du, Alcatel-Lucent and RIM launch the BlackBerry solution in the United Arab Emirates

June 2, 2008

du, Alcatel-Lucent and RIM announced the launch of the BlackBerry® solution in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). du customers will now be able to enjoy the benefits of enhanced communications and increased productivity by using a Blackberry® smartphone to access email, browse the web, make phone calls, send and receive text and picture messages, as well as access a wide variety of business and leisure applications on the move.

“As an integrated telecom services provider, our goal is to offer our customers the most advanced telecom solutions and the best possible user experience. Integrating email services and data on the mobile phone is a natural step for du. We selected BlackBerry smartphones because they provide the leading wireless email solution used by millions of customers around the world,” said Osman Sultan, CEO of du. “Access to email and calendar information on the go has become essential for business people.  Launching the BlackBerry solution is an integral step to enrich our portfolio of integrated communication solutions to meet the market needs in the UAE”, he added.

Based on its distribution agreement with RIM, Alcatel-Lucent is leveraging its strong local presence in the region to provide du with the end-to-end implementation, integration, launch and support services for delivering the BlackBerry solution to the UAE market. With Alcatel-Lucent managing integration and deployment, du can focus on delivering customer facing services, enabling the operator to quickly meet market demand.

“Our agreement with RIM further reinforces Alcatel-Lucent’s ability to leverage our global strengths and local presence to deliver enterprise managed communications and value-added services, enabling the operator to quickly meet market demand. As a result, du customers will enjoy the freedom and flexibility of the BlackBerry solution for staying connected to communications and information whenever they wish,” said Frederic Rose, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities Europe, Africa and Asia.

“Together with Alcatel-Lucent, we are pleased to extend the availability of the BlackBerry solution to du customers,” said Charmaine Eggberry, Vice President and Managing Director of RIM, EMEA. “The BlackBerry solution is a great choice for organizations and individuals that strive to be more productive, flexible, and ultimately more successful in work and life.”