UAE’s second national telecom operator, Emirates Integrated Telecommunication Company (Du), provides fixed, mobile, broadband, IPTV and broadcasting services. Du was established in 2005, breaking Etisalat’s 30-year monopoly, and began operations in February 2007.

The company’s mobile subscribers grew at a rapid pace to 1.5 million, by the end of 2007 the 10-month mark and to 3 million, by the close of 2008. Mobile services stood in contrast to fixed line, broadband, IPTV and broadcasting services, altogether amounting to 46,000 subscribers, by the end of 2007.

Du offers satellite broadcasting services to a number of regional and international media companies through its subsidiary Du Broadcasting ServicesDu Broadcasting Services (Samacom). In December 2006, Du acquired its three wholly owned subsidiaries from TECOM Investment.

The company underwent an IPO on the Dubai Financial Market in April 2006, offering 20% of the company to the public. The Ministry of Finance and IndustryMinistry of Finance and Industry and the Emirates Investment AuthorityEmirates Investment Authority hold shares both in Du and its competitor, EtisalatEtisalat. Other Du shareholders are the Mubadala Development CompanyMubadala Development Company and the Emirates Communications and Technology Company, a TECOM InvestmentsTECOM Investments subsidiary.

At the end of 2007, Du sales revenues grew by 388% to AED639.7 million (USD174.2 million) and total revenues by 245% over 2006 to AED1.5 billion (USD408.4 million). Du accounted for 19.1% of the UAE market share at the end of 2007 and hopes to increase it to 30% in 2008.

Du announced investments of AED7.35 billion (USD2 billion) in its infrastructure on the November 2008. On December 2008, Du introduced unified roaming rates in the GCC.