Today is an important day for Etisalat as we extend the number of our operational markets to fourteen countries and export the Etisalat brand into our third market, said Etisalat chairman, Mohammad Hassan Omran.

Our investment in Afghanistan is for the long term, which is the reason we are bringing to the country our values of openness; caring - both for our customers and staff; and innovation.

Mr Omran continued: We see a good opportunity in Afghanistan as mobile penetration is only 8%, leaving significant room for growth and development. Our operation in Afghanistan will also help us to better service the large Afghan communities in our other markets such as Pakistan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Mr Omran concluded: Etisalat is committed to supporting the community of Afghanistan and to working with the authorities and industry to help develop the infrastructure of the country, to help businesses, individuals and the government to extend their reach. We congratulate our team in Afghanistan on their results so far, and look forward to further historic achievements to match those of our other international operations.