UAE based mobile operator Etisalat on Monday signed a pact with Noida based HCL Technologies to develop IT applications and provide cloud computing to the telco and its corporate clients.

Virender Aggarwal, President, APAC & MEA, at HCL Technologies said that they will focus on developing software applications for the tablet PCs and mobility devices for corporate clients in the hospitality and banking space in the Middle East with this partnership.

With new mobility applications, restaurant managers can now take orders from customers on iPads, or bank officials can check account balance or issue receipts through mobile devices. He added that it will reduce queues in banks. They are also developing mobile wallet apps for phones, said a report published in the Economic Times.

HCL Tech plans to develop the applications for Android based devices like Samsung's Galaxy tab. HCL are in talks with five corporates for deals at present.

The company has a small mobility applications development lab in Singapore. HCL has tied up with Dubai and Singapore based universities, to hire people for working in the lab on projects.

HCL has about 12-13 customers in the mobility space in Singapore. As per the Memorandum of Understanding, Etisalat and HCL Technologies will work together to explore the possibility of collaboration for offering joint IT solutions to business customers in the areas of mobility and IT services, said the report.

Etisalat is world's 13th largest mobile operator and has a customer base of about 135 million subscribers, with annual sales of over $8 billion.