du, Microsoft and Nokia unveil Arabic telecom LLM to bolster UAE’s sovereign AI drive

du has joined forces with Microsoft, Nokia, Khalifa University’s 6G Research Center and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to launch what it calls the first Arabic Telecom large language model (LLM), a system initially tailored for internal telecom operations.

The “du Arabic Telecom LLM” is designed to streamline processes across the operator’s systems through automation and AI-driven insights. Beyond efficiency gains, the collaboration aims to blend global technology, regional research leadership and international policy guidance to build a model that serves critical telecom functions in Arabic—advancing the UAE’s ambition for sovereign AI.

According to du’s chief technology officer Saleem AlBlooshi, the initiative underscores the company’s push to improve internal efficiency and customer experiences with solutions that are linguistically and culturally attuned to the market. The model underpins an Arabic-language telecom assistant intended to handle real-time customer complaints, troubleshoot device issues and provide operational intelligence in context-aware dialogue.

Developed in the UAE, the LLM emphasizes linguistic precision and cultural nuance for the local environment, with an eye toward secure, meaningful use across national critical infrastructure. While the first phase targets back-office workflows, du says the partnership lays the groundwork to extend capabilities to customer-facing functions and multilingual support.

The project follows du’s million-dollar deal with Microsoft earlier this year to develop a new hyperscale data center in the UAE, aimed at strengthening AI infrastructure and positioning the Middle East as a digital hub. “This deal represents a pivotal leap in our strategic goal to revolutionise the digital ecosystem of the UAE,” said CEO Fahad Al Hassawi at the time.

Together with its partners, du plans to evolve the Arabic Telecom LLM as a benchmark for localized, responsible AI within the telecom sector and beyond.