Du ties up with Nokia Siemens to expand coverage

Dubai: Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du) yesterday said it had entered into a 200 million-euro (Dh990 million) financing co-operation with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), for the purchase of NSN equipment.

The agreement, backed by Finnvera, the Finnish Export Credit Agency, will see 200 million euros of vendor financing provided to du through Nordea Bank.

The deal will involve NSN providing its end-to-end portfolio of equipment, which will expand du's network infrastructure with new base station sites and associated technologies.

Osman Sultan, CEO of du, said: "There is currently a high demand across the UAE for better coverage and capacity and we are very pleased to be able to meet this demand through the supplier agreement with NSN.

"The new equipment will enable the continued roll out of our 2G network, greatly benefitting du's customer base, while expanding our coverage and capacity."

Kevin Raistrick, Structured Finance, NSN Middle East and Africa, said: "As du's strategic partner, we understand the importance of finding the right financing solutions to support the operator's future plans of growth.

"The long-term credit facility provided by Nordea and backed up by Finnvera suits du's needs perfectly and we are especially glad we could work in close association with all parties to find this ideal fit."

NSN is the majority vendor supplier to du for 2G and Core Works.

Robust strategy

Sultan added: "At du we remain dedicated to improving our network capabilities through a robust strategy that includes expanding our broadband infrastructure and increasing mobile coverage. The partnership with NSN will contribute significantly to delivering on our overall growth strategy, within which achieving the highest level of customer satisfaction is central."

Du, the integrated telecom service provider in the UAE, launched mobile telecommunication services in February 2007.

In addition to internet and pay TV services that du provides in some of the free zones of Dubai. Call Select, du's nationwide fixed line service for voice telephony, was launched in July 2007. By the end of 2008, over three million people were du customers.

Du is 39.5 per cent owned by the UAE Federal Government, 19.75 per cent by Mubadala Development Company, 19.5 per cent by Emirates Communications and Technology Company, and the remaining stake by public shareholders.

Student push

Proving its commitment to nurturing local talent, du is giving university students the licence to sell du offers and services from four kiosks set up in The Dubai Mall as its support for Young Entrepreneur Competition 2010.

With this, du aims to give students the opportunity to simulate the work at du shops while they compete to achieve set targets during the competition, which will ultimately motivate them to own their own businesses in the future.

Du has identified 11 students from Zayed University, Sharjah Women's college and Sharjah University on these dedicated kiosks, from which they are retailing telecom products and services to visitors at the exhibition as part of the competition — which runs from March 31 until April 3 and is taking place in The Dubai Mall for the second consecutive year.

The aim of this initiative is to promote the spirit of competition between students and to inspire a sense of salesmanship, enabling them to develop their skills and gain expertise by getting first-hand experience of the life of a salesman.