Jebel Ali is close to the border with Abu Dhabi
That border was disputed in the past
Sheikh Rashid may have built the Tropo Station on Jebel Ali to define that border.
Modern Satellite Station on Jebel Ali
Internet, Emails and SMSs with worldwide contacts are a part of life in modern Dubai.
50 years ago Dubai had very limited means of connecting with the outside world.
Only Telex and "Snail Mail" were available.
Other Gulf States were in the same situation.
Satellite Communication was in its infancy
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain looked to a Troposcatter for their communications needs.
Sheikh Rashid appointed the British Telecommunications Company Marconi (now part of Ericssons) to construct a Communications Station and Cable and Wireless to operate the service.
Jebel Ali was the chosen site. Communications Station needed to be on high ground. Jebel Ali was the only high ground in Dubai.
(Jebel means "mountain or hill" in Arabic).
Work began in 1968 with Overseas AST carrying out the construction. Dubai's first Communications Station was commissioned in 1970, providing telecommunication links to the outside world for the first time. But the system was antiquated by modern day standards.
Anyone wanting to telephone overseas had to call the Operator and book a call often 24 hours ahead of the call. The Operator called back at the booked time and made the connection. There was no guarantee the Operator would call back at the booked time or the telephone connection would be reliable.
Jebel Ali was a remote area until the late 1960s with no road access or habitation in the area.
Building the Troposcatter Station necessitated building an access road and providing accommodation for construction workers and operating staff.
Access road was initially a graded track but later developed into a road.
This access road eventually became the basis for the road from Dubai to Abu Dhabi
This enabled Jebel Ali Village to develop when work began on Jebel Ali Port.
Images contributed by Ludwig Hejze)
