UAE Telecom Sector Gets Major Boost with 20-Year e& and du Licence Renewals
ABU DHABI — The UAE has renewed the public telecommunications licences of e& and du for another 20 years, extending the regulatory framework for the country’s telecommunications sector until 2046.
The renewed licences include enhanced obligations covering network resilience, backup capacity, international connectivity, quality of service, national roaming, and subscriber protection, as the UAE prepares its infrastructure for greater integration of advanced technologies.
The Board of Directors of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority announced the renewal, which takes effect from August 9, 2026, until August 8, 2046, replacing the licences issued in 2006.
Eng. Mohammed Al Ramsi, Deputy Director General of the Telecommunications Sector at TDRA, said: “The new licences reflect the transformation of telecommunications networks into critical national infrastructure. They require licensees to geographically diversify international connectivity through multiple terrestrial systems and submarine cables, eliminate single points of failure, implement disaster recovery mechanisms, and develop qualified national talent capable of operating and restoring networks under exceptional circumstances.”
He added: “Today, the objective goes beyond developing a faster network to building a smarter, more secure and more resilient one.”
The licence renewal comes as the UAE ranks first globally for household fibre-optic network penetration for the tenth consecutive year, with a penetration rate of 99.7 percent. Talal Belhoul, Chairman of TDRA, said the next phase takes on added importance in light of the Digital Economy Strategy, which aims to double the digital economy’s contribution to GDP from 9.7 percent in 2022 to 19.4 percent over the next ten years.
Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Director General of TDRA, described the renewal as “a strategic decision that reflects the UAE’s confidence in a sector that has proven to be one of the pillars of national development.” The regulator said the previous 20 years reinforced the UAE’s position in global digital infrastructure, while the next 20 years are intended to move the country from connectivity leadership toward leadership in intelligent systems and support the development of the economy of the future.
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