Etisalat, Du report biggest drop in mobile phone users
ABU DHABI, August 17, 2015
Leading UAE telecommunications operators Etisalat and Du reported a decline of nearly 649,000 subscribers in June, the largest monthly decline, according to a report.
The total number of mobile phone users declined to 17.18 million at the end of June, from about 17.83 million at the end of May, said the Emirates 24/7 report quoting figures by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
The decline was in pre-paid GSM phone subscribers, who dropped by 672,969 to around 14.51 million at the end of June, adding that GSM services on monthly bills recorded an increase of about 24,000 in the same period, it said.
Despite the plunge in users, the UAE retained its position as having one of the highest mobile phone penetration rates, standing at 202 per cent at the end of the month compared with 210 per cent at the end of May.
Meanwhile, Internet subscribers also declined by more than 8,000 to 1.15 million at the end of June from 1.16 million at th end of May, said the report.
Land line services also receded by around 19,000 to 2.15 million in the same period, it added.
