Uber open to telco partnerships in the Middle East

Uber open to telco partnerships in the Middle East

Uber is on the lookout for telco partnerships in the Middle East, its GM for the UAE Jean Pierre Mondalek confirmed at Capacity Middle East 2015 this morning.

Since launching the mobile-app-based transportation network the UAE in September 2013, Uber has seen a rapid growth in business, going on to rollout services in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt.

“[Our] business has really taken off in Dubai,” said Mondalek. “As an international hub, our business has also been driven by tourists, which accounted for 20-25% of growth.”

Partnerships have been a key part of this success, with Uber’s API enabling it to integrate its apps with a number of companies such as Google and Tripadvisor.

In the US, it has entered a strategic partnership with AT&T, where the carrier sells handsets preloaded with the Uber app. 

In return, all Uber drivers in the US use AT&Ts network. Mondalek confirmed Uber would be open to exploring similar partnerships with operators in the Middle East.

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