The subscription base in UAE mobile phone services expanded 2.4 per cent during the first half (H1) of 2017 to 18.7 million subscribers from 18.26 million in the corresponding period last year, a report said.

The growth reflects the vibrant and robust nature of the UAE's telecommunications sector which is considered a significant mainstay of the economy, reported Wam, the Emirates official news agency.

According to recent data released by Etisalat, the number of subscribers in the company's mobile services amounted to 10.5 million during the first six months of the year, a growth of 3 per cent against the same period last year.

The leading service provider gets 57.5 per cent of the total mobile phone service market in the UAE, as per the company's H1 financial statements.

In the meantime, the number of subscribers in the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company's (du) services hit 8.2 million by the end of June, with the company posting a growth of 1.5 per cent during Q2.

According to telecommunications analysts, mobile phone services represent the main source of returns for telecommunications service providers, accounting for 80 per cent of their total revenues, with their other services comprising the remaining part.

The total revenues of UAE telecommunications providers during the first half of the year reached Dh31.7 billion ($8.62 billion), Dh25.3 billion of which for Etisalat and Dh6.42 million for du.

The net profits achieved by the two companies hit Dh4.9 billion during the first half of the year, while the royalty charges for the same period stood at Dh4.2 billion, after the application of the new percentages enforced by the Ministry of Finance effective beginning of 2017.