du celebrates National Day and announces the milestone of 3 million customers

This has been achieved in just 21 months of operations. du is presenting this landmark accomplishment to the honourable leadership of the UAE and its residents.

This achievement comes shortly after the declaration of the company's first-ever net profit since its inception. du announced a net profit of Dhs31m during the third quarter of 2008,a year before the stated objective in its financial plan.

During celebrations for the National Day, du designed a special logo which carries the UAE flag colours and is sponsoring the celebrations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the western region. du is the official communication sponsor for the 37th National Day celebrations and launched two special songs that will be presented to the country and residents. The first one is by Hussein Al Jasmi called 'Emarat AlWajood', and its production is by Rotana. du has also done a video clip called 'Ana Emirati' performed by local talented singers Ibrahim Almayahi (a du staff member), Adnan Safar and Salim Attaraify. The lyrics are by Anwar Al Mushairi, Ali Al Khawar and Soud Al Ka'abi, and composed by Fayez Assaeed.

Production of the two national songs is an effort to evoke the feeling of UAE national culture, traditions and the hospitality of people; it is the first time UAE residents will see a video of the song and this is expected to add a new dimension to the lyrics.

du is also presenting a special national episode of Freej, in addition to giving a special look to du offices and du retail outlets inspired by the colours of the flag of the UAE.

Osman Sultan, CEO of du said, "The customer base accomplishment comes while we celebrate an occasion dear to our hearts which is the 37th National Day in the UAE. We are honoured to present this accomplishment to the leadership of the UAE and its residents, to make it part of the overall accomplishments of the UAE."


He added, "With this historical step in the path that du is taking, we have come closer to achieving our previously announced goal of having a 30% market share in the country and this definitely exceeds our goal and market expectations."


Farid Faraidooni, EVP Commercial, du, presented the accomplishment to the leadership and residents of the UAE on the occasion of the UAE National Day and said, "This achievement would not have happened without the valuable trust of our customers and without the ideal working environment that the country has enabled for us," Faraidooni thanked the entire staff at du for their diligent work ethics. Faraidooni announced that this announcement was an incentive for du to continue creating innovative services for its clients.

An overview of the achievements of du:

Corporate Social Responsibility:

du recently signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs to create an online portal which will bring all non-profit organizations (NGOs) operating together in the state. The portal will be the source of information on all non-profit organizations (NGOs) and the platform enables each of the NGOs to speak about their events, in addition to its role as a proactive instrument for promoting volunteerism across all the volunteering opportunities available to these organizations and make them available to interested residents of the state.

du also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Social Responsibility Fund of the Ministry of Social Affairs to support the campaign 'Only one Dirham', and announced the selection of the Fund do as the 'official communication partner' for its activities.

du has been proactive as well by playing a vital role in the consolidation of national identity and introduced a series of 'Life of the Emirates' series in the UAE television it reflected the profession and trade practised by people in the UAE in earlier times. The second part of this series will be aired soon.

During the holy month of Ramadan, tents were set up across various places in the UAE that provided free meals for the visitors. During Eid Al Fitr du staff also visited homes for the elderly and children's hospital and celebrated the day with them.

Offers and services:

du developed a strategic plan of action based on innovation and offers services exceed customer expectations since the first day. du introduced many innovative services and offers, such as the 'Number Booking' campaign (055 numbers), which gave UAE residents freedom to choose their numbers. This campaign ranks among the various firsts introduced by du in the country. du also introduced the per second payment system which gives customers the real value of their expenses by enabling to pay only for the exact duration they talk for and also introduced Mobile TV since the first day of its services. du offers other innovations such as international video calling, e-shop and others.

du launched 'WoW', which gave customers the freedom of choice to obtain additional 15% credit or validity. In cooperation with the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs in Dubai, du introduced 'Alo' a unique Pay as you Go mobile service, specially developed for the large expatriate labour workforce in the UAE. du also has introduced broadband internet speeds of 4, 8 and 12 mbps which are among the highest in the region.

du recently announced net profits for the first time since its inception amounted to 31 million for the third quarter of 2008 and the year before the stated objective in its financial plan. With this historic step in the march do become the company closer to achieving its stated goal to acquire market share of 30% of the population of the State, which exceeded the company's plans announced and market expectations.