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Second-ranked operator du concluded trials on its 4G LTE network in October 2012; in the same monthEtisalat launched its first 4G LTE Mobile WiFi device. .

October 2012, the regulator, TRA, announced that it was extending the deadline granted to subscribersto register their mobile phones. Originally set to expire on October 16, 2012, the regulator has givenunregistered phone users in the first phase of registrations an additional three months to submit theirdetails.

Competition in the market is limited as there are only two mobile phone operators in the country, with thegovernment owning shares in both of them. In October 2012, the regulator confirmed that there are noplans to for a third operator to launch services. Fixed-line services continue to post single digit growth,although we forecast that this will taper off during the course of our forecast period, while broadband isanother strong growth area.

LTE networks enable the fastest speeds commercially available for mobile networks, accommodating multimedia applications such as video conferencing, high-definition content transmission and high-speed video downloads from social networks.

Etisalat has signed an agreement with Alcatel-Lucent to ensure the operator's service rollout is as fast as possible. "Etisalat Lanka already offers the fastest mobile broadband experience in Sri Lanka and through LTE will bring broadband connectivity across the country

The mobile broadband infrastructure expertise Alcatel-Lucent brings in, assures Etisalat to deliver revolutionary 4G LTE services to our customers.  We at Etisalat strive to provide services that are fast, safe and meaningful to our customers and society."

increased 10.5% to over 1.3 million, showed the figures. The percentage of Internet subscriptions connected by fibre technology increased by 70.8% as customers were migrated from copper networks to new advanced networks.

In 2011, it contributed nearly 4.9% to UAE Gross Domestic Product and provided employment to 10,798 people.

he market for traditional telephony, whether fixed or mobile, is so saturated that it can no longer be a viable exclusive source of growth.

Market liberalization, increased competition and the introduction of new network technolog

As the wave of sector liberalization continues, telecom operators are facing increasing competitive pressure. On one hand, the market for traditional telephony, whether fixed or mobile, is so saturated that it can no longer be a viable exclusive source of growth.

However, greater availability of and demand for digital content, a growing youth market and the increase in prosperity in the region are also significant drivers behind the observed boost in demand for broadband

With the mobile penetration rate in the UAE hovering near 200 per cent - about two devices per resident - growth in the sector is slowing.

post-paid promotions such as the Elite Plan helped the rival company du to add 159,800 mobile customers in the third quarter. The smaller operator has about 37 per cent of the market.

Etisalat's churn rate rose from 15 per cent in 2007 to 25 per cent last year. It declined to 17 per cent in the first nine months of this year.

revenues of AED8.01 billion

Mobile data has also been vital to du's mobile revenue growth and its importance is set to continue in its future strategy; in the third-quarter of 2012, revenue generated from mobile data totalled AED323 million, up 93.4% y/y. Mobile data revenue now accounts for 16.7% of du's total mobile revenue,  up from 9.8% at the same time last year. The continued growth of mobile data revenue will be crucial, particularly as voice revenues come under pressure, whilst the country's large foreign workforce increasingly utilise internet-based services, to the detriment of international call and text services.

y 7% y/y to 1.1 million, though this decline was due to customers migrating to the company's double-play and triple-play services, which totalled 0.48 million, up 61% y/y

roadband by successfully testing speeds of up to 300 megabits per second (Mbps) on its Fourth Generation, Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) network about a week ago and the service provider now aims to fully cover the nation’s populated areas on this network within the next two to three years, a top-ranking Etisalat official said on Sunday.

This is doubling the speed of 150 Mbps, we currently have on our 4G network and it is going to be demonstrated during Gitex

By 2015, we are aiming to have more than 99 per cent population coverage on the 4G LTE, similar to that of 3G levels

end users more interested in buying devices and apps than services, and limited customer appetite for usage-sensitive billing.

more telcos outsourcing parts of their network and IT management to vendors.

Indeed, network and IT operations account on average for 18% of telco operating costs, of which 60%, or $126bn, is for spending internally, mostly using salaried staff

The study further points out that at the end of 2010, there were around 10.9 million mobile phone subscribers in UAE, giving the market penetration rate of 231%. The mobile phone handset penetration is estimated to grow from 238% in 2011 to 257% in 2015 while sales revenue of personal digital assistance (PDA) and smartphones is projected to surge by 139% during the same period.

The number of mobile subscribers in the UAE is likely to increase by 16.6% from the anticipated subscribers of 11.4 million in 2011 to 13.3 million by 2015

He said service tariffs have remained relatively stable in the UAE, and both operators have resorted to strategies such as service bundling and sachet-based tariff models to stimulate usage and thereby earn higher revenue.

The UAE had 199.3 mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants and 31 fixed lines per 100 inhabitants as of last December

TRA in its endeavour to stimulate competition as demonstrated by its efforts to introduce mobile number portability and to open up the fixed-line services market.

They included around 12.3 million mobile phone users and the rest were subscribers to fixed telephone lines and internet.

Etisalat Group posted a net profit before royalty of AED 13.2 billion ($3.59bn) for 2012, a rise of 27% year-on-year, while revenues reached AED 32.9 billion, up 2% compared to 2011.

Etisalat saw revenues decline by 1% in its home market of the UAE, to AED 22.7 billion for the year.