Dubai Land Department (DLD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Emirates Telecommunication Group Company PJSC (Etisalat) regarding Ejari system and the Real Estate Blockchain technology. The MoU comes in line with the parties' keenness to implement smart government standards (paperless management, reduction of customer visits, and digital contracts), the blockchain strategy, and facilitate customer procedures, where DLD will provide telecom services through Ejari application via connectivity with Etisalat.

Under the MoU, DLD will determine the quality of services related to the Ejari application and Real Estate Blockchain technology, and will provide all the necessary capabilities, providing Etisalat with a non-exclusive right to include its services when registering Ejari contracts, including Internet services and land-line and mobile phone lines. DLD will provide the necessary technical training and consultancy related to Ejari application to Etisalat as well as the necessary support that enables them to achieve electronic connectivity between the parties’ systems related to this application.

HE Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director General of DLD, said: “We registered an important global technical milestone after adopting the blockchain system as part of our keenness to be aligned with the Dubai Blockchain Strategy. In order for us to develop a smart and secure database that brings together all real estate contracts, including registering Ejari contracts and linking them with all entities and institutions, we are keen to sign agreements with elite partners who have sufficient expertise to reach an orderly system capable of achieving our corporate goals, supporting the vision of our wise leadership to make Dubai the smartest city in the world.”

Khalida Alzeraim Al Suwaidi, CEO of Emirates Real Estate Solutions (ERES), the technical arm of DLD, commented: “We recognise the future of blockchain technology as one of the most important technological solutions associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which will benefit us in developing registration and verification processes and implementing transactions of all kinds. More importantly, they can be implemented quickly, safely, and effectively for all network parties and participants. This MoU with Etisalat will help us provide unparalleled services to landlords and tenants in the early stages, where later stages will cover developers and investors.”

Abdullah Salem Al Mana, General Manager, Dubai Region, Etisalat said: “Etisalat is always at the forefront of providing state-of-the-art technologies to the private and public-sector, enabling them to enhance customer satisfaction, and improve the quality and efficiency of services and operations. Today’s partnership with DLD is in line with our strategy and vision ‘Driving the Digital Future to Empower Societies’ to deliver advanced solutions via ‘Ejari’ system and application to enable ease of transactions and improve business efficiency for all their customers. This will also facilitate improved, simplified, and effective services for all contracting parties of DLD.”

Etisalat is committed to making the necessary preparations as a first step in its systems to provide service offers to customers who wish to apply through Ejari system according to DLD’s requirements. Etisalat will also educate all concerned staff from both parties, enabling them to deal with the requirements through Ejari system.

Pursuant to the terms of the MoU, Etisalat expressed its commitment to communicate with DLD’s support team and inform them of any defect, suggestions, or observations to improve and develop Ejari system or offers proposed by them. In the second phase, Etisalat will be making the necessary preparations to link itself with the Ejari database on real estate blockchain in order to provide integrated services with DLD.