The subscription base in UAE mobile phone services expanded to 18.4 million subscribers, reported Emirates news agency Wam, citing figures released by telecom providers Etisalat and du.

Mobile services account for 85 per cent of two operators' revenues if compared to other income streams, which include data, internet, and fixed-line services, with pre-paid service subscribers representing over 88 per cent of total subscribers in all phone services, while the rest goes for post-paid services.

According to Etisalat Group, the number of subscribers in the company's mobile services amounted to 10.7 million during the first nine months of the year, making up 58 percent of total subscriptions base in the country.

In the meantime, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company's subscribers stood at Dh7.7 million ($2.09 million), according to the du's Q3 financial statements.

The two operators' revenues picked up to Dh49.36 billion during the first nine months of the year against Dh47.7 billion during the corresponding period in 2017. They posted total profit of Dh8 billion, up 4.1 percent on-year from Dh7.68 billion in 2017.