Etisalat Academy, the largest single-source provider of training and development solutions in the Middle East has introduced the first certified Long Term Evolution (LTE) program in the Middle East region, in partnership with Huawei, one of the principle telecom vendors worldwide.

Etisalat Academy wants to develop a community of highly skilled and certified professionals who have a comprehensive understanding of LTE pertaining to ‘Commercialisation’, ‘Operation’ and ‘Maintenance’, ‘Planning’ and ‘Optimization’.

The company said that the program is based on the Huawei Ltd. platform and the practical aspects will include hands-on training of Huawei equipment. For those who will be exposed to other vendors’ platforms the program will cover the key technological aspects and provide a solid grounding on the subject. The information will be presented in a way that can quickly be translated to Operational and Maintenance activities across diverse platforms.

David Brennan, General Manager, Etisalat Academy, said: “Globally, Etisalat is an early adopter of technology and is one of a handful of operators internationally to deploy LTE. Following this, Etisalat Academy has agreed to partner with Huawei, one of the leading global telecoms equipment vendors, to develop a leading-edge LTE certification program. This will ensure industry professionals have access to the right knowledge and skills to embrace and leverage the LTE technology.“

“We are glad to have Etisalat Academy as our chosen partner to impart LTE Certification trainings to the Middle East region. Our elearning platform and online lab access for relevant modules is one of the highlights of this training”, said Fu Shiguang, Huawei Learning Services President from Huawei Headquarters in Shenzhen China.

The Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) confirms that 174 firm commercial LTE network deployments are in progress or planned in 64 countries, including 28 networks that have commercially launched.  A further 63 operators in 21 additional countries are engaged in LTE technology trials, tests or studies.