Etisalat, the country's biggest telecoms company, has recorded a 70 per cent leap in fourth-quarter profit.
The company achieved net profit of Dh1.45 billion in the three months to December 31, according to Reuters calculations.
Full-year profits reached Dh7.08bn compared with Dh6.74bn a year earlier.
“Etisalat’s revenues rose from Dh32.95bn in 2012 to Dh38.85bn in 2013, but more than half of that increase was due to the consolidation of Etisalat’s operation in Pakistan – that is to say the Pakistan unit was included in the 2013 results, but not in 2012,” said Matthew Reed, an analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media in Dubai.
“One clear, positive development is that Etisalat’s revenues in the UAE rose from Dh23.89bn in 2012 to Dh25.96bn in 2013, probably due quite largely to the improving economic conditions in the country.”
Etisalat, which had previously focused on international expansion, is now concentrating on developing its domestic market, where a boom in smartphone handset sales is helping to drive revenue growth.
Etisalat has faced some challenges in international markets such as Egypt, where a weakening currency has hit revenues. The company’s operations in Tanzania and Sri Lanka are also facing competitive pressures. Etisalat operates in 15 markets. Reuters said Etisalat’s Dh20bn deal to buy Vivendi’s 53 per cent stake in Maroc Telecom is expected to be completed by the end of May and is currently awaiting regulatory approval from the countries in which Maroc operates.
Etisalat’s local rival, du, has reported a net profit after royalities of Dh1.99bn for 2013.
The recent introduction of the mobile number portability (MNP) service, which allows users to switch between Etisalat and du while keeping the same phone number, led to the transfer of 23,000 numbers between the two firms, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said last month.
* With Reuters
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Company%20profile
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
- UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
- Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
- Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
The%20specs
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
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Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
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