About Emirates

• ravel tech tops the bill at Arabian Travel Market this year, following 12% annual growth
• Average 300-room hotel in Dubai faces AED2.45 million bill to upgrade Internet connectivity over coming five years

The average 300-room hotel in Dubai will be faced with a bill for AED2.45 million over the coming five years, as bandwidth capability is multiplied to meet rising guest demand, according to the latest data published ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2018, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25. The figure, calculated by Colliers International, is based on the average guest now connecting up to three separate devices to a hotel’s WiFi during their stay, increasing the overall strain on existing bandwidth within each property. Adding to this pressure, the data further reveals that hotels failing to maintain current standards will jeopardise guest loyalty, as 68% of guests reveal they would not return to a hotel with poor internet access, research found. Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM, said: “To maintain current connection speed and quality each hotel must make multi-million dirham investments in new technology, systems and capabilities. Bandwidth investment is a key trend predicted to transform the regional hospitality industry over the next five years.” Discussing the defining evolutions of the hospitality technology, the Travel Tech Show will return to ATM 2018 with more than 30 dedicated international exhibitors and an influential agenda of discussion and debate in the Travel Tech Theatre, sponsored by Sabre Corporation, a leading provider of technology to the global travel industry. Travel technology is the fastest growing region at ATM with a 12% increase in exhibitors in 2017, compared to the previous year. On the show floor, attendees will be able to meet with exhibitors such as TravelClick, Travelport, GT Beds, The Booking Expert, INPLASS, XML Holiday, and DidaTravel Technology Ltd. Exhibiting for the first time at ATM will be Travelflex, a cryptocurrency that aims to solve the scalability issues which other coins are facing at the moment. Press said: “Once again ATM 2018 is set to welcome the leading brands, personalities, innovators and disruptors in travel technology today. As we celebrate our 25^th anniversary this year we will be reflecting on how far the hospitality and travel industry has come since the first online travel agency (OTA) emerged. However, as our line-up of seminar sessions and exhibitors proves, our focus remains fixed on the future of the industry.” Looking to the future, the introduction of more chatbots across hotels to deal with common guest queries before, during and after booking is expected, with Colliers predicting as much as 79% of all B2C interactions will be performed by these bots within Middle Eastern hotels by 2020. Another key development is the piloting of Bluetooth beacons across hotel lobbies and public spaces, allowing for on demand flash marketing to be sent via hotel apps. In addition, virtual payment systems are tipped to be highly influential with fintech developments such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay eliminating the number of cash payments. Colliers predicts half of hotel payments will be made using either mobile or virtual payment platforms by 2021. Press added: “Much of the innovation we have seen across the travel industry is focused on easing the passenger journey, with flexibility, personalisation and authenticity all key to enhancing a guest’s overall trip and we see that reflected throughout this new research.” Kick starting discussions in the Travel Tech Theatre, a social media specialist panel will explore how to create a Unique Selling Proposition on social media and how to integrate it as a successful driver of business sales. 72% of travellers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia with an Instagram account, purchased an overseas trip during the past year and a session led by the social media platform will highlight how powerful visuals can inspire potential travellers and drive business. While other sessions taking place in the Travel Tech Theatre include the Digital Future Summit and Smart Tourism 2020. Celebrating its 25^th year ATM is considered by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed over 39,000 people to its 2017 event, including 2,661 exhibiting companies, signing business deals worth more than $2.5 billion over the four days. About Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2017 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, agreeing deals worth US$2.5bn over the four days. The 24th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre, making it the largest ATM in its 24-year history.  www.arabiantravelmarketwtm.com Next event 22-25 April 2018 – Dubai. About Reed Exhibitions Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than seven million participants. About Reed Travel Exhibitions Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions. Media contact NATHALIE VISELE Director Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525 E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com Office 106, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City PO Box 502701 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates Website: www.shamalcomms.com

President & CEO Amin H. Nasser: “Investing in India is a key part of Saudi Aramco’s global downstream strategy, and another milestone in our growing relationship with India.” Saudi Aramco signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with “Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd.” (RRPCL), a consortium of Indian oil companies which includes The Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCl), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL), to jointly develop and build an integrated mega refinery and petrochemicals complex at Ratnagiri, in the state of Maharashtra. Saudi Aramco may also seek to include a strategic partner to co-invest in the mega refinery. The strategic partnership brings together crude supply, resources, technologies, experience, and expertise of these multiple oil companies with an established commercial presence around the world. A pre-feasibility study for the refinery has been completed and the parties are now finalizing the project’s overall configuration. Following the signing of the MOU, the parties will extend their collaboration to discuss the formation of a joint venture that would provide for joint ownership, control, and management of the project. The refinery will be capable of processing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day. It will produce a range of refined petroleum products, including gasoline and diesel, meeting BS-VI fuel efficiency norms. The refinery will also provide feedstock for the integrated petrochemical complex, which will be capable of producing approximately 18 million tons per annum of petrochemical production. In addition to the refinery, cracker and downstream petrochemical facilities, the project will include associated facilities such as a logistics, crude oil and product storage terminals, raw water supply, as well as centralized and shared utilities. Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (RRPCL) will rank among the largest world refining and petrochemicals projects and will be designed to meet India’s fast-growing fuels and petrochemicals demand. The project cost is estimated at around $44 billion. “Investing in India is a key part of our company’s global downstream strategy, and another milestone in our growing relationship with India,” said Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser, who also noted the opening in 2017 of Aramco Asia’s New Delhi office with a mandate to expand Saudi Aramco’s international portfolio in this key economic growth region. “The signing marks a significant development in India’s oil and gas sector, enabling a strategic joint venture and investment partnership that will serve India’s fast-growing demand for transportation fuels and chemical products. Participating in this mega project will allow Saudi Aramco to go beyond our crude oil supplier role to a fully integrated position that may help usher in other areas of collaboration, such as refining, marketing, and petrochemicals for India’s future energy demands,” said Nasser.

Starting in April, Sprint (NYSE: S) customers in select U.S. markets will experience the future of wireless as the company prepares to deliver the nation’s first 5G mobile network in the first half of 2019. Customers in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles will begin experiencing 5G-like capabilities, including significant increases in data speed and capacity, as Sprint rolls out advanced network technology called Massive MIMO. Sprint will aggressively expand to additional markets including Atlanta, Houston and Washington, D.C. later this year. In 2018 and 2019 Sprint expects to deploy thousands of Massive MIMO radios, significantly increasing network capacity for millions of customers across the country. Massive MIMO is a critical bridge to Sprint’s 5G network. 5G technology promises to connect people, places and billions of things with blazing fast speed, ultra-reliable, low-latency wireless service. This breakthrough technology will enable new levels of innovation and progress including cloud robotics, telemedicine, connected cars and drones, augmented and virtual reality and more. “The race to 5G is heating up, and let me be clear, today’s announcement is a huge step toward Sprint being first to offer a 5G mobile network,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO. “Our deep spectrum position gives us an incredible advantage no other carrier has in the U.S. We’re making significant investments using state-of-the-art technology, and working with leading chip and handset partners to deliver an incredible Next-Gen Network for our customers.” The Power of Massive MIMO on the Sprint Network Sprint’s first 5G-ready Massive MIMO cell sites are capable of delivering up to 10 times the capacity of current LTE systems, significantly increasing data speeds for more customers in high-traffic locations. With Massive MIMO at the foundation of Sprint’s Gigabit LTE and 5G service, Sprint can keep meeting its customers’ demand for unlimited data and high-bandwidth applications. Customers will have a great experience using 6K and 8K TV, and applications such as HD Virtual Reality.   “Massive MIMO is a game-changer for TDD-LTE networks that’s being used by leading operators around the world to deploy Gigabit LTE and 5G,” said Dr. John Saw, Sprint Chief Technology Officer. “For more than a year we’ve been testing this new technology, and in a few short weeks we’ll be bringing the power of Massive MIMO to Sprint customers beginning with some of the largest markets in the country.” All Sprint customers using a 2.5 GHz (band 41) device will benefit from the increased capacity and speed provided by Massive MIMO. In addition, Sprint is working with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and device manufacturers to launch 5G mobile devices in the first half of 2019. The recently announced Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X50 5G modem supports 5G NR for Sprint’s 2.5 GHz (n41) spectrum band. Sprint will deploy 64T64R (64 transmit, 64 receive) Massive MIMO radios using 128 antennas working with technology leaders Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung Electronics. The Massive MIMO radios from all three suppliers are software-upgradable to 5G without additional tower climbs. The Massive MIMO radios support split-mode service, enabling Sprint to offer both 4G LTE and 5G on the same radio. With 204 MHz of spectrum and more than 160 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the top 100 markets, Sprint is uniquely positioned with enough capacity to deliver a nationwide 5G mobile network using licensed spectrum. Because of Sprint’s large spectrum holdings it is also one of the only operators in the world with enough capacity to operate LTE and 5G simultaneously over 100-200 MHz on the same Massive MIMO radios. Nishant Batra, Head of Product Area Network Infrastructure at Ericsson, said: “Our 5G-ready Massive MIMO technology helps ensure a smooth network evolution for Sprint with its easy-to-adopt and install features. Sprint can get the most out of its vast 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings, boost the capacity of its LTE network, and deliver top-quality and high-speed data services to its customers.” Marc Rouanne, President of Mobile Networks, Nokia, said: “With Nokia’s 5G-ready massive MIMO radios, Sprint will build high capacity for its customers, especially in densely populated locations such as city centers and high-rise buildings. This powerful technology will be easy for Sprint to deploy on its 2.5 GHz spectrum, boosting data traffic, and we are looking forward to helping Sprint develop new levels of innovation in cloud robotics, augmented reality and more.” “After testing massive MIMO solutions in a real world situation with Sprint last year, and seeing impressive capacity gains using the same amount of spectrum, we are excited to reach this new milestone with the deployment of Samsung 5G ready MIMO solutions on Sprint’s network,” said Mark Louison, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Networks Division at Samsung Electronics America.  “As this technology advances to even greater levels of speed and capacity, we look forward to enabling Sprint customers to experience the full benefits of network innovation.” Massive MIMO is a key part of Sprint’s Next-Gen Network strategy. Sprint is significantly increasing its investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability, and speed across its nationwide network and launch the first 5G mobile network in the U.S in the first half of 2019. The Next-Gen Network build includes upgrading cell sites to triband service using 800 MHz, 1.9 GHz, and 2.5 GHz, adding thousands of new cell sites to expand coverage, and densifying the network with more small cells to increase capacity and speed. About Sprint: Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.6 million connections as of December 31, 2017 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

Businesses are concerned about the cost of rising protectionism, yet are optimistic about their international business prospects, according to a new report from HSBC, ‘Navigator: Now, next and how for business.’ Of the 6,000 firms surveyed globally, three in five (61%) think governments are becoming more protective of their domestic economies. This sentiment is strongest among companies in MENA (70%), and Asia‐Pacific (68%). In the USA, 61% believe protectionism is on the rise, while in Europe, half (50%) are seeing a rise in protectionist tendencies. The majority of firms are looking to regional partners to develop trade opportunities, with almost three quarters (74%) of overseas trade in Europe and Asia‐Pacific being conducted within their ‘home’ region. This trend is set to continue with regional ties being prioritised in firms’ expansion plans for the next three to five years. Focusing on the impact of government policies, those designed to strengthen regional ties such as China’s ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (40%) and ASEAN’s 2025 strategy (37%) were cited most frequently as having a positive impact on international business. Firms are focused on growth, with more than three in four (77%) businesses optimistic about their international business prospects, and expect the volume of trade to increase over the next 12 months. Reasons behind this confidence include an increase in demand for their products from consumers and businesses (33%), favourable economic conditions (31%) and the greater use of technology (22%) in driving growth. Noel Quinn, Chief Executive, Global Commercial Banking, HSBC, said: “Overall, companies are showing remarkable agility in navigating the changing trade policy landscape. They are getting on with adapting business plans, and relationships, to participate in shifting supply chains. Strategies include increasing regional trade, establishing joint ventures or local subsidiaries in more markets, and capitalising on trends in consumer demands and digital technologies.” “An increase in protectionist sentiment hasn’t hampered the optimism of firms globally, but is causing concern about the cost of doing cross-border trade and international business.” “By taking time to understand the emerging drivers and impediments to trade, business leaders can identify risks and opportunities, and make informed decisions for future growth.” Economic analysis supports the strength of business confidence, pointing to a 7% growth for trade values in 2018 (goods and services combined). Forecasts by Oxford Economics on behalf of HSBC show the economic indicators underpinning this estimate include an upturn in both investment and consumer demand, a weaker US dollar and recovery in the Eurozone. Media enquiries to: Auriane Potel +44 20 7991 0081 auriane.potel@hsbc.com Paul Smith +44 20 7991 4867