UAE telecoms operators Etisalat  and du will compete on fixed-line voice and broadband services by year-end, the country's regulator said on Tuesday, with testing now in the final phase.

Both du and Etisalat already offer fixed-line services in the UAE, but not in the same districts.

Older areas are typically the preserve of former monopoly Etisalat while du, which launched in 2007, is often the sole provider in newer developments, but customers will soon be able to choose between the two.

The two carriers began offering service to select customers on July 14, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said in a statement.

'Etisalat and du have been working on this for some time and many people wondered if it would ever happen,' said Mohamed Al Ghanim, TRA director-general.

'We hope this final stage of testing and implementation is successful so that we can see a commercial launch before the end of the year.'  

This is scheduled for December, the TRA said.  - Reuters