khaimah produce thehighest quality rock and aggregate for marketswithin the Gulf,” says Edward Marc O’Grady,the company’s Chief Executive. “They providethe regional multi-billion pound constructionindustry with the raw material necessary tobuild the significant commercial,industrial andtourist infrastructure currently under way.”Using ships or barges, FBS provides comprehensiveshipping, stevedoring and logisticservices for the transport of all rock materialsin and around the Gulf.It ownsa concession to build a rock handlingterminal, with jetties, loadingramps and storage facilities.With the reach of Pacific BasinShipping – one of the world’s topbulk shippers – behind it,the companybrings an international dimensionto an already thrivingmaritime sector.Moving heavy, awkward loadssuch as rock and aggregates presentsa big problem to shipping andlogistics operators.Part of the rationaleto create the FBS jointventure was to build a companywith integrated expertise, making the deliveryof such products more efficient and costeffective.“It was our opinion that for the business towork and reliably serve the needs of the constructionindustry within our region the supplyEDWARD MARCO’GRADYCEO of FujairahBulk Shippingthe winding lanes of the old town, which areoverlooked by a centuries-old fort.Underpinned by first class infrastructure,with state-of-the-art air and sea links,Fujairahhas made good headway in expanding its industrialand commercial base too. The FujairahFree Zone has become a centre for internationaland regional business activity, attractinginvestment from overseas and locally.It issupported by the Fujairah InternationalAirport,now a major regional air hub,and thedeep sea Port of Fujairah, which togetherprovide strong links to the rest of the world.Work is also under way on a six-lane Dubai-Fujairah highway to cut travel time betweenthe two emirates. ●chain had to become fully integrated and managedaccordingly,” says Mr O’Grady.He believes that the ability to launch such anorganisation to spearhead the export and supplyof these essential construction materials illustratesthe commitment of the Fujairah authoritiesto progress and long-term development.“Fujairah has a focused and ambitiousgrowth strategy,” he says.In addition to being a market in its own right,the UAE is fast becoming a favoured turnarounddestination for ships of all shapesand sizes.Its location and state-ofthe-artlogistics facilities make it anideal base to serve global freightmovements heading east or west.Mr O’Grady says this modern infrastructureis further supported byan onshore business-friendly economyand host government.“FujairahPort is the largest multi-purposeport strategically located on the Gulfof Oman on the eastern seaboardof the UAE.Its strategic position hasproved attractive to a wide rangeof users specifically in dry bulk cargoand container handling.”Indeed,the port has become one of the world’sleading ship bunkering points and marine serviceproviders as a result of this location.Connectedby good road links to the rest of the UAE andadjoining countries,it is the perfect place for supplyingthe Gulf market. ●Fujairah Bulk Shipping transports heavy loads of materials in and around the Gulf
UAE 3rd NOVEMBER 2007 TELECOMMUNICATIONS / 15TELECOMMUNICATIONSALMOST 6 MILLIONMOBILE SUBSCRIBERSThe UAE has the highest mobile phone rate ofpenetration both regionally and internationallyWith just under 6 million subscribers,themobile phone services penetration ratein the UAE exceeds 140 per cent of the population.UAE residents spend more per headon telecommunications than anywhere elsein the region. Many have adopted the trendof subscribing to multiple mobile lines,and inaddition many foreign visitors subscribe to prepaidservices,holding on to the SIM cards forfuture visits.The saturation of the market has driven thedominant provider, state majority-ownedEtisalat, to extend its search for business toother countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan,Egypt and Afghanistan. However, with the recentarrival of a second operator on the scene,Etisalat will be faced with competition.Until last year, Etisalat was the UAE’s soletelecommunications service provider. Thatchanged when the government began to openup the sector in line with the UAE’s commitmentsto the World Trade Organisation,which requires full liberalisation by 2015.A second national provider, the EmiratesIntegrated Telecommunications Company,trading under the name “du”,was licensed bythe recently established TelecommunicationsRegulatory Authority and started operatingin February this year.The government recently announced thatit would not be opening up the sector to foreignplayers in the near future, saying it expectedtariffs to become competitive nowthat Etisalat’s monopoly had ended.“We feelthe existing number of telecom companies isenough at present,” Sultan Bin Saeed AlMansoori, Minister of Government SectorDevelopment, told Gulf News.Etisalat rang up net profits of Dh3.7 billion(£496 million) in the first half of this year, a33 per cent increase compared to first halfof 2006.Mohammad Hassan Omran,the company’sChairman,says the results demonstratethe company's diverse capabilities and competitivestrengths.“We achieved financial resultsexceeding expectations and continue toachieve strong results supporting our continuedleadership in the region’s telecommunicationsindustry.”Etisalat’s rival du,which like Etisalat is partlygovernment owned,is expected to spendDh4.7 billion (£631 million) over threeyears on its mobile and fixed line servicesto secure 30 per cent of the UAE market.A report by investment bank EFG-HermesEtisalat saw a 33 per cent increase innet profits in the first half of the yearsays du can build a significant market share,taking advantage of the UAE’s fast growingpopulation and the high level of per capitaspending on telecommunications. It predictsthat du will sign up 569,000 active subscribersthis year, taking 57 per cent fromEtisalat. ●Bringing the worldwithin its orbitWith the launch of its third satellite, ThurayaSatellite Telecommunications Company isextending its coverage to the Asia-Pacific regionhe UAE lives on telecom-and likes to“Tmunicationsdo so using wireless technology,”observes Yousuf Al Sayed, CEOof Thuraya SatelliteTelecommunications Company.And not just the UAE, as Mr AlSayed is in a better position thanmost to appreciate. For the AbuDhabi-based firm boasts theworld’s largest subscriber basefor satellite mobile phones,comprisingmore than a quarter of amillion people across the globe.Thuraya's satellite network extendsto more than 110 countriesin Europe, Africa,the Middle East,and Centraland Southern Asia,and by the end of the yearwill have been extended to the 21-countryAsia-Pacific region, following the launch thismonth of the company’s third satellite.Circling 22,236 miles above the earth, at 44degrees east longitude, five metric tons oftechnology will provide coverage to an areaextending from the East of India all the wayto Japan.“With that development, our coveragewill encapsulate about two thirds ofthe world’s population,” says Mr Sayed.Thuraya was founded by an investor consortiummade up of prominent nationaltelecommunications organisations, financialYOUSUF AL SAYEDCEO of ThurayaSatelliteTelecommunicationsCompanyhouses and investment companies,including Etisalat and AbuDhabi Investment Company. Itlaunched its mobile satellitetelecommunication system inOctober 2000, thus providingblanket-to-blanket coverage tomore than 110 countries inEurope,North and Central Africaand large parts of SouthernAfrica, the Middle East, Centraland South Asia.A second mobilesatellite was launched in 2003.The launch of the third satelliteis part of Thuraya’s push todouble its market size withinthree years by bringing countries such asChina, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam,Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia intoits orbit. The company last year opened apermanent office in Singapore as part of theextension of its services into the region.“Thuraya is not really aimed at the UAE,which is geographically well covered by GSM,”says Mr Al Sayed. “Our market is in countriesthat do not have a developed telecommunicationsinfrastructure, or that are solarge that it is not cost effective to providetelecom infrastructure or GSM to cover thewhole territory, and where satellite coverageis the solution.”Subscribers access Thuraya’s mobile satellitesystem through service providers whoare either national GSM network companiesor local telecom operators. Thuraya’s specialdual-mode satellite/SGSM handsets en-able users to switch to satellite transmissionwhenever they are out of range of terrestrialGSM networks.“Thuraya is unique and differentiated fromother satellite service providers because weare closer to GSM than satellite.The differenceis that we use satellite infrastructure,”says Mr Al Sayed.In connection with the latest satellite,serviceprovider agreements have already beensigned in Australia and South Korea,and withBeijing-based China Satellite CommunicationsGlobal – a deal that Mr Al Sayed describesas “a big breakthrough for us.“ Agreementswith companies in other targeted countrieswill be signed by the end of the year.Meanwhile, negotiations for a fourth satelliteare under way with Boeing SatelliteSystems, which has built the other threesatellites.Earlier this year,Thuraya launched ThurayaSG-2520, the smallest and lightest satellitephone, which it is calling the world’s firstsatellite smartphone.The SG-2520 offers advancedvoice, data, fax and SMS. Users areable to download and upload informationfrom the internet in either the satellite orthe GSM mode. Thuraya handsets also havea built-in GPS worldwide radio-navigationsystem, which can prove a lifesaver in remoteareas.Under an agreement signed with Al JazeeraChannel, Thuraya subscribers are providedwith the latest breaking, political, business,and sports news through Short MessagingService (SMS).“We are focusing on our core business,which is voice and data,” Mr Al Sayed says.“We want to bring in new services, to innovate,especially in terms of tracking systemsfor fleet management, and to enter into themaritime business in a strong way along thecommercial routes from Japan, Singapore,Dubai, and Jeddah all the way to the UK andAmsterdam.Those are important routes forus,and for which we are developing the necessaryhardware and services.” ●
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United Arab Emirates - PM Communications

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