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UAE telecom firms e& and du get licences renewed for 20 more years
The renewal provides the telecomms sector with a long-term regulatory framework that offers the stability required to sustain investment in digital infrastructure and future technologies
- PUBLISHED: Wed 12 Aug 2026, 3:59 PM
The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), the UAE's telecomms regulatory authority, has renewed the public licensing for Emirates Telecommunications Group Company (e&) and Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du) for another 20 years as it aims to enhance the UAE's digital infrastructure.
The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, which is responsible for regulating and developing the telecommunications and information technology sector, made the announcement on Wednesday.
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The renewal provides the telecomms sector with a long-term regulatory framework that offers the stability required to sustain investment in digital infrastructure and future technologies.
The renewal is based on the Federal Decree-Law on the Regulation of the Telecommunications Sector, which states that the digital sector must be provided with high quality and efficient services to its users.
The renewed licenses will replace the ones issued in 2006, and will be effective from 9 August 2026 until 8 August 2046, replacing the licences issued in 2006.
TDRA said it will continue to monitor compliance with the licence conditions to ensure a fair and competitive environment, protect subscriber rights and enhance service quality across the UAE.
Over the past two decades, the telecommunications sector has evolved from providing traditional services into a strategic enabler of digital transformation, government services and smart cities. The UAE has maintained its global leadership in household fibre-optic network penetration according to the latest international indicators, ranking first globally for the tenth consecutive year, with a penetration rate of 99.7 per cent.
Talal Belhoul, the chairman of TDRA, said that the infrastructure of the national economy relies on telecommunications networks across all vital sectors, including government services, financial services, healthcare, education, energy, transport, industry and digital commerce.
“The next phase takes on added importance in light of the Digital Economy Strategy, which aims to double the digital economy’s contribution to GDP from 9.7 per cent in 2022 to 19.4 per cent over the next ten years.”
He added that the sector is expected to gradually transition from connected networks to intelligent, autonomous networks, where artificial intelligence becomes an integral part of the intelligence of the network itself.
Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Director General of TDRA, said: “The renewal of the two licences is a strategic decision that reflects the UAE’s confidence in a sector that has proven to be one of the pillars of national development. Together, TDRA and the licensees have built one of the world’s most advanced and future-ready digital infrastructures.
“Today, we are providing the sector with a long-term framework that lays the foundation for a new phase in which connectivity evolves into intelligence, and digital infrastructure becomes a national platform for innovation and sustainable growth.”
Hind Aldah is a business reporter based in Sharjah. In her spare time, you will find her playing classical guitar, painting amateur oil paintings, or crocheting the same old scarf that leads nowhere.