du awards $190mn contract to Nokia

Nokia has won a managed services contract from "du" and will also supply the entire core and a large proportion of the radio network for GSM/GPRS/EDGE and WCDMA 3G. The value of the deal is at least USD 190 million. "du" is a new participant in the growing United Arab Emirates (UAE) market, and becomes a new customer for Nokia. The contract underlines Nokia's strength as a comprehensive supplier of network equipment and services, its capabilities in managing outsourced networks, and shows the company's rising strength in the important Middle Eastern markets. 'du' chairman Ahmad Bin Byat said: "'du' will offer a UAE-wide mobile telephony service from the time services and products are launched. We will offer the right products and services at the right price. We will offer our customers a better experience. We want to delight our customers and to do that we need the technology and reliability that Nokia can provide." According to the agreement, Nokia will build the complete GSM/GPRS and 3G core network for 'du', as well as the majority of the radio network with turnkey responsibility. 'du' CEO Osman Sultan said the company's strategy was focused on investing in an advanced fixed and mobile network based on the latest 2G and 3G mobile technologies, and a Next Generation fixed line Network. "We will focus on the quality of the products and services we offer to the market, and we chose Nokia because it was the best company, technically and commercially, to enable us to carry out our strategy". "We are extremely pleased to be associated with 'du'," says Dr Walid Moneimne, Senior Vice President, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, Networks, Nokia. "For a new operator, a fast network roll-out and professional management of the network are of crucial importance. Our extensive managed services and system integration capability, combined with our comprehensive and high-class product portfolio, enable 'du' to provide innovative mobile services in the UAE." Under the agreement, Nokia will establish du's network operations. This includes, but is not limited to, the GPRS core; 3GPP Release 4 Nokia MSC Server System (MSS) and Nokia IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution; latest value added services platforms such as Nokia Push to talk over Cellular (PoC), Presence, Multimedia Messaging Service Center (MSSC), and Intelligent Service Node (ISN); and the unique multi-technology and multivendor Nokia NetAct(TM) network and service management system. Nokia is also taking a large systems integration responsibility. Currently, according to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), 64 operators are deploying or operating both WCDMA and EDGE. Nokia supplies either or both technologies to over half of the commercially launched WCDMA/EDGE networks.