DU, one of the leading telecom firms in UAE, has reported impressive performance for the year 2009 with hopes of continuing with growth stories during the year 2010 as well.

Osman Sultan, Du CEO said that firm's revenue rose 35% to AED5.3 billion in 2009 while its net profit stood at AED528 million as compared to AED8 million in the previous year. He said that the operator is yet to determine the quantum of royalty to be paid to the Dubai government and it has tentatively reserved 50 per cent of its net profit.

The telecom firm continued to expand its base during the year increasing number of fixed lines by 45 per cent. The company, having 72,400 broadband subscribers, focused on broadband services that significantly contributed in its revenue during the year.

It had signed an infrastructure sharing agreement with Etisalat offering users a broader choice to avail data services either from Etisalat or Du. Sultan added, "We have made significant progress, and we believe that we will be able to start progressively offering services outside of our territory in the second half of 2010, so we are talking in five or six months from now."