du and Etisalat implement roaming agreement

United Arab Emirates second national operator du extended its mobile coverage this week with the implementation of its national roaming agreement with incumbent Etisalat, reports gulfnews.com. Following two months of testing, du mobile subscribers may now access the Etisalat network in areas not yet covered by du under an arrangement brokered by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). du’s CEO Osman Sultan told the paper, ‘subscribers will now be able to make calls in some defined areas where du does not have coverage, primarily outside the main cities and main populated areas, by connecting with Etisalat’s network.’ The service is at no extra cost to du’s customers, and will be provided by Etisalat for one year while the newcomer expands its own infrastructure. du launched cellular services in February 2007, ending a 19-year monopoly on mobile communications by Etisalat. At present its infrastructure covers around 80% of the population.