Dubai, UAE: It pays to roam on the du network! In yet another first, du today announced its partnership with Travelling Connect - a global rewards programme specifically for roaming customers. Through this exclusive partnership, all travellers to the UAE - whether it's for leisure, business or in transit, stand to enjoy a world of rewards, privileges and seamless connectivity upon roaming on du's world-class 4G LTE network. With this, du is the first partner network of Travelling Connect in the Middle East region.

Now, members of Travelling Connect can earn airline miles or hotel points with over 30 leading loyalty programmes when they travel to the UAE and make roaming calls or use mobile data on du's network. Membership to Travelling Connect service is free-of-charge and is available irrespective of members' own carrier, country or subscription type.

Key benefits for inbound roamers on the du network:
• Points-based system: Earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points by simply using your mobile. Earn rewards for every roaming call and mobile data used while Roaming on du.
• Peace of mind: No need to buy a local SIM or search for WiFi hotspots. Simply continue to use home country SIM by roaming on du's state-of-the-art 4G LTE network and get rewarded.
• Convenient and hassle-free: Use current mobile line to book and pay online for your trips in the UAE by clicking on the welcome message when you roam with du
• Choice of Awards: Earned miles/points can be exchanged for an unparalleled range of awards, including complimentary flights and hotel stays, local excursions, shopping and much more. 

To benefit from this programme, mobile-users simply need to pre-register with Travelling Connect on www.travellingconnect.com, and when they arrive in the UAE, start using the du network. 

Ahmed Mokhles, Executive Vice President, Consumer Business, said: "The need to stay connected is universal, and with the emergence of the UAE as a preferred global business and leisure destination, research shows that inbound travellers' data traffic is expected to double in the next 5 Years, thereby presenting a significant business opportunity for us. The number of roamers is showing significant increases of around 16% per Year. Travellers to the UAE are our guests, and through our partnership with Travelling Connect, we will offer an unparalleled set of local offers experiences to roamers on our network. This partnership marks an important milestone in our ongoing journey towards expansion of products and services catering to our varied set of customers."   

Marcel Wientjen, Managing director of Travelling Connect, explained his excitement: "UAE is a very important market; every year many travelers visit the UAE for pleasure, business or even just a stopover. We are thrilled to partner exclusively with du in the UAE, and offer our members the opportunity to earn miles by roaming on du's advanced telecom network while they are in the UAE." 

du will also be the first partner network to launch Travelling Connect's new Local Offers service. This completely new service, introduced in cooperation with Deal-Broker, allows customers of mobile operators and MVNOs to book various tours, entertainment options and other local activities - from booking a trip to Burj Khalifa in the UAE or a bicycle tour of New York City to surfing lessons in South Africa - on the spot using their mobile phone. 

-Ends-

distributed by