The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, TRA, has released today its seventh annual review of the telecommunications sector in the UAE. The report summarises the status of fixed line, mobile and data telecom markets in terms of numbers of subscribers as well as service penetration levels, revenues and usage rates. This year’s review covers from 2012 to 2015.

Commenting on the report, Majed Al Mesmar, Acting Director-General of TRA, said, "This report provides various parameters such as subscriber numbers, penetration rates, revenues, and traffic volumes for the years 2012 – 2015, and it also outlines the UAE’s rankings in various international indexes and studies.

"The results presented in this report reaffirm the vibrant and robust nature of the UAE’s telecommunications sector. Subscriber numbers and usage volumes have continued to grow, while the licensees have worked tirelessly to respond to consumers’ evolving demands. In TRA, we emphasise the important enabling role of the sector in supporting the economy to prosper, allowing companies to interact and, most importantly, enabling users to communicate."

Al Mesmar added, "The data contained in this report is provided by the two licensed operators in the country, Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, Etisalat, and Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, du. It covers several aspects including the numbers of subscribers, and the total service volumes for fixed lines, mobile and internet data services. The report results reflect the ongoing efforts of TRA to control and regulate this sector as it is one of the key enablers of sustainable development in the UAE, as well as an important pillar in attracting investments by offering advanced infrastructure."