Telecompaper

UAE operator Du and Vodafone have signed a partner market agreement which will help both companies to better serve the needs of their customers in the UAE. Under the terms of the partnership, Du will have exclusive access to Vodafone's range of products, devices and services in the UAE. The company will also be able to draw on Vodafone's experience in supply chain management, technology development, acquisition of enterprise customers from multi-national companies as well as improved inter-working between networks. Vodafone's CEO for Partner Markets Hatem Dowidar said through this agreement, Vodafone will be able to increase its brand recognition and extend its product range to a key market with a growing population. To be available in phases over a period of time, the partnership with Vodafone will provide Du customers with improved voice and data roaming access across 67 countries. In turn, Vodafone will be able to use Du's 3G network to offer its customers a full set of services available on home network capabilities and extended coverage within the UAE. The partnership will also enable various multinational companies based outside the UAE and with local operations to meet their needs for unified communication, offer centralized customer care and enjoy Vodafone's benefits using Du lines. At a later stage, the Du-Vodafone partnership will offer benefits such as mobile broadband connectivity products for PC's through innovative means, secure remote mobile access for small business users, converged email solutions, faster and exclusive access to new models of handsets.