The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) has renewed the public telecommunications licences of du (Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company) and e& for another 20 years. The new licences run from 9 August 2026 to 8 August 2046 and replace the ones issued in 2006.
What is new in the licences
According to Mohammed Al Ramsi, TDRA Deputy Director General for the telecommunications sector, the operators must now:
- diversify international connectivity across several terrestrial systems and submarine cables;
- remove single points of failure in their networks;
- implement disaster recovery mechanisms and test them regularly;
- develop qualified national talent able to run and restore networks in exceptional circumstances.
The licences also cover quality of service, backup capacity, national roaming, subscriber protection and fair competition. TDRA describes the change as the transformation of telecom networks “into critical national infrastructure”.
What it means for companies
For business customers the renewal is a signal of stability: both operators have a regulatory horizon of two decades, and the rules push them towards more redundant networks. That does not replace your own resilience planning. An office that depends on one fibre line still goes offline when that line is cut in the building or the street.
What we recommend to clients:
- a second, independent internet channel, for example du wireless office internet as a backup to fibre, with automatic failover on the router;
- a static IP if you run VPN, CCTV or servers in the office;
- a documented plan: who calls the operator, how staff switch to mobile data, where critical files are mirrored.
We are an official du channel partner
Strategic Technology Solutions connects du Business services for offices in Dubai: fibre, wireless internet, landlines and corporate SIM cards at du prices, with a personal manager. See the current offers on our du Business page.
Source: TDRA press release, 12 August 2026: Digital infrastructure and the digital economy
