By: Mahmoud Gamal

Abu Dhabi – Mubasher: Emirates Telecommunications Group (Etisalat), listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), reported a 0.7% year-on-year rise in total subscribers for the fourth quarter of 2017.

The number of subscribers reached 142 million subscribers in Q4-17, up from 141 million subscribers in Q4-17, the data showed.

The Emirati telecom company attributed this increase to its strong base of subscribers in the UAE, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Afghanistan.

Subscribers in the UAE grew 3% year-on-year to 12.6 million subscribers in Q4-17 on the back of the telecom sector’s positive performance and live services.

Meanwhile, subscribers in Morocco stood at about 57 million subscribers in Q4-17, accounting for 6% annual increase, while the number of subscribers in Pakistan remained the same at 21.6 million subscribers.

Etisalat also posted an 11.9% year-on-year decline in return on equity (ROE) for Q4-17, with a return of AED 1,969.1 million, compared to AED 2,235.5 million in Q4-16.

Translated by: Mai Ezz El-Din