Kabul, 23rd March, 2010—Etisalat Afghanistan announced that it has reached three million subscribers, garnering 24% market share in 27 provinces.

The telecoms giant shared this accomplishment at a recent luncheon for Afghan dignitaries held in Dubai.

“Etisalat has managed to accomplish in a short period of time what took other operators years to achieve. Now we see that the company’s network has reached all major provinces and districts in Afghanistan, despite the security issues and geographical conditions,” said MP Kheyal Mohammad, Head of the Telecommunications and Information Technology Committee in the Afghan Parliament.

Dr. Omer Zakhilwal, Afghanistan’s Finance Minister also spoke on the occasion praising the role and contribution of Etisalat in Afghanistan. He stressed the need for strengthening the cooperation between UAE and Afghanistan and praised Etisalat for initiating the effort.

Etisalat signed an agreement with Afghan authorities in May 2006 to operate a GSM network across Afghanistan and became the fourth GSM operator in the country. Since that time, it has brought innovative telecommunications services to the country, such as its Islamic Services, which allow customers to access the Surahs of the Holy Quran, Duaas and Al Ruqya Al Shariya through IVR technology. Other services include multi-media messaging, internet capabilities and conference calling.

Saeed Al Hamli, CEO of Etisalat Afghanistan, noted: "Etisalat Afghanistan has achieved a number of milestones during three years of hard work. In 2009 our revenues have grown three times compared to 2008. We have now reached three million subscribers, and we continue to expand our geographical reach."

Etisalat’s Chairman, Mohammad Omran said: “We have invested $300 million in Afghanistan and about 10,000 Afghans are supported by us and our distribution partners. We will continue to reach more areas of Afghanistan and introduce more voice and data services.” At the Dubai event he told the gathering: "Once we enter a market, we believe in offering continuous support for that market by investing in new technologies and infrastructure with the aim of deriving incremental gains over the life of our license. When we decided to invest in the telecommunications sector of Afghanistan, we were aware of the scale of the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead, and it was the right decision to make.”

Etisalat is headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operates in 18 countries. Etisalat Afghanistan is 100% owned by the Etisalat UAE Group.