Despite a big downward revision in official figures for mobile phone and internet penetration, the UAE telecoms market still holds great promise. Ben Flanagan reports
The UAE is a technology powerhouse, or so the headlines told us.
People here were said to have an average of two mobile phone lines each - one of the highest penetration rates in the world. More than 55 per cent of the population are regular users of the internet, we were told.
Such statistics, frequently cited by the regional media, placed the UAE streets ahead of its Gulf neighbours in the use of telecommunications technology.
But such reports assumed that the figures, issued by UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), were accurate.
Which, of course, they were not.
The TRA last month issued a major revision of its figures on telecoms use, having factored in more recent UAE population statistics.
Mobile-subscriber penetration now stands at 149.1 per cent, far less than the previous estimate of almost 200 per cent. Only 27.7 per cent of the population uses the internet, the TRA said.
And so, the UAE has lost its crown as having one of the world's highest levels of mobile penetration and has far fewer internet users than previously thought.
But despite no longer claiming such headline-grabbing numbers, experts said the revision does not change the overall outlook for the nation's telecoms business.
Mo Elzubeir, the founder of the media intelligence company Mediastow, based in Dubai, welcomes the TRA's issuance of revised figures.
"It does look like a sign of maturity that the UAE is trying to review these over-ambitious and fictitious figures," he says. "It is a big step to make. It's not something to be taken lightly."
Mr Elzubeir says that the revisions will have little impact,partly because the TRA's first figures were never considered to be particularly credible.
"Figures were blown out of proportion - everybody knew that. So everybody adjusted it internally," says Mr Elzubeir.
Farid Faraidooni, the chief commercial officer at du, says the revision of the TRA figures is little more than a "mathematic change".
"What changes is the denominator, which is the population," he said. "The total number of subscribers in the UAE did not change. So from a market point of view, it's the same total."
Matthew Reed, a senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media in Dubai, says that if taken at face value, the revised TRA figures would suggest there was "more room for growth" in the local telecommunications market.
But few industry executives would have been surprised by the revision to the mobile-penetration figure, Mr Reed said. "It was so high before that people were finding it implausible."
Petr Molik, the head of the research division at Mena Corp in the UAE, said that the revised figures do not change the overall outlook for the telecoms industry.
"It's just an administrative change in numbers. Due to the boom in the last 10 years, the population figures were quite understated," he says. "It doesn't fundamentally change anything."
Despite no longer having record-beating figures on telecoms use, the UAE market is still impressive, Mr Molik says.
"We are not number one in the world. But we are still close to the top," he says. "Are we as developed in mobile technology as Japan, Hong Kong or Singapore? Probably not. But I would still say that compared with the other GCC markets, the quality of the connection is very high."
Neither Etisalat nor du would have taken much note of the mobile-penetration figures in its forecasts, he adds.
"Both companies know the market in much more detail," says Mr Molik. "Just because of this restatement, there won't be an extra half a million [customers] coming to their offices next month."
Mr Molik says a more pressing concern for telecoms operators in the UAE is focusing on transferring customers to postpaid contracts, which he says are "much more profitable".
Such a move would help to offset declining revenue per customer in the UAE's telecoms sector.
In the middle of last year, the Arab Advisors Group forecast that average monthly revenue per user for the full year would be US$30 (Dh110.19), a decline on 2009 and 2010 figures.
So - no matter if the mobile-penetration rate is 150 per cent or 200 per cent of the population - the real opportunity is in expanding profits derived from the existing user base.
bflanagan@thenational.ae
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The specs
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Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
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A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
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3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
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4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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Volvo ES90 Specs
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
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- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars