Etisalat is turning its sights on transforming into an international player and climbed 17 spots in the global 500 brand value ranking this year from 225th to 208th.

Etisalat has made history by emerging as the strongest brand across all categories in Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. This feat puts Etisalat among the top 25 brands globally in the strongest brands index by Brand Finance, the world’s leading independent brand valuation and strategy consultancy.

With this ranking from Brand Finance, Etisalat is now among the world’s strongest brands including Ferrari, Coca Cola, Apple, among others making it to the global top 25 strongest brands in the world. Continuing its growth streak, Etisalat is turning its sights on transforming into a truly global player and climbed 17 spots in the global 500 brand value ranking this year from 225th to 208th. Another noteworthy achievement this year is being ranked among the top five strongest telecom brands across global markets and the strongest telecom brand in the MEA region.

Etisalat has also retained its title as the most valuable telecom portfolio of brands for the fifth year in a row with an impressive portfolio of brands touching more than Dhs40 billion including Etisalat Misr, Mobily, Ufone, Maroc Telecom, PTCL and is also the only telecom brand to retain AAA brand rating.

David Haigh, CEO, Brand Finance said, “When COVID struck in 2020, Etisalat led from the front ensuring business continuity, digital and innovative solutions, enablement of smart cities and remote learning to help drive the digital future of the UAE. Staying relevant and enabling the nation with the fastest network on the planet, Etisalat has earned its place as the region’s ‘Strongest Brand’, ready deliver on its ethos of ‘Together Matters’ as the UAE welcomes the world at Expo 2021.”

Hatem Dowidar, CEO, Etisalat Group said, “This is a historic achievement for Etisalat to be recognised on such a global platform among the best in the world and the region. Our efforts to bring innovation and digital transformation for all our customers have also led to Etisalat being ranked as the strongest brand on a global scale.”

“Thanks to the UAE leadership’s support, vision and encouragement that has helped Etisalat achieve this significant milestone despite the headwinds posed by today’s extraordinary times realising our digital goals and surpassing many of the top global and regional brands.”

Operating in 16 countries with 149 million subscribers across Asia, Middle East and Africa, Etisalat’s success can also be attributed to its continued efforts to provide the best solutions and services in the various markets in which it operates, its support for community initiatives and events, and its adoption of digital transformation strategies in its various operations.

Etisalat has led the telecom sector and the region with the deployment of the 5G network setting a major benchmark in the industry. Most recently Etisalat made a huge leap forward with the landmark announcement of achieving the world’s fastest 5G download speed of 9.1 gigabits per second.

Etisalat’s pioneering 5G efforts in the region and delivering one of the fastest, smartest and best-connected places on earth for the upcoming global mega Expo 2020 Dubai has attributed to its success as a brand in the region. As the premier digital services and telecommunications partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, Etisalat is prepared to deliver the event’s visitors and delegates 5G connectivity that brings the Expo themes to life for the millions of visitors.

Etisalat has engaged with its consumers by sponsoring global football teams and clubs aligning with the brand’s priorities of being at the forefront of major sporting events. It also launched the brand campaign “Together Matters” to highlight togetherness among its subscribers in today’s world of connectivity.

Brand Finance is the world’s leading independent branded business valuation and strategy consultancy, and is the organisation behind the Global 500 Brands and Telecom 300 league table of the world’s biggest brands ranked by their brand value, assesses the dollar value of the reputation, image and intellectual property of the brand.

Etisalat Digital and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) announced recently a strategic partnership to deploy a cloud-based IoT Smart Building solution, providing FAB ‘anytime anywhere’ access and ease of operations across its entire portfolio.

This is the first deployment of a portfolio-wide IoT smart-building management system for any of the UAE banks. Salvador Anglada, Group Chief Business Officer, Etisalat, said, “By utilising our cloud-based IoT Smart Building Platform, all assets and systems within FAB’s buildings will be integrated and centralised into a single platform, providing ‘anytime anywhere’ access and ease of operations across its entire portfolio.”

Banks own multiple buildings and also operate branches across the country, which require extensive facilities management, maintenance and operations. Etisalat Digital’s Urban Intelligence solutions and IoT platform enables advanced and predictive analytics, which in turn provides unique insights into the buildings operations and empowers a truly smart facilities portfolio.