Etisalat, the leading telecom operator with a presence in 18 countries, has been named as the ‘Best Telecom Operator’ in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region, a wide geographic market that covers nearly 30% of the world population.

Trumping competition from fast-growing telecom markets with several operators, Etisalat won four top laurels at the recent SAMENA Telecommunications Council Awards that honoured the best in telecom industry services, across the geographies including the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

Selected following an intensive performance-based evaluation of telecom operators across the region, Etisalat also won the award for Best Customer Experience Provider of the Year and Best FMC Operator of the Year, while the company’s chairman, Mohammad Omran, was selected as Best Telecom Operator Leader of the Year. The award recognised his pioneering efforts in leading Etisalat’s achievements regionally and globally, for his efforts in significantly strengthening the telecom sector across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The SAMENA Awards were distributed at a ceremony held in Morocco recently as part of the ‘Converge to Casablanca 2010′ conference which highlighted the importance of the convergence of industry leaders to discuss key technology areas.

Bocar A. Ba, President of SAMENA Telecommunications Council said, “Etisalat has always been an active participant and keen supporter of various efforts in promoting collaborative solutions and knowledge-sharing within the telecommunications industry. As a leading operator, Etisalat has been at the forefront of a number of innovative solutions and services, and has contributed enormously to the growth and advancement of the sector locally and regionally. It is indeed great to see the organization winning four SAMENA awards in recognition of their constant efforts to further develop and promote the regional telecommunications industry and provide seamless services to their customers. I would also like to extend my warm congratulations to the Chairman on his selection as the ‘Best Outstanding Telecom Operator Leader’ of the year.”

SAMENA Telecommunications Council is a multi-continent telecom consortium that aims to be the leading provider of telecom innovations in its member regions as well as a facilitator for collaboration and knowledge-sharing between regional telecom entities.

The SAMENA Awards demonstrate Etisalat’s ongoing efforts in the development of the telecommunications sector in the UAE and beyond, in terms of infrastructure and advanced telecommunications, which are critical foundations for economic success. The awards recognize Etisalat’s innovations and strategies in customer service which focus on applying the latest systems and emphasis on achieving the highest standards in customer satisfaction.

As a leader in offering the latest services to all residents of the UAE, Etisalat covers 100% of GSM network coverage across UAE and 99% 3G coverage of UAE’s populated areas.

Etisalat operates in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, servicing over 107 million customers out of a total population of approximately 2 billion people.

Etisalat is a major investor in Thuraya, one of the world’s leading satellite geo-mobile communication systems covering approximately two third of the planet’s surface. The company is also the largest carrier for voice data in the Middle East, and has the largest roaming network