The UAE has the highest fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) penetration globally, with a coverage of 94.3 per cent, a significant amount of which is provided by leading telecom group Etisalat.

Etisalat is working closely with R&M currently to upgrade and extend its FTTH network with the innovative SYNO dome closure solution from R&M. This undertaking enables Etisalat to have one of the first ‘patch-free’ connectivity solutions in the region, which translates to a resilient, tamper-proof network that increases the reliability and uptime of crucial connectivity services for both home and business users.

Esmaeel Alhammadi, senior vice president, Network Development, Etisalat said: “With Etisalat’s corporate strategy focused on ‘Driving the Digital Future to Empower Societies’ the network forms a significant component of this digital transformation journey. Etisalat has continuously focused on investing in innovation and on next generation technologies and services to expand and enhance the network.”

“This achievement signifies that we have maintained consistent leadership globally in FTTH penetration setting a benchmark in the global telecom industry. This achievement was only possible due to the continuous support and vision of the leadership of UAE in the development and modernization of the infrastructure. Etisalat aims to further increase the quality of our FTTH network focusing on reliability, scalability and flexibility,” he added.

Etisalat employs a ‘set and forget’ approach as the SYNO Dome’s gel cold seals conform to IP68, the industry’s highest ingress protection ratings, and require no maintenance. At the same time, the modular nature of the cabinet allows technicians to make modifications to the connections very easily, and with minimal risk to services of other customers.

By leveraging the SYNO Dome closure, Etisalat has now moved the critical Fiber Distribution Hub (FDH) units underground, which is not only more aesthetically pleasing, but has also greatly reduced the cost of civil contracting. The patch-free nature of the new systems eliminates the possibility of tampering or unintentional disconnection of cables.

Etisalat’s new FTTH infrastructure is designed to support upcoming technologies and is highly adaptable. For example, currently industry standard duct cables are being used, but as future systems such as micro cables and micro ducts become mainstream, they will be supported within the existing network and incorporated in future developments.

“We are proud to be a part of the FTTH projects that are shaping the future of the Middle East. Our commitment to service providers such as Etisalat is that we will continue to introduce world-class solutions and industry best practices to support their ambitions,” said Nabil Khalil, executive vice president, R&M Middle East, Turkey & Africa at R&M Middle East, Turkey and Africa.