Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 18^th March 2003

Comtrust, the e-solutions business unit of Etisalat, today showed further commitment to the region in bringing together its regional network of new partners for a detailed training session. Highlighting the latest developments, and business benefits, of its comprehensive portfolio of e-solutions, the training session was attended by representatives from Comtrust’s partners in the UAE and overseas.

Talking after the one-day training session, Ahmad Abdul Karim Julfar, General Manager, Comtrust said, “Days like today are vital to ensure that Comtrust continues to lead the trends in e-solutions throughout the region. Over the past year, we have established a wide network of partners in several markets of the Middle East. Our partners pro-actively market and sell our products and services to organizations where we have no direct presence. Each partner brings its own unique skill sets and experiences to the CSP (Comtrust Solution Partners) program, ensuring our customers receive only the best available strategic offerings in the e-business space.”

He continued, “Partnerships can only thrive if both parties support each other. Today’s training sessions are important in bringing our network together, so that we can ensure closer working relationships in the future. As a 360 degree process, it provides an effective forum for the exchange of ideas between ourselves and our partners, utilizing experience and technical knowledge from a wide variety of backgrounds. Our partners will also benefit from gaining a more in-depth and practical knowledge of our latest product development efforts and business benefits of the e-solutions portfolio we offer to the market.”

The training session was held at Etisalat Academy and delivered by leading industry professionals from Comtrust. The training session was attended by 16 representatives from the regional members of the CSP program. Subjects covered included eHosting, ePayments, Public Key Infrastructure and Smart Card technology.