The Telecommunication sector contributed 4.9 per cent to the UAE’s GDP in 2009, according to the first Annual Market Review released by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).
The review summarises the state of the fixed, mobile, and data telecommunication markets in the UAE in terms of subscribers, penetration, revenues and usages (traffic) for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009.
According to the review, total investment in the telecommunications sector stands at Dh9.544 billion. The sector has 11,890 employees with an emiratisation rate of 32 per cent. UAE’s mobile penetration rate has increased to 204 per cent and Internet user penetration rate reached 67 per cent.
Between 2008 and 2009, the review found that total investment in telecommunications sector increased by 16 per cent; the number of fixed lines increased by seven per cent, while fixed revenue increased by 21 per cent. The number of mobile subscriptions increased by 14 per cent, while mobile revenue increased by three per cent. The number of Internet subscribers increased by 17 per cent, while revenue increased by 46 per cent.
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