du auction earns AED18.9 million and donates a part of the proceeds to local charities

Dubai, UAE, April 26, 2015: du, the telecommunications operator with a vested interest in sustainability, yesterday held its first special number auction. The auction successfully earned AED18.9 million, a part of which will be apportioned to benefit two great charitable initiatives, Alam Wa Amal on Sharjah TV and Emarat El Kheir on Noor Dubai Radio Channel for a period of one year.

Alam Wa Amal made its debut on Sharjah TV in 2006, and has since earned both high praise and recognition from the public. The programme, which aims to raise fund to provide treatment to urgent cases at the best healthcare centres inside the country and abroad, is organised and presented by group of elite experts and supervised by group of Islamic scholars as well as psychology, educational and social consultants.

Similarly, Emarat El Kheir, which started broadcasting on Noor Dubai radio over 5 years ago, helps needy and sick people by collecting donations and starting charitable projects under the sponsorship of Dar El Kheir. The programme looks at a number of ways in which it can assist people in solving the various difficulties that they may be facing. It is aligned with the support of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department.

du’s commitment to both of these causes is a contributing factor to its CSR strategy by reinforcing its four pillars of CSR, namely; education, environment, entrepreneurship and UAE heritage, culture and society, and being a major stepping stone in the direction of its sustainability goals for 2015.
 
“At du our strategy is aimed at more than just connecting people through telecommunications; we want to establish meaningful bonds with the people we share our world with. We are extremely proud to have added life-to-life, not only by providing our customers with such a lively auction, but also by inspiring them to give back to the community through their participation,” said Ahmed Aburahima, Executive Vice President, Government Relations, Human Resources and Shared Services, du. “Auctions involve entire communities, from those participating and observing, to the media covering the event and the charities that benefit. As a responsible business we want to demonstrate the positive impact of CSR, and how motivating non-traditional CSR platforms can be in their contribution to society.”

The most popular mobile number at the auction was 052 222 2222, which was won by Emirati businessman for AED 8,010,000, marking a new record in the history of UAE number auctions. The second highest bid of the day was AED 4,150,000 for the unique number 052 200 0000.

Seventy unique numbers in four different categories; Gold, Diamond, Platinum and Platinum Plus, were auctioned at the event. Each winner received a certificate of allocation for their exclusive mobile number, in addition to a smartphone valued at AED2750, 10GB data, 2500 flexible minutes and more, as part of the mobile plan attached to the auction categories, for a period of 24months. The live auction, which took place yesterday, was organised by Al Fujairah Auctions on behalf of du.