Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 8^th July 2002

Comtrust, the e-business solutions unit of Etisalat, today announced a ground-breaking strategic alliance with Qatar based IT integrator and solutions provider, Afkar Information Technology. The agreement represents Comtrust's first move into an overseas market, utilising Afkar to market and sell Comtrust's entire range of industry leading e-business infrastructure solutions throughout Qatar and the region. The deal will enable both parties to significantly increase their portfolio of products and services to customers, and markedly extend their marketing and sales reach.

Omran Sultan al Owais, General Manager, Comtrust said of the deal, " This is great news for Comtrust. The alliance between Afkar and ourselves heralds a new era for Comtrust, as it is the first example of our expansion plans throughout the Middle East. By partnering with such experienced professionals at Afkar, we can enhance our presence by utilising their network in the region, making available our e-business solutions to new markets in the Gulf region."

Founded in 1997, Afkar provides tailored business solutions and develops e-commerce applications for organisations throughout the Gulf region. Recognized for quality within the Arabic speaking world, Afkar have designed solutions for Government, media and the business sector, including the development of a famous Arabic news portal Islam Online (www.islamonline.com) executive management of Aljazeera Net Portal (www.aljazeera.net) plus others. 

Whilst in Dubai to sign the deal, Murhaf Taia, Business Solutions Manager, Afkar commented, "We are delighted to have formed a strong partnership with Comtrust, who are undoubtedly the leading provider of e-business infrastructure in the Middle East. By bringing the two parties together, the agreement will allow us to offer complete e-business solutions to our customers in Qatar and around the region."

Omran Sultan Al Owais agreed, "The Middle East continues to be the fastest growing market in the world at present, as more and more companies begin to make great strides forward in developing and deploying their Internet strategies. Since Comtrust's inception, the growing trend has seen companies begin to open up new sales and marketing channels through the Internet in order to extend their market reach. The partnership between ourselves and Afkar will allow regional companies to have a local point of contact for all of our services, including secure payments, hosting and front end e-commerce applications development. As a result, Comtrust are well placed to take advantage of the new opportunities."

Murhaf Taia said, "Our mission statement since the very beginning has been to become the leader in providing comprehensive web related services to a worldwide customer base. The development of e-business has opened many new opportunities for companies looking to operate in the Internet space. The agreement we have signed with Comtrust today, means we are well placed to service the Middle East's needs for Internet based solutions."