Du to create business opportunities in digital world

The UAE’s telecom operator du is committed to creating growth and opportunities for the UAE and enable customers to fulfill their business needs by leveraging technology and its growing 5G network so that they succeed in the new digital world, its top official says.

Fahad Al Hassawi, chief executive of du, said his company aims to play a key role in the digital agenda of the UAE markets ensuring that 5G is the technology that is going to take the country to the next level.

“We plan to support the UAE government entities to help propel the country to the digital age’s new echelons through an innovative portfolio of products, services and mobile applications. We also aim to widen our portfolio of industry partnerships to spearhead innovation to drive success for stakeholders and partners alike,” Al Hassawi told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of Gitex Global.

Telecom industry plays key role

As a pragmatic enabler of world-class technology that empowers consumers, businesses, and government entities, the CEO of du said the telecom industry plays a key role in creating a sustainable, connected future of tomorrow.

“After the Covid-19 pandemic, du was one of the first telcos that provided its user base with a significantly remarkable experience when the whole world was locked up in the safety of their homes adapting to the new concept of remote working and managing the business.

“By developing a smart infrastructure fully prepared to run 5G and allow all customers – individuals and business – to reap its benefits while pushing the digital agenda forward, we could be a step closer to empowering digital transformation that will benefit the various economic and social sectors within the UAE as well as its sustainable vision,” he said.

“With regard to sustainability, du has initiated steps to remove and fuel generator-powered mobile sites and link them directly to the electrical grid. In the near future, the company will also look into large-scale solar installation to speed up its move to clean, sustainable energy sources. Additionally, du plans to sign more MoUs to speed up the digitalisation of the UAE and make it easier to use new technologies in new areas,” he said.

Change in consumer behaviour

Since the inception of our business, Al Hassawi said du has continuously strived to enhance and expand its services and deliver new solutions that drive economic and social transformation.

“As such, we are committed to delivering transformative and sustainable change within the evolving digital landscape. As the digital landscape evolved, we developed innovative new solutions. du’s digital platform provides the foundation for building an intelligent organisation. It relies on future technology architecture to help organisations re-architect for scale that will enable them to mitigate risk, have the right foundations to build their transformational journey and facilitate customer excellence,” he said.

Du theme at Gitex Global

Under the ‘Powering governments, Shaping The Emirates Reality’ theme, Al Hassawi said du is embracing disruptive technologies of tomorrow to create further growth and opportunities during Gitex Global 2022.

“We will showcase closer-to-reality concepts through interactive exhibits and demos that will bolster digital lifestyles and further drive the smart city agenda. Some of our showcases at the event will dive into Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality, metaverse, blockchain, NFT and robotics,” he said.

This year, he said du sets on networking the ICT services of the future by acting as a key enabler of government entities’ digital transformation and innovation in the public sector.

He said du has showcased a wide array of industry-forward initiatives and officiate key partnerships throughout Gitex as it strives on driving digital transformation across industries industries such as government, finance, education, healthcare and retail.

“Some of our showcases will highlight new industry use cases through showcases that show du’s strength in its innovation journey in 5G, blockchain, IoT and the Metaverse,” he said.

Uplifting the SMEs

Al Hassawi said du capitalises on its leadership in connectivity solutions to provide essential tools for startups and power their growth journeys through tailor-made products such as Business Starter, Business Complete and Business Mobile Plans.

“Du has launched an e-Shop, a new digital platform that can be availed by SME corporates in the UAE. This will enable them to on-board new mobile services for themselves and their employees with free and fast delivery within 48 hours, as well as other products and services through an end-to-end digital experience,” he said.

“As part of du’s efforts to transform business communications solutions across the country, the launch of this innovative new platform creates simple, secure, and trusted business transactions for SME corporates, which enables them to make purchases for their businesses and employees using simple steps in a few minutes and avail the product through fast delivery services,” he said.

5G roadmap

Al Hassawi said du aims to play a key role in the digital agenda of the UAE markets ensuring that 5G is the technology that is going to take the country to the next level.

“We have expanded 5G coverage across the UAE for our customers so can enjoy the experience and all the amazing use cases it supports. When du's 5G home wireless services started in 2022, users in the UAE were able to stream in high quality and choose from a wide range of 5G-powered options. They can enjoy live music performances, gaming tournaments, and real-time online movie screenings in stunning clarity,” he said.

“During the second quarter of 2022, we have achieved over 90.7 per cent coverage of the 5G network throughout the country. The deployment of 5G networks in 2022 is expected to progress at the fastest rate since 2021. du continues to extend its 5G coverage throughout the nation, with the aim of reaching the majority of the population over the next several years,” he said.

Digital Twin solution is a gateway to metaverse

Al Hassawi said du has evolved a comprehensive plan to explore emerging platform of Metaverse.

“Showcased at Gitex 2022, our Digital Twin solution is a gateway to metaverse whilst enabling important social and environmental benefits by harnessing technology to improve efficiency of public transport and help to reduce energy consumption and emissions,” he said.

“By utilising bespoke sensor equipment, the Digital Twin will detect faults, allow data to be read from any asset in the cloud and analyse in real time. Physical assets such as escalators, screen doors and point machines can be monitored using the sensors connected directly to the private 5G network where faults and predicted data anomalies are detected in real time using AI,” he said.

“In addition, our metaverse showcase illustrates a virtual surgical planning process for doctors and medical students with the help of interactive 3D mixed reality hologram. Doctors enter the metaverse with the help of an untethered HoloLens which will use AI segmentation tools to visualise structures such as bones and vessels to help them improve their readiness for surgeries. Doctors can collaborate with other experts through avatars in the medical metaverse, discuss cases in real time, stream procedures and lectures to medical students.

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com