Etisalat Mobile Launched In Nigeria

March 17, 2008 5:12 p.m. EST

Abuja, Nigeria (AHN)-- Etisalat, one of the top telecommunications providers in the United Arab Emirates, has launched mobile services in Nigeria over the weekend, officials said.

CEO Saoud Al Shamsi disclosed that Etisalat got the $400 million unified access service license through its partners Mubadala Development Co. in January 2007.

Nigerian firm Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services (EMTS) entered into partnership with UAE's Mubadala following the latter's acquisition of the unified access license. Etisalat acquired a 40 per cent stake in EMTS to operate the license in Nigeria, becoming the fifth telecoms provider in the oil-rich west African country.

Etisalat is set to employ its strategy of reduced tariffs to take market share from established operators in Nigeria, a country of 140 million people, with a combined subscriber base of around 40 million.

Al Shamsi added that the company has now built a network that spans the Middle East, Africa and Asia.