Expat workers' tariff launched in UAE

Cellular news reports that Emirati cellco Du has launched a new mobile package designed for the country’s large population of expat manual labourers. The new package, called ‘alo’, hit the streets yesterday and has been developed in conjunction with the UAE government’s Labour Committee. According to a company statement, ‘The alo brand is designed keeping in mind the needs of the expat labour workforce primarily from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, China who work for the construction companies and live in labour camps.’ Tailored to fit the financial needs of this workforce, Du has designed the mobile package with no joining fees or renewal fees, replacing them with a single monthly charge of AED5 (USD1.36). The Labour Committee, a UAE governmental department, intends to use the service to provide ‘alo’ users with notifications of changes in labour laws and employment-related news via SMS.