9th March, 2012
Etisalat, a telecommunications company with operations in 17 markets across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has won three of the sector’s most prestigious international awards at Mobile World Congress, the global event held annually in Barcelona, Spain.
The awards held at the auditorium of the congress centre saw Etisalat bagging two GSMA Global Mobile Awards in the ‘Best Mobile Health Innovation’ and ‘mWomen Best Mobile Product’ categories for its mobile health innovation, as well as ‘Best Mobile Money Innovation’ award for its Etisalat Commerce platform.
Accepting the awards, Essa Al Haddad, Etisalat Group Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Etisalat is committed to harnessing the power of mobile connectivity through innovation to develop products that change people’s lives for the better and help to accelerate social and economic development. In the case of Etisalat Mobile Baby, it can also save lives and narrow the gender gap.”
Speaking on the receipt of the awards, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans said, “This is yet another evidence of our commitment to continually provide unparalleled, innovative and advanced solutions to our customers around the globe. The award not only acknowledges Etisalat as one of the leading telecom service providers across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, but also reinforces our commitment to become one of the top telecom service providers globally.”
Etisalat’s Mobile Baby programme delivers affordable primary healthcare solutions to even the remotest regions of Africa. It has already delivered tangible results to meet Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG5) which seeks to reduce maternal mortality in childbirth by 75 per cent and deliver universal access to reproductive health by 2015.
Developed in partnership with Qualcomm, D-Tree International and Great Connection, Etisalat Mobile Baby is a complete mHealth ecosystem that brings together medical healthcare professionals, NGOs, pharmaceutical and insurance companies, and federal and state government to deliver affordable healthcare for all powered by mobile connectivity.
During 2012 the Etisalat Mobile Baby service will be rolled out across its operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo, Niger, Central African Republic, Gabon among other locations . The award for ‘Best Mobile Health Innovation’ rewards innovative mobile solutions that tackle one of the biggest global challenges; how to make high-quality healthcare affordable and accessible to all while using mobile technology for diagnoses and treatment.
The Etisalat Commerce initiative won the ‘Best Mobile Money Innovation’ for the transformational way in which it uses Near Field Communication (NFC) wireless technology to turn smartphones into virtual payment cards accepted in MasterCard merchants. The platform was developed in partnership with MasterCard Worldwide and Oberthur Technologies.
Working with federal financial services authorities to meet local market regulatory requirements, the Etisalat Commerce platform can facilitate a wide range of financial transactions including salary payments, person to person domestic and International fund transfers, utility and merchant payments, on-line purchases, and bank transactions. Importantly, it provides a fast, safe and secure environment for the un-banked and under-banked to move into the commercial environment in emerging markets.
Michael O’Hara, chief marketing officer, GSMA said: “The 2012 Global Mobile Awards continue to showcase the greatest, most creative and innovative products and services driving the mobile ecosystem today and into the future.
“With a record number of high calibre entries this year, it is a significant achievement for a company to be honoured with an award, but to win three is an outstanding achievement”