Emirates 120% Penetration Highest in the Middle East

Emirates Telecommunications Corporation- Etisalat- announced today that penetration of mobile phones in the UAE has exceeded 120%, taking UAE to the top of the list of Arab nations, and among the highest in the world. These figures were arrived at after the results of the official census of the UAE population was announced, which showed that the total population of the UAE stands at 4.1 million. Etisalat's mobile customer base has exceeded 5 million.

Previous figures have indicated that mobile penetration in the UAE had touched 100%, positioning the UAE as second after Bahrain , which has achieved more that 105% penetration. Previous figures used unofficial population estimates, and this has now been updated.

Ahmed Abdul Karim Julfar, Chief Operation Officer, Etisalat, said: "We are happy that what these penetration figures actually indicate is the willingness of the nation to take up technology that can work for them as wel. Besides, it also shows the role played by Etisalat in bringing the UAE to this pole position with its commitment to innovation and service quality."

The results of the latest census, reporting the population at the end of last year - show that the total number of UAE's population has risen by 74.8% compared to the last census conducted in 1995 when the number touched 2.4 million. According to the census, the total number of non-nationals is 2.9 million which is 78 % of the total population."

Posted to the site on 2nd August 2006