Exclusive - UAE Telco du, Powering Governments, Shaping the Emirates Reality

One of the UAE’s telecom operators, du, supports the Emirates’ digital transformation journey with the telco’s leadership pursuit toward a more innovatively energized society.

Inside Telecom sat with du’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Mr. Karim Benkirane, to discuss the operator’s vision and impact in support of the Emirates’ digital transformation agenda to shape its new profound digital reality towards a more connected future.

INSIDE TELECOM: What are significant projects currently planned to support du’s successful commercial strategy and planning?

Benkirane: The UAE’s digital infrastructure plays a key role in driving its future prosperity. We need powerful, robust, and secure networks that enable pervasive and data-intensive communications between everyone and everything. du is improving its managed broadcast services and integrated suite of satellite, fibre networks, media asset management, and over-the-top (OTT) solutions for high-quality management and distribution of content.

At GITEX this year, du’s visitors will get to experience how technology will become a platform for innovation and gain insights on untapped emerging use cases from the digital transformation of industries such as government, finance, education, healthcare, and retail. Under the theme “Powering governments, Shaping The Emirates Reality,” we will highlight ICT services of the future by acting as a key enabler of the digital revolution and government entities’ digital transformation agenda.

INSIDE TELECOM: UAE telco du is known for tailoring its services and products based on its consumers’ different age and needs.

With digital transformation taking the world by swift on all fronts, what is du’s ideal approach when delivering its user base with an exclusive user experience for all demographics?

Benkirane: Consumer behaviour changes and evolves quickly, creating new demands for solutions that will seamlessly connect branded content to audiences on any device, platform, and technology. du is aware of the industry’s fast-paced changes and proposed new services to cater to customer needs. We consistently lead the strategic development and delivery of new propositions to keep broadcast and media divisions to keep it at the forefront of the regional industry.

As a result of this, we can provide best-in-class value and a superior customer experience that goes beyond the role of providing connected solutions by empowering individuals everyday lives and transforming the UAE’s business ecosystem to ensure they enjoy continuity and growth.

INSIDE TELECOM: How will du’s 5G solutions and products help the UAE meet the needs of its market in fulfilment of its digital agenda?

Benkirane: Mobile communications and the introduction of 5G would not only become significant enablers for the UAE’s digital agenda– connectivity on an unprecedented scale would also transform the ICT sector. 5G will bring a new level of performance and characteristics to the telecom networks, facilitating new services, ecosystems, and revenue streams. 

du is committed to creating growth and opportunities for the UAE and enabling customers to fulfill their business needs by leveraging technology and our 5G network and succeed in the new digital world. We also aim to widen our portfolio of industry partnerships to spearhead innovation to drive success for stakeholders and partners alike.

INSIDE TELECOM: As a leading telecom operator, what are the significant drivers in achieving your goals in meeting the UAE’s new sustainable digital transformation vision?

Benkirane: As a pragmatic enabler of world-class technology that empowers consumers, businesses, and government entities all over the UAE, du is proud to be revealing innovations that will shape the sustainable, connected future of tomorrow.

By developing a smart infrastructure fully prepared to run 5G and allowing all customers – individuals and businesses – to reap its benefits while pushing the digital agenda forward, we could be a step closer to empowering digital transformation that will benefit the various economic and social sectors within the UAE as well as its sustainable vision.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, du was one of the first telcos that provided its user base with a significantly remarkable experience when the whole world was locked up in the safety of their homes, adapting to the new concept of remote working and managing the business.

INSIDE TELECOM: How did the pandemic help du fortify its relationship with its businesses? And how did this fortification help the UAE telco du launch its services and products in the midst of COVID-19?

Benkirane: At its core, du is an enabler of connectivity for millions of home, fixed, and mobile subscribers across the UAE. Our business also runs deeper; we are also driving the digital transformation of the UAE’s smart future to ensure the leadership’s visions for a happier, more inclusive society come to life.

Through our consumer business division, we provide superior excellence, immense value, and the ultimate customer experience to transform the telco experience. Our enterprise unit is at the forefront of transforming the UAE’s SME sector to power the economic progress of the nation. We do this by delivering best-in-class expertise and trusted, bespoke solutions through our position as a one-stop shop for business growth.

INSIDE TELECOM: UAE telco du currently has 5G locations spread across the Emirates and are expected to expand further to reach more sites with the telco’s rigorous rollout.

How does du adapt to changes in each location throughout these expansions while accelerating the launch of services and products to the market?

Benkirane: As a leading operator in the UAE telecommunications sector, it is vital for du to stay ahead of the curve in order to achieve success across our various business divisions. We do this by leveraging its existing strengths in the area of connectivity provision and by expanding upon core strengths to provide state-of-the-art solutions for individual and enterprise customers. 

During the second quarter of 2022, we achieved 91.49 percent coverage of the 5G network throughout the country, and we anticipate reaching 93-9 percent by the end of the year. The deployment of 5G networks in 2022 is expected to progress at the fastest rate since 2021. This achievement is the result of our efforts to drive the 5G agenda in recent times, with huge investments allocated to develop the 5G network, enhance performance and efficiency, and ensure customers avail the very best communication services.

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