In this exclusive interview, Jasim Al Awadi, head of government & key accounts segments at du, emphasized how they, as a telco, continue to be a new technology pioneer and an important enabler and partner in the UAE’s journey to digital transformation.
Public and private collaboration is key to building a digital economy. How can the telecom industry maximize this opportunity?
Business is all about collaboration, and if you look at most of the innovative ideas, they are a result of the cooperation of industries between each other. It’s a collaboration between B2B partners in order to deliver what’s ideal for everyone’s benefit. Today, we maximize this while building an ecosystem of partnership between our customers, clients and vendors in order to provide the best quality of service.
What will strengthen the relationship between telcos, like du, and the government in delivering digital services?
The relationship is already strong between us and our clients. They trust our brand and our capabilities. Coming from the heart of the business, moving towards digital — digital transformation — is a normal transition that we have in our industry. That's why we bring all of our expertise that we have based on the core services that we already provide. And now we are implementing it alongside all the new services that the market needs. At our GITEX stand, we have a lot of collaboration happening with a lot of government entities to provide the latest types of technologies. There are use cases on 5G, metaverse and all of the new things that everyone is seeking to have.
The UAE is a well-known technological hub worldwide. How will du keep up with the fast-paced innovation within the country?
We, as du, are blessed to be part of the UAE. The country by itself accelerates you to provide the maximum best. That's why at du, we are always pioneering any new technology that is out there. And I'm backing up my statement with the evidence because today, when you look at our 5G rollout, we are leading in this world, as we are almost covering the whole nation.
What is du doing to attain sustainability and ensure security for its customers?
Sustainability and security are two main and important factors that we should always keep an eye on.
Having less carbon emissions and having fewer things that harm the environment is always part of our strategy and it's part of our procurement process as well. And that is aligned with the rules and regulations implemented in the country when it comes to the procurement of any technological component. That's why we make sure that our designs are purposeful from the day we start initiating any project.
When it comes to security, as you know, moving on a digital transformation journey opens up everything to the internet. It means that our customers and their information are all exposed. Hence, our job is to secure this. We have one of the most prestigious security operation centers that was established two years back. We are also accredited and certified from a lot of sophisticated security firms worldwide and are a part of a lot of initiatives and programs that are happening in the UAE, such as Bug Bounty programs.