Etisalat-owned firm looking for contract with Du

Emirates Data Clearing House (EDCH), a wholly-owned subsidiary of UAE incumbent Etisalat, has said it will be seeking a contract with new rival operator Du to settle its international roaming accounts. EDCH, one of only five firms of its type in the world and the only one based in the Middle East, settles roaming charges for its clients when subscribers use networks of other operators when travelling abroad. Now it is officially a standalonecompany, EDCH hopes it will gain work with other regional telcos who had previously expressed concern that they may be passing information to a company owned by a competitor. EDCH is the clearing house for 47 operators including its parent, Etisalat, Orascom, Vodacom, MTC, Celtel and Wataniya, and claims a 65% market share in the Middle East and Africa.