Etisalat International Investments was the
business unit of Etisalat that operated telecom operations outside the
UAE and managed the corporation's stakes in telecommunications carriers in
Afghanistan,
Egypt,
Niger,
Saudi Arabia, and
Pakistan. The International Investments unit, and its management team, were re-structured into Etisalat Group, and Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar was appointed as Group CEO in 2011, followed by Saleh Al Abdooli in 2016. As of July 2021, Etisalat has presence and operations in 15 countries outside the
United Arab Emirates. As of 2023, Etisalat owns a stake of 14.6% in
Vodafone Group one of Europe's largest telecommunication groups. In 2024, the British government warned that e&’s association with Vodafone poses a national security risk.
Robert Buckland and
Oliver Dowden also urged for measures to address national security concerns. They also asked for the establishment of an independent committee to monitor the risks associated with the stake held by e& in Vodafone. Dowden said the committee should consist of Vodafone employees, while Buckland said the it should be independent of both e& and Vodafone. Buckland said the committee members should be experts in national security, telecoms and human rights, pointing at the UAE’s “history of repressive activity and espionage”. In Feb 25 UAE telecoms group e& agreed to sell its 40% stake in Khazna Data Center Holdings for $2.2 billion to G42, an artificial intelligence company. Etisalat also has a stake in
PPF Telecom Group with a percentage of 50.1% which is active in Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia as a telecommunications provider under the brand Yettel. In June 2024, Brussels announced its first anti-subsidy investigation, targeting e&’s €2.2bn deal to acquire PPF group’s telecoms assets that was approved by national competition regulators. The European commission was concerned that to complete the acquisition, e& received state funds, amounting to unfair subsidies. Another concern was if the state funds would allow E& to outperform the EU rivals and undermine the competition.
Mobily – Saudi Arabia One of Etisalat's first international investments was the bid to become the second mobile services operator in Saudi Arabia.
Mobily, the brand name of
Etihad Etisalat founded in 2005 is currently the second largest mobile service provider in
Saudi Arabia with over 20 million subscribers. In less than 6 months the company launched services in 32 cities, Mobily brings coverage to 79.2 percent of the population. Mobily was also the first to build in the shortest period the fastest 3G network in the Kingdom.
Maroc Telecom – Morocco In July 2013,
Vivendi announced it would sell its 53% stake in
Maroc Telecom to Etisalat for around billion.
Maroc Telecom joined Etisalat Group in 2014 offering telecom and ICT products and services including fixed line, mobile, internet and television. The telecom company is the first global telecom operator in Morocco.
Ufone – Pakistan Ufone is the country's largest and multi-service telecom carrier. Etisalat acquired Ufone in 2005 with 26 percent shares including management control from the
Government of Pakistan as part of a large privatization initiative.
e& Egypt In July 2006, a consortium led by Etisalat was granted the rights to develop Egypt's third mobile network, with a winning bid of
£E16.7 billion (EUR €2.29 billion). The venture,
e& Egypt, competes with existing service providers
Vodafone and
Orange. On 12 September 2006, it was announced that the network would be built by
Ericsson of
Sweden, and
Huawei of China, at a cost of approximately 1 billion USD. Etisalat Egypt's network covers and serves over 99% of the population in Egypt, through more than 6,000 base stations, Etisalat Egypt was the first to launch 3.75G in Egypt and the first operator to launch video call services in
Egypt.
Etisalat Afghanistan Etisalat Afghanistan was launched in 2007 after the UAE telecom operator won the license to operate as the fourth mobile services provider in the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The operator rapidly became the fastest-growing telecommunications service provider in the country. Etisalat Afghanistan has invested over US million in the Afghan telecom industry, and it is wholly owned by Etisalat Group. In 2012, Etisalat won a 3G license in Afghanistan and launched the first 3G services in the history of Afghanistan. Etisalat shares 60 to 70 mobile towers with government-owned
Afghan Telecom, which seeks to grow its five percent market share.
Mauritel – Mauritania Mauritel is the leading telecommunications company in Mauritania. Mauritel maintains a market share stabilized at around 60% of the population. Mauritanian Telecommunications Company (Mauritel)
Mauritel, which is 41.2% indirectly owned by Maroc Telecom of Morocco, has reportedly renewed its mobile license in the African country for a further ten years.
Sotelma – Mali The former incumbent telco Sotelma (branded Malitel) was sold by the Government and ended up in the hands of Maroc Telecom. With the sale of Maroc Telecom, its ownership passed onto Etisalat. Sotelma provides local and international fixed line telephony, internet, mobile telephone, and other telecom services. Its mobile service subsidiary is Malitel, with more than 6 million customers.
Moov – West Africa In Africa, Etisalat acquired 50% of Atlantique Telecom's shares in April 2005. Based in the Ivory Coast, AT owns mobile operators in
Benin,
Burkina Faso,
Togo,
Niger,
Central African Republic,
Gabon and
Côte d'Ivoire. In 2007, Etisalat increased its shares in AT to 70% and again in May 2008, to 82%. Etisalat Group's brand MOOV operates throughout West Africa, in
Benin,
Togo,
Gabon,
Niger,
Central Africa,
Burkina Faso (as ONATEL) and
Côte d'Ivoire, Serving over 50 million people. MOOV covers on average 60% of the populated areas in each of its countries of operations. == Subsidiary==