du’s ’Real Business Broadband’ Offers UAE Businesses Up To 8 Times More Broadband At No Extra Cost

Continuing to provide its fixed business customers with exceptional value for their money, du announced today it will be upgrading all its Business Broadband Unlimited service customers to ‘Real Business Broadband’, a plan offering higher speeds (up to 8 times) at no extra cost and exclusive international calling benefits. Business customers will be able to call the world as low as AED1 per minute all day, every day and enjoy up to 70% discount on international calls on their Business Voice services.

“We are committed to helping businesses in the UAE lower their telecommunications costs enabling companies to compete more efficiently in this ever-challenging global business environment. du’s ‘Real Business Broadband’ offers the highest speeds on the UAE’s best network at best prices”, said Farid Faraidooni, chief commercial officer, du.

“In today’s fast-paced world quick access to information at all times is crucial. du understands this and is keen on offering value-driven and efficient products and services for all our business customers needs. ‘Real Business Broadband’ will provide the region’s work force with the best possible telecommunication solutions, helping SMEs and large enterprises in the UAE to continue to grow and develop,” concluded Faraidooni, chief commercial officer, du.

For more information on the ‘Real Business Broadband’ upgrade, customers can contact du Sales Representative, call the du Business Customer Care line on 800 188 or email inquiries to business.customercare@du.ae.
 

du’s Real Broadband For All

Demonstrating its commitment to The United Arab Emirates and its customers, du today announced the dawn of a new era in the national broadband services landscape. du’s “Real Broadband Services” will provide upto 16 times faster speed at current customer spend levels, and will be available within its current fixed services footprint from August 1 , 2010 for Enterprise customers and August 15 for all its Home service customers.

Speaking on this occasion, Farid Faraidooni, Chief Commercial Officer, du, said, “Broadband is a key enabler today for businesses and the common man alike. We have today announced a broadband proposition that will not only provide an edge to our customers and our business partners, but has also set a regional benchmark in terms of broadband prices and value provided.

du’s Real broadband services will offer better value than similar broadband services offered in the ME region. It will be even more competitive than similar services provided in some developed markets such as Ireland and Canada.

du’s Real Broadband can be availed of by subscribing to Surf & Talk, or Surf, Talk and Watch packages.

Surf& Talk will offer Real Broadband and Landline services with bandwidths starting from 8Mbps for which a du customer will pay AED 199/-, per month, 16Mbps at AED 259 p.m. and 24Mbps at AED 349/- pm.

“Over the last three years, du’s endeavour has been to provide – tailor made solutions to its customers. We believe that with this announcement not only are we providing attractive pricing but providing a stimuli to the UAE’s economy. Our business broadband packages, broadband unlimited professional and broadband unlimited premium will lower the business’s total cost of ownership, by offering upto 16times faster speeds at existing prices bundled with the best international calling rates to the world which will enable higher productivity and contribute to the efficiency of businesses in the UAE. “We believe, that this major move by du, will reinforce the competitiveness of businesses in the UAE by increasing business productivity and will further enhance the image of the UAE as an incubator for business growth and development here,” added Mr. Faraidooni.

du is also offering new triple play package “Surf, Talk and Watch” that includes Landline, Real Broadband and its award wining du TV plus service at a single price. du TV plus offers a wide array of TV channels with features such as pause, rewind and record live TV, Movies-on-Demand, Unlimited Videos on Demand, HD and 3D services. The 3play packages will be available at AED 249 per month for 8Mbps, AED 309 per month for 16Mbps and AED 399 per month for 24Mbps.
 

AST Telecomm LLC Is The First Recipient Of du’s Franchise License For Local Entrepreneurs

Demonstrating its commitment to nurturing young local talent, du has awarded its first franchise license to an UAE-based company AST Telecomm LLC, owned by two Emirati entrepreneurs and brothers, Ali Sulaiman Al-Taher and Shahin Sulaiman Al-Taher. This is the very first achievement of du’s partnership with the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Young Business Leaders – part of Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development (MBRE).

The franchise agreement was signed between Farid Faraidooni, Chief Commercial Officer, du, and the entrepreneur Ali Sulaiman Al-Taher, CEO of AST Telecomm LLC, in the presence of His Excellency Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO, Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development.

du has announced a dedicated E-mail address where people can apply for a franchise opportunity by writing to franchising@du.ae.

“Speaking on the occasion”, Farid Faraidooni, Chief Commercial Officer, du, said: “We are pleased to award our very first franchise license to AST Telecomm LLC, in partnership with the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme, confident in our belief that this greenfield company will prove to be a great success in the future. This first-of-its-kind franchise scheme is in-line with our Emiratisation strategy, giving local entrepreneurs the chance to develop our country’s SME business sector, thereby enabling them to contribute to the UAE’s economy.

AST Telecomm LLC will start its first franchise operation at Dragon Mart, where the entrepreneurs will sell du products and services through their du outlet. The brothers applied for the franchise opportunity through the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Young Business Leaders – part of Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment (MBRE) for SME Development and plan to open further outlets across the UAE through partnership with other entrepreneurs.

du is franchising 18 out of its existing 35 shops and five new franchise outlets (including the franchised shop in Dragon Mart) in 2010, which will bring the total number of du shops to 40 by the end of 2010. Riding on growing market demand for its products and services, du has consistently expanded its retail presence ever since it commenced commercial operations in February 2007 with nine outlets, now numbering 35 du Shops, located in strategic locations and covering the entire UAE.

“We are pleased to be a part of this scheme, in partnership with du, which comes in-line with our commitment to affiliate with different organisations in Dubai to strengthen the participation of UAE nationals in the business sector. This project is a great way of helping small and medium businesses to develop and grow,” said Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO, Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development.

Al Janahi Added:”This move today will encourage other entities to come and benefit from this initiative and we have already received overwhelming response from different companies. Our role today goes beyond financing as we provide SMEs with consultation in order to strengthen their businesses.”

Ali Sulaiman Al Taher is an entrepreneur with more than 20 years of professional experience in some of the largest companies in the region including, his last position was Manager Products and Services Development at THURAYA Satellite before venturing on his own in 2003. He has worked in the past with major telecom vendors such as Siemens, Alcatel, Ericsson, Motorola, Boeing and Hughes Network Systems.

“The du franchise initiative is a bold, courageous and timely move that reflects du’s brand image and corporate values. It demonstrates du’s commitment towards a more liberal telecom sector and has come at a time when the market needs it the most”. “We are honoured to have been awarded this early bird opportunity through the Hamdan Bin Mohamed Bin Rashid program. A programme we have found committed to helping young entrepreneurs overcome almost any obstacle and reach their goals safely. We encourage everyone to join the programme and make use of their facilities and support. My advice to every entrepreneur is that this is a low hanging fruit; grab it while it is there. We will be more than happy to share our expertise and maybe a piece of the fruit with you.” said Ali Sulaiman Al-Taher, entrepreneur and CEO of AST Telecomm LLC.

As part of the franchise project, du will give support to its selected franchisees by providing them with training and marketing collateral, as well as suggesting suitable locations to set up their retail outlets. The company’s support plan aims to assist local entrepreneurs in establishing their businesses, while also ensuring du customer relations are maintained at the highest standards.
 

First Ten Winners In Line For The National Bonds Millionaire Draw Are Announced In du’s Recharge Win And Save Promotion

Simply by recharging their du line or buying an Elite Plan or Premier Plan in the past two weeks, ten lucky du customers have each won National Bonds certificates worth AED 10,000 as part of du’s fabulous Recharge, Win and Save promotion. All ten winners can now enter the weekly National Bonds draw to win a cool one million Dirhams. The National Bonds Millionaire draw will take place every week for a limited period, so the winning has just begun.

The du Recharge, Win and Save promotion attracted over 175,000 registrations in the first two weeks, between 22 June and 4 July. Every week from Sunday to Saturday, five lucky winners will each receive a National Bonds certificate for AED 10,000, which qualifies them for entry into the AED one million draw, while every day, 250 lucky winners will receive a National Bonds certificate for AED 100. In total, more than 1,800 prizes worth AED 1.38 million are up for grabs each week.

The ten AED 10,000 winners who have been chosen over the past two weeks are Mohammed Bilal Mian, Moheeb Obaid, Ahmed Abdou Ibrahim, Shoaib Alam Virk, Ahmed Nour Eldin Kasem, Rabindarn Kannkai, Ajit Thankchal, Kailasnath Gopakumara, Sureshan Thazhathuveettilothayoth and , Thampi Velyudhan. .

Among the winners, Gopakumara and Thazhathuveettilothayoth recently received their National Bonds certificates from Marwan Thani, Senior Director, Retail Sales, du. Now they just have to wait along with the rest of the winners to see if their luck will carry them through to the AED one million prize.

“I cannot describe how excited I am at the chance to take home AED one million,” said Gopakumara. “Winning the National Bonds certificate for AED 10,000 was wonderful enough – and all I had to do was recharge my du line. Now I might become a millionaire – it is beyond my wildest dreams!”

“I can hardly believe my luck,” added Thazhathuveettilothayoth. “du and National Bonds have made this a summer to remember.”

“By partnering with National Bonds for this amazing promotion, we are giving our valued customers the chance to win hundreds of great prizes, not to mention the life-changing chance to become a millionaire,” said Farid Faraidooni, EVP Commercial, du. “We are proud to showcase National Bonds, which offer an excellent way to save money in the UAE. This draw is the perfect way to jump-start the summer, and we are excited to be offering du customers an ideal opportunity to invest in their future.”

National Bonds, the National Saving Scheme of the UAE, offers returns as high as 7.07% annually, making them a lifelong investment and the best saving instrument in the country.

To be a part of the Recharge, Win and Save promotion, du customers need to first register by sending an SMS with the word ‘draw’ to 1116. Then, they can enter the draw simply by recharging their du line with ‘more credit’ or ‘more international’ recharge options, or by purchasing an Elite or a Premier Plan. A recharge amount of AED 20 qualifies for one entry into the draw, AED 50 for two entries, AED 100 for five entries and AED 200 for 10 entries – so the more customers recharge with du, the better their chances of winning big.

The Recharge, Win and Save promotion is exclusively open to du Pay as you Go®, Visitor Mobile Line and new Elite or Premier Plan customers, and applies to recharges made during the draw period. For more information on the draw, or details on the Elite or Premier Plans, customers can visit any one of the 32 du shops and kiosks located around the UAE, or visit www.du.ae.