Phone company customers will have to wait for at least another year before being able to choose their TV service provider.
Television will be part of du and Etisalat’s infrastructure sharing agreement around a year after the two telecoms operators open their networks for sharing, the du chief executive Osman Sultan said.
Infrastructure sharing will allow customers in the UAE to choose between du and Etisalat when it comes to providing fixed voice, broadband access and TV at home. The first phase of the deal will allow for competition between du and Etisalat in fixed voice and fixed broadband access only. The second phase will also allow TV. Currently, consumers are obliged to use either Etisalat or du for home and fixed-line services, depending on their location.
“I think a 12 months period or a year framework would be a reasonable guess,” Mr Sultan told reporters on the sidelines of The Abu Dhabi Media Summit. “It is a little bit complicated to get the TV connection,” he added.
The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority expects infrastructure sharing between the two operators to start by the end of this year. The agreement, which will allow free competition between the country’s telecoms duopoly, has been postponed for several years.
Analysts expect du to benefit more than Etisalat as its services are limited to new developments in Dubai, so using Etisalat’s infrastructure will give it greater access in the country.
Du’s third-quarter net profit after royalty fees was up 18 per cent year-on-year to Dh559 million, as fixed-line and mobile revenues boosted earnings. Du’s revenues grew to Dh3.03 billion, up 15 per cent against the third quarter a year ago. Net profit before royalty fees rose 27 per cent during the period to Dh972 million.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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