Oct 12, 2017 07:00 (GMT+0:00)

• New partnership accelerates digitalization in the region, enabling rapid deployment of innovative services in the Internet of Things (IoT)
• Ericsson Enterprise and Cloud Billing solution empowers du to monetize services toward government entities, small and medium enterprises, large corporations and industry

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and du, a telecommunications operator based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, have partnered to accelerate digitalization in the region by deploying innovative solutions that enable faster introduction of new Internet of Things (IoT) services.

The partnership will enable du to offer flexible pricing and billing solutions for IoT and cloud platforms toward enterprise customers. Ericsson’s Enterprise and Cloud Billing solution will also allow du to offer Billing as a Service for government entities and several industry verticals such as utilities, retail and transport.

Farid Faraidooni, Chief Operations Officer, du, says:

“Our partnership with Ericsson will enable us to further empower our stakeholders in the digital transformation era by making it easier for them to rapidly take their offerings to market. Ericsson’s unique solutions provide the flexibility we require, with little customization efforts needed to integrate into our existing technology. We will continue to offer our customers the latest innovative technologies and this solution reduces our time to market when creating new business models and services for our customers.”

Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of Market Area Middle East & Africa, says:

“Our latest Mobility Report forecasts 29 billion connected devices by 2022, of which around 18 billion will be in IoT. With this enormous market potential, first-mover operators around the world are positioning themselves to capitalize on this opportunity by deploying solutions that help enterprises rapidly offer innovative new services. Our Enterprise and Cloud Billing solution will allow du to monetize existing services, develop new offerings and accelerate digitalization in the region.”

The new partnership deal was signed during a ceremony at GITEX Technology Week 2017, the largest annual consumer computer and electronics trade show, exhibition and conference in the region, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from October 8 to 12.