18.7 million mobile phone service subscribers by end of June

The subscription base in UAE mobile phone services expanded 2.4 percent during H1 2017 to 18.7 million subscribers from 18.26 million in the corresponding period last year.

The growth reflects the vibrant and robust nature of the UAE's telecommunications sector which is considered a significant mainstay of the economy.

According to recent data released by Etisalat, the number of subscribers in the company's mobile services amounted to 10.5 million during the first six months of the year, a growth of 3 percent against the same period last year.

The leading service provider gets 57.5 percent of the total mobile phone service market in the UAE, as per the company's H1 financial statements.

In the meantime, the number of subscribers in the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company's, du, services hit 8.2 million by the end of June, with the company posting a growth of 1.5 percent during Q2.

According to telecommunications analysts, mobile phone services represent the main source of returns for telecommunications service providers, accounting for 80 percent of their total revenues, with their other services comprising the remaining part.

The total revenues of UAE telecommunications providers during the first half of the year reached AED31.7 billion, AED25.3 billion of which for Etisalat and 6.42 for du.

The net profits achieved by the two companies hit AED4.9 billion during the first half of the year, while the royalty charges for the same period stood at AED4.2 billion, after the application of the new percentages enforced by the Ministry of Finance effective beginning of 2017.