Dubai: Both telecom operators in the UAE, du and etisalat, announced Wednesday that they have connected the world’s tallest tower Burj Dubai, which is due to open on January 4, to their countrywide networks.
With connectivity offers in the Burj Dubai by both operators in the UAE, it is understood that residents and offices are the first time able to choose between the two providers, which used to have separated areas at least for their fixed-line and broadband operations within the country with no direct choice for customers.
Du said in a statement that the tower is now fully equipped with seamless 2G and 3.75G network coverage. Residents and visitors will be able to use 24 Mbps broadband services such as IPTV, Video on Demand, IP telephony, leased lines and others. The services are also available in surrounding buildings and hotels in the Downtown area, du added.
“Covering the tallest building in the world is a significant achievement for us and a major step forward for mobility users,” said Hatem Bamatraf, Senior Vice President Network Development at du.
The provider uses technology by Nokia Siemens, Cisco and Huawei for the equipment. Overall, du has invested Dh230 million in 2009 to improve mobile in-building coverage in the UAE, the company said.
Interestingly, du’s competitor etisalat yesterday released a similar statement a little bit later, saying that it has completed the implementation of wireless and fixed line-services in the Burj Dubai.
From January 4 on, residents, visitors and corporate executives will have access to etisalat’s telecom offers like 30 Mbps broadband connectivity, IPTV, Video on Demand as well as wirelesse services over Wimax and LTE standards. The services will be available to all offices, restaurants, shops, hotels, apartments and even the elevators, etisalat said.
Etisalat has implemented the network in the tower and du is sharing it.
“We are proud and excited to have actively partnered with one of the world’s most iconic projects,” said Ahmad Julfar, etisalat’s CEO. Overall, 186 kilometres of cable shave been deployed in the building over the last three years.
