Apr. 13--DU 'TO OFFER IPHONE': UAE telco operator Du is in talks with Apple that it hopes will allow it to offer the iPhone soon, according to Gulf News. Du CEO Osman Sultan said that he hoped Apple would follow a policy of neutrality by not favouring one operator. Etisalat has already launched the iPhone in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

DU UNVEILS 'ELITE' MOBILE PLAN: Du yesterday launched a new postpaid mobile product called Elite that it said would 'redefine mobility'. The plan offers a choice of special numbers and up to 75 percent rewards on international calls depending on the volume of international calls made. The plan also provides a combination of prepaid and monthly billed services on a single line.

ZAIN TO SPEND $5BN ON ACQUISITIONS: The Kuwait Mobile Telecommunication company, Zain, has budgeted up to $5bn for new acquisitions up to 2011. The group plans to expand in Asia, Africa and the Middle East and is currently in talks to move into the Syrian market, CEO Saad al-Barrak told newspaper Asharq Alawsat.

FRANCE TELECOM TO BUY OUT EGYPT TELCO: The Egyptian stock market regulator has told France Telecom to launch a full buyout bid for Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (ECMS), which operates the country's largest mobile network, Mobinil, reports the National. The network is a joint venture between France Telecom and Orascom Telecom. However, the two have been locked in a long-running ownership dispute and have both offered to buy out the other party. An arbitration court has said that France Telecom must buy the venture although the two companies disagree over the price.

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