DUBAI: Etisalat and du’s revenues from mobile phone use in the UAE decreased by 9 per cent in 2015, even as the number of subscribers rose, according to the latest annual report from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

It’s the first time mobile revenues have fallen since at least 2007. according to data compiled by the TRA.

The Annual UAE Telecommunications Sector Review 2012-2015, published on Thursday, indicates that revenues from mobile phones for the two providers dropped from Dh25.53 billion in 2014 to Dh23.34 billion in 2015.

The number of mobile subscribers rose 6.7 per cent, from 16.82 million in 2014 to 17.94 in 2015, with 2.8 million of the 2015 subscribers on post-paid plans and the rest on prepaid ones.

Traffic over the mobile networks increased by 10 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014. The total number of SMSs decreased from 2 million in 2014 to about 1.5 million in 2015, and the number of MMS has decreased from 20 million in 2014 to 6 million messages in 2015.

Revenues from internet services, however, rose from Dh4.61 billion in 2014 to Dh5.98 in 2015. The average business user spent less (Dh1,085 a month in 2015, down from Dh1,136 in 2014), but residential internet users spent more (Dh311 a month in 2015 compared to Dh256 a monthly in 2014).

There were 1 billion residential broadband subscriptions, and 168,000 business broadband subscriptions in 2015.

Majed Al Mesmar, Acting Director General of the TRA, said, “The results presented in this report reaffirm the vibrant and robust nature of the UAE’s telecommunications sector. Subscriber numbers and usage volumes have continued to grow, while the Licensees have worked tirelessly to respond to evolving consumers’ demands.

“In TRA, we emphasise the important enabling role of the sector in supporting the economy to prosper, allowing companies to interact, and most importantly, enabling users to communicate.”

The TRA received 3,558 customer complaints during 2015, up slightly from 2014, though that year witnessed a spike of nearly 40 per cent over 2013. The report notes, “Complaint numbers have increased significantly over time for which there are two principal reasons. Firstly, the overall number of consumers is increasing, thus there is a greater potential for complaints to arise. Secondly, there is increased awareness among consumers of the TRA’s complaints procedures and the TRA’s activities in safeguarding consumer interests.”

Al Mesmar added: “The report results reflect the ongoing efforts of TRA to control and regulate this sector as it is one of the key enablers of sustainable development in the UAE, as well as an important pillar in attracting investments by offering advanced infrastructure.”