Telefonica : Etisalat and Telefónica collaborate to bring new-age cyber security services to UAE

Abu Dhabi, 23 June 2014. Etisalat UAE and Telefónica, leading companies in the telecommunications sector, today announced the signing of an extensive information security agreement. This alliance will see the two companies collaborate on the development and implementation of a state-of-the-art Security Operations Centre (SOC) in the UAE. The Centre will offer a wide range of cyber security services to organizations of all sizes and is part of Etisalat's SMART strategy to secure the nation's public and private IT infrastructure.

As part of this agreement, Etisalat will boost its 'managed' security services portfolio through some of the world's most advanced technology platforms powered by Telefónica. Telefónica services such as Cyber Threats Detection & Intelligence, Persistent Vulnerability Management, Industrial Security and Antifraud will help to tackle threats in UAE's shifting cyber-threat landscape and close the security skills gap that currently exists in the country.

This agreement builds on existing collaboration between Etisalat and Telefónica, following the signing of a Strategic Partnership Agreement in 2011.

Abdullah Hashim, Senior Vice President, Digital Services at Etisalat, said, "Etisalat is devoted to meet the ever growing security needs of organizations in the UAE and helping them transform to a SMART environment. This partnership with Telefónica will help deliver more reliable and intelligent managed security services and cutting-edge cyber security solutions to our customers."

He added that, "the advanced Security Operations Centre built under this partnership will offer 24/7 security, monitoring and access to advanced threat intelligence correlations."

"We are very proud of this agreement", said Oliver Martinez, Director of Security for businesses in the Telefónica Group. "The collaboration with Etisalat, interconnecting our respective SOCs between Dubai and Madrid, will improve the effectiveness of security services and the successful identification of new threats and vulnerabilities which affect our customers. The agreement highlights the critical role that telecoms companies play when it comes to comprehensively managing the security and integrity of customers' data and operations".

The executive concluded that the agreement is "recognition of Telefónica's advanced capabilities and technologies in digital security intelligence, reaffirming our mission to become a digital telco."

About Etisalat

Etisalat is the Middle East's leading telecommunications operator and one of the largest corporations in the GCC, with a market value of approximately AED81 billion and annual revenues of over AED32.9 billion. As well as establishing several "firsts" over the past four decades of operations, Etisalat has deployed many innovative mobile and fixed technologies that have helped the UAE maintain its position as a leading global ICT economy. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Etisalat serves over 10.2 million customers in the UAE.

Etisalat currently has the widest coverage of 3G and 4G mobile technologies in the UAE. It has established the world's most extensive Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) network, which penetrates 85% of the country. Connecting more than 1.3m homes in the UAE, Etisalat's FTTH network enables an ultrafast residential Internet network speed of 500 Mbps, the highest recorded in the world. Etisalat has an extensive network of 680 international roaming partners.

Etisalat has pioneered several 'green' technologies such as Emirates Energy Star (EES) which have a directly impacted the UAE's carbon footprint by reducing CO2 emissions.

In support of the UAE's goal to create smarter cities by digitising initiatives, Etisalat UAE has brought smarter services into every aspect of its offering, providing a range of end-to-end managed systems that offer complete solutions to a range of industry verticals.

About Telefonica

Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world in terms of market capitalisation and number of customers. With its best in class mobile, fixed and broadband networks, and innovative portfolio of digital solutions, Telefónica is transforming itself into a 'Digital Telco', a company that will be even better placed to meet the needs of its customers and capture new revenue growth.

The company has a significant presence in 24 countries and a customer base that amounts more than 313 million accesses around the world. Telefónica has a strong presence in Spain, Europe and Latin America, where the company focuses an important part of its growth strategy.

Telefónica is a 100% listed company, with more than 1.5 million direct shareholders. Its share capital currently comprises 4.551.024.586 ordinary shares traded on the Spanish Stock Market (Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia) and on those in London, New York, Lima, and Buenos Aires.