Research Overview

This Frost & Sullivan research service on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) telecom market provides detailed revenue forecasts, drivers and restraints as well as market shares and competitive analyses of participants from 2013-2019. In addition, the study analyses the profiles of key operators in the industry. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following market segments:

• mobile
• fixed line
• broadband

Market Overview

Broadband to drive the UAE telecom market

Sustained growth of its customer base, rising consumer purchasing power, and availability of high-end smartphones is fuelling the telecommunications market in UAE. Etisalat and du, the two mobile network operators (MNOs) in the country, are particularly focused on the mobile broadband and enterprise communications segments, which show the highest potential for growth. Although both operators have already launched 4G services, 3G connections are projected to generate more revenue in the broadband segment in the next five years.

Even though the government partly owns Etisalat and du, the competition in the UAE market is fierce. Aggressive marketing campaigns and competitive pricing will be essential to gain broadband market share. While intense demand has allowed MNOs to keep fixed broadband prices relatively high, decreasing prices will also enable them to meet margins as usage continues to grow. Further, MNOs will concentrate on value-added services (VAS) such as mobile content development and enterprise-focused services such as managed services and cloud computing to gain additional revenue.

When it comes to core segments such as fixed-line services, Internet and cable TV, there is no competition between the two MNOs as du's services are restricted to newly-developed areas of Dubai. Its focus is on retaining clients and increasing the post-paid subscriber base as these clients consume more than double the number of minutes used by pre-paid subscribers. Etisalat's attention over the next two years will be on retaining its leading position in the domestic market. This effort will be bolstered by the UAE government giving priority to the development of IT and telecommunication over the next five years.