Etisalat tackles mobile wallets
Etisalat subscribers with a Western Union mobile wallet can use the funds to pay bills, top up airtime, send money, or withdraw cash at an agent or any participating ATM.
According to The Telegraph, the agreement is part of a Western Union strategy implemented in 2007 with support from The Global System for Mobile Communications Association, to introduce more global mobile-based money transfer services.
Mobile transfer services have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially in developing countries where there is little or no tradition of banking, or where many people live a long way from the nearest bank.
Subscribers who initiate transactions from their mobile phones would be able to send funds to a receiver for a cash payout at more than 400 000 Western Union Agent locations in 200 countries and territories, says Arab News.com.
Trade Arabia says Etisalat has also signed agreements with Acatel-Lucent and Huawei to deploy Middle East's first long term evolution (LTE) network.
Jamal Aljarwan, Etisalat's chief international investment officer, says its plans for LTE technology is part of the company's strategy to roll out mobile broadband with download speeds of up to 173Mbps.
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