UAE’s  telecommunications operator du is in the process of choosing the provider of its next-generation LTE network by the end of the first quarter, says the head of its network department.

According to The National, Operator don't expect to provide 100% across the country, like the 3G and initially will offer it as data service in certain hot-spots only.

"We have agreed with a number of suppliers to do testing and … test under a number of scenarios," said Hatem Bamatraf, the senior vice president for network development at du.

Nokia Siemens Networks, Ericsson and the Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE are all shortlisted for du's LTE upgrade, says the report.