Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) has made its broadband service accessible to 92 percent of the Kingdom's population, the company announced on Friday. Broadband connectivity allows users fast internet and value added services such as video telephony and mobile television. Mobily, the Middle East's broadband leader and the owner of the region's farthest-reaching 3.5G network, said that it made broadband available in 587 cities, towns, roadways and tourist attractions. The company added that the expansion is part of its strategy to provide innovative products and services that enrich the lives of its customers. Some of the locations covered are Al-Rafia in Sakaka; Al-Shihiya, Al-Sheet and Al-Atheriya in Al-Olaya, Ain Al-Qanur in Dawadmi, Al-Nisiya and Qina in Hail, Al-Salsala and Al-Mulailih in Madina, and a number of other towns in the Kingdom's south and east. The company said it plans to eventually cover every populated area in the Kingdom. Engineer Khalid Al Kaf, Mobily's CEO, said the accelerated pace of expanding the company's broadband network is part of its strategy to bring in the latest technologies and services in every region in the Kingdom to enrich the lives of its customers. He added that Mobily's broadband work has made itself felt not only in the local telecom sector, but in the entire region as well, thanks to Mobily's ownership of the largest broadband network in the Middle East and North Africa, and the unprecedented data traffic on Mobily's network. Late in 2009, Mobily had announced the launch of HSPA+, which provides speeds of up to 21.6 Mbps, and later doubled that to 42 Mbps. Broadband was Mobily's primary revenue generator in the first half of 2010. The company saw its net profit rise by 40% compared to the same period of 2009. Growth in broadband will help Mobily's customers enjoy fast internet through their mobile phones and Connect modems, as well as mobile TV and video calling.
