Etisalat Information Services, the UAE's market leader in multiplatform information services and a subsidiary of Emirates Telecommunications Corporation-Etisalat, yesterday announced the launch of "connect.ae", the UAE's first of its kind fully-digital, and multiplatform search service.
The launch marks an agreement between eIS and Eniro Global, the leading Nordic search company in the media industry, with operations in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Poland. The service will initially cover the UAE, with the intention to launch the service in the other markets where Etisalat has operations.
The connect.ae platform aggregates, organises filters and distributes local data for all digital services, regardless of the user's type of screen. Connect.ae is the UAE's search engine; it collects, filters, classifies and presents local business information to the market.
The service will be offered through the connect.ae portal as well as from the Arabic domain, a first for such a service in the UAE.
Anyone can use the service, on the Internet or from IOS or Android smartphones and tablets, to search for anything in the UAE, from finding that special restaurant and booking a table or getting the best hotel deals. One can also find shopping malls and nearby stores, healthcare providers, amusement parks, etc.
The service will return all available results with filters based on relevance, proximity/distance or alphabetical sorting. The user will then be able to add the results to a phonebook, or get directions to the result's location or simply call the business of interest.
"We searched for the best partner to develop a unique local search engine for all sorts of business and services as a complement to our telecom business," said Rashid Khusaif Al Naqbi, General Manager, Etisalat Information Services. "Eniro's successful shift to digital distribution, and above all their strong position in mobile search, were decisive factors in our decision. We are looking forward to a successful launch in our home market, with a view to subsequently launching services in our other markets." Commenting on the launch of this unique product, Stefan Kercza, CEO and President of Eniro AB, said "I am very excited to see the launch of connect.ae. The Eniro Global team have worked closely together with Etisalat Information Services in adapting our local search platform to the UAE market, and we now look forward to exploring the business opportunities in this positive and promising partnership."