Abu Dhabi – Mubasher:  UAE’s giant telecom operator Etisalat announced 14% growth in its net profits for the first quarter of 2015, reaching AED 2.45 billion ($666 million) compared to AED 2.15 billion ($585 million) in Q1-14.

Earnings per share (EPS) increased to 25 fils per share in Q1-15, up from 23 fils per share in the same period in 2014, according to Etisalat’s filing to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) on Sunday.

Operational profits surged 30.3% to AED 2.97 billion in the first quarter, while revenue grew 32.6% to AED 13 billion compared to AED 9.8 billion in Q1-14.

Operating expenses rose by 48% to AED 8 billion compared to AED 6 billion in 2013.

The ADX-listed telecom operator previously reported a rise in its net profits after royalties for 2014, reaching AED 8.9 billion ($2.42 billion) compared to AED 7.1 billion ($1.93 billion) in 2013.

Its shareholders approved a 70% cash dividend as well as a 10% bonus share dividend for 2014.