du opens link to global telecom service

The system will provide du customers with the capability to make international calls and connect to a high speed Internet service without the need to access Etisalat infrastructure.

The link is being provided by FLAG Telecom's FALCON submarine cable system which stretches from Suez to Mumbai and links to the global FLAG (Fibre Link Around the Globe) submarine cable.

du opened its landing station where it connects to the cable at Jebel Ali, Dubai with a call from du Chairman, Mr Ahmed bin Byat to Mr B D Khurana, Group President, Reliance Infocomm, in Mumbai.

FLAG accepted handover of the FALCON segments from UAE to Oman and from UAE to Qatar in mid March 2006 and the segment from Qatar to Bahrain is scheduled to be handed over to the operations team later this week.

With its strategic multi-million dollar investment in FLAG Telecom's FALCON cable system, du will join other leading operators in Bahrain, Egypt, India, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar and Sudan as customers on the region's premier submarine cable system.

du intends to roll out international, advanced mobile and fixed line services as well as broadband Internet and pay TV packages starting later in the year.

After today's call Mr Bin Byat said the opening was a significant milestone for du and its customers.

"Telecommunications is one of the most dynamic and vital sectors in the UAE and we are determined to champion the cost-effective delivery of next generation and convergent services. This submarine cable landing station is a significant milestone as it is du's first International landing station in the Arabian Gulf and gives UAE added diversity and reliability in international connectivity."

"FALCON is a key asset, providing the international infrastructure needed to deliver a true 21st century network for our country and our customers. From Jebel Ali, we will provide high-availability connectivity between UAE and the key business centres and Internet exchanges around the world," he said.

du CEO Mr Osman Sultan said international connectivity through FALCON would enable du to enhance the level and quality of international services it was able to offer its customers and provide the infrastructure to meet the increasing demand for the roll-out of mobile and fixed voice and broadband services.

FALCON is a new high tech cable system that is being installed to provide multiple connections throughout the Gulf region. It has submarine links stretching from the Middle East to Egypt in the west and, initially, to India in the east. The FALCON system will also interconnect seamlessly with the existing FLAG (Fibre Link Around the Globe) Global Network allowing customers to access key business centres throughout the world.

President, Middle East and Africa, for FLAG Telecom, Walid Irshaid said du was a strategic supporter of FALCON from its inception and FLAG was delighted that it was now able to officially join the system as a key landing partner. "FALCON will enable du to roll out advanced communication services with very high levels of network reliability. The UAE is the most developed telecommunications market in the region and du is now positioned to bring FALCON's high-speed, pan-regional and international connectivity to this communications hub."

The FALCON system incorporates the Gulf region's first self-healing submarine network ring, providing all countries connected to the high capacity cable with extremely reliable, high quality connectivity. It provides the backbone to deliver advanced broadband services throughout the Middle East, North Africa and India, which have been traditionally under-serviced with high-capacity broadband connectivity.

The FALCON network is being built by Alcatel Submarine Networks and is being installed in simultaneous sections using several submarine cable laying ships.