Mobile subscriptions in the UAE jump 13%

Dubai Mobile subscribers in the UAE rose 13 per cent on the year in the first quarter of 2012, while the country’s penetration rate stood at 154 per cent, a level, analysts say, that shows there’s still some growth left in the domestic market. According to data from the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, or TRA, mobile subscribers at the end of March amounted to 12.4 million, up from 11 million in the same period a year ago. Matthew Reed, an analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media in Dubai, noted the TRA has recently changed the figure it uses for the size of the UAE population. The new figure is 8 million, compared with the 5.5 million people used previously. Using the TRA’s previous figure for the UAE’s population, the rate of mobile penetration was about 200 per cent, but on the basis of the new number that drops to about 154 per cent, said Reed. “In a sense, this is positive, in that it suggests that the UAE mobile market is less saturated than might have been thought previously, so there is more room for growth,” he added. Fears of an overcrowded and mature local market have been some of the major reasons why the UAE’s two telecom operators have started to increasingly looking overseas for expansion. Du said in May it is looking at mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, opportunities to expand its footprint for the first time outside its home market. Abu Dhabi-based etisalat meanwhile already operates in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Nigeria amongst other countries. According to the latest TRA data, the number of post-paid mobile subscribers reached 1.5 million by the end of the first quarter, while pre-paid subscribers hit 10.9 million. Internet subscribers amounted to 904,270 at the end of March, down from 1.4 million in the same period a year ago. Fixed-line telephone subscribers reached 1.9 million by the end of the first quarter of 2012, up from 1.7 million in the same quarter of 2011. e t