New residential area in Dubai faces internet, telecom issues

Dubai - In a statement to Khaleej Times, master developer Nakheel said the issue was beyond their control.

By Kelly Clarke

Published: Wed 3 Oct 2018, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Thu 4 Oct 2018, 8:34 AM

Residents of a new development in Dubai say they have been left without a working phone or internet service since moving in; some for as long as three months.
A section of homeowners and tenants of the new townhouse complex in Al Furjan maintain that, despite several official complaints, they remain without working telecoms services.
In a statement to Khaleej Times, master developer Nakheel said the issue was beyond their control.
"We have completed all the necessary telecom infrastructure work at Al Furjan. While we apologise for the situation, we must emphasise that it is beyond our control. We are doing everything we can to resolve the issue by continuing to press Etisalat and du to activate their services without further delay, and by urging the Telecoms Regulatory Authority (TRA) to apply further pressure to get the services up and running."
Aadel Wali, a resident of the Dreamz by Danube community, said he moved into his villa one month ago. "I've been without any phone or internet network since then. Some of my neighbours have been here for up to three months already. In this day and age, to live without such a service is detrimental to a person's work and home life."
Atif Rahman, director and partner of Danube Properties, said the company is aware of the "inconvenience caused" due to telecommunications issues, and confirmed it is "working expeditiously. to resolve it".
"The brief update of the issue is, construction works of Dreamz project (171 villas) in Furjan 2 is completed and handed over after inspection and approval by relevant authorities including telecom service providers. However, the telecommunication network within the Furjan 2 community is not yet activated. We would like to remind residents that this does not fall within our scope of works and that we have completed all necessary works linked with the telecommunications within each plot limit."
Rahman also stated that it was informed recently by du that the "handover process of telecom infrastructure in Furjan 2 is yet to be completed".
"This ongoing issue is beyond our property and is related to infrastructure works of Furjan 2, for which we are working in all possible means to resolve it with the related stakeholders."
Du and Etisalat were both contacted for comment but a response was not received at the time of publishing. The article will be updated online if a response is received.

Frustrated residents speak out

Several residents Khaleej Times spoke to also said there is "minimal network availability" to receive mobile phone calls within the units, adding that they are forced to move outside to the street to get a better signal.
Renting the property for three weeks now, new resident and mother-of-two Bianca Venter shared an email with Khaleej Times from the Handover Department at Danube.
Dated September 15, it said it was doing "regular follow-ups with the concerned authorities" regarding the internet services, and added there was a "need to build an MMR so a line can be connected".
"There is no signal within the villa. I'm at home all day with a one-year-old. What if I have to call someone in an emergency? I will have to find signal in the street first. It's ridiculous having to live like this," Venter said.
And Salim Haneefa, who's lived in the complex for three months, said the issue has dragged on for too long now.
"It's unacceptable. Three months without such a basic service that everyone in this day and age needs to run their daily lives. what is that?"
kelly@khaleejtimes.com