i-conX

New United Arab Emirates operator du has selected i-conX solutions to provide its Interconnect Billing system.

Under the agreement, i-conX is to provide its Managed Interconnect Service for du, which will out-source its interconnect billing process to i-conX.

Granted its license in February 2006, du joins incumbent Etisalat in the UAE market, with an initial focus on launching mobile services in the second half of 2006. Domestically, du’s mobile call traffic will interconnect with Etisalat. du already provides fixed line services in some areas in Dubai, and plans to offer voice, data and pay-TV services in a phased rollout.

du expects to make rapid gains within the market, and has interested observers by promoting a modern, clean, innovative brand image to accompany a strong customer-centric service message. The mobile market in UAE enjoys some of the highest penetration figures in the world, with Gulf News reporting 99% teledensity and a subscriber base of 4.7m (2005). Revenues and usage are also much higher across the MENA than Western markets.

"du is an incredibly exciting operator and we are delighted that our system has been selected", commented i-conX CEO Martin Browne. "The UAE is an amazing market and the establishment of a new Operator such as this brings new levels of competition to benefit the customer".
"With high subscriber penetration already in place, the market is now moving rapidly forward into added-value services, which constitute the bulk of du’s offering".

According to Browne, the two organizations enjoy a certain amount of synergy.
"We try to approach the whole issue of interconnect in a way that’s modern, intuitive and elegant. We saw much the same thing in du, an organization keen to minimize back-office waste and focus instead on its real priorities – attracting, winning and retaining customers through competitive advantage"

Speaking for du, CEO Osman Sultan welcomed the relationship with i-conX.
"du’s basic values are about building close relationships with consumers based on four values: friendly, honest, confident and surprising. Our goal is to guarantee our customers an excellent service and provide them with a better experience. This means investing in the latest technologies so we can offer integrated solutions in the UAE".

"Managing interconnect traffic effectively is a key foundation on which to build our success. The solution offered by i-conX was one which perfectly met the immediate and longer term needs of our business".