UAE posts 170% mobile penetration

Dubai: The number of mobile subscribers in the UAE crossed 7.3 million this month, raising the mobile penetration level to nearly 170 per cent in an estimated population of 4.3 million, telecom officials said.

etisalat, the UAE's leading telecom operator, has registered 6.3 million mobile subscribers to date, while its new domestic rival du announced last week that its subscriptions have crossed one million.

Officially, the UAE's population is 4.1 million including 2.7 million labourers according to the 2006 census, which raises the penetration rate to 178 per cent.

This means there are 178 mobile numbers in circulation per 100 people, just short of two sim cards per person.

"With a penetration rate in excess of 160 to 170 per cent, the UAE is among the world's most technologically advanced countries in the world," Mohammad Hasan Omran, etisalat chairman, told delegates at a telecom conference yesterday.

In terms of mobile teledensity, this makes the UAE the top country in the Middle East and North Africa and places it among the world's top few countries.

Arab Advisors ranks the UAE No. 1 in Total Connectivity Index this year, while the World Economic Forum ranked the UAE the most competitive economy in the Middle East and North Africa based on IT resources earlier this year.

"At launch, we were faced with a penetrated but dynamic market with 130 per cent penetration and within nine months into our commercial operation, we have registered one million subscribers, pushing penetration up to 170 per cent," Andrew Grenville, executive vice-president for du's International and Wholesale operations, said.