|
|
|
|
|
Etisalat Misr’s Customer Base Reaches 14 Million
Published Jun 13, 2010
|
Etisalat Misr’s customer base reached 14 million within three years of starting its operations in a very competitive market like Egypt. Etisalat launched Etisalat Misr in May 2007 making it the first company to offer 3G services in the country. Since then, the Egyptian telecommunications market has changed with a huge number of new services and lower prices being offered, driven by fierce competition from which the customer has greatly benefited. Etisalat Misr was the only company to deliver new mobile and internet services making it a major driving force for technology development in the market.
Commenting on this new milestone, Mohammad Omran, Chairman of Etisalat said: “Etisalat’s international journey started in 2004. Entry into markets such as Egypt was part of our international strategy and we made a commitment to win in Egypt. We were confident of our success in the Egyptian market for many reasons including the attractive investment environment, the population size and the nature of the telecommunication sector. We planned our entry into Egypt carefully to achieve the ultimate benefit for all stakeholders including the people of Egypt. The company’s achievements exceeded all expectations in terms of subscription rates and what was targeted in the bid conditions and feasibility studies in terms of network coverage. I can confirm that we have achieved during the first two years what was planned to be achieved in 5 years, and by the end of the third year the number of our subscribers exceeded 14 million”.
“As the case in all our international operations, immediately after winning the license we started expanding the first stages for network readiness benefiting from our previous experience in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. We covered Egyptian cities in a way that exceeded the license conditions helping us to achieve the accolade of fastest commercial launch in the region.” Omran commented.
“We built a state of the art network and started working in a very limited time. This was highly praised on both local and international levels. Our investment in the network has reached LE 8 billion till date, and we expect that we will invest LE 8 billion more in the coming three years as networks expansion is a priority for the company.” Etisalat’s Chairman added.
“Etisalat’s strategy is to develop a significant international footprint and to benefit from economies of scale. This will serve for the future and provide satisfying returns for our investors, of whom the UAE Government is the largest. However this desired growth cannot be achieved by having a presence in one market only and requires more operations and investments in markets that are open for growth and development. We have achieved what we were planning for so far and now we operate in 18 markets serving 107 million customers covering around 2 billion customers” He concluded.
Commenting on the operational level, Engineer Saleh Al Abdouli, CEO of Etisalat Misr said “When we started working in the Egyptian market, we faced big challenges and fierce competition from large providers who have been operating in this market for many years. Some thought that a third provider will not have a chance to compete and that the market was moving towards saturation. We had to build a new network which is different from other networks and can provide mobile 3.5G technology and completely new services that were not launched in the market before”.
“From day one we had to compete strongly and to provide new services and innovative systems which are different from what was already available in the market in order to attract customers to our network. We actually succeeded in standing apart through everything we offer and in providing our customers with new valued added services and new pricing systems. The market response to our effort was really great. Etisalat Misr achieved the highest growth rates in the history of the mobile market in Egypt.” Abdouli added.
Etisalat Misr developed the latest mobile network in Egypt based on the 3.5 G technology. The new technology allowed the provision of new unprecedented services including video calls, Mobile TV, wireless high speed internet. The company also provided unmatched capacities after it competed developing its entire network from HSPA to HSPA+ which provides capacity up to 21 Megabits Per Second (Mbps). With the completion of this achievement Etisalat Misr became the first company in Africa and the second in the Middle East coming after Etisalat UAE to make this offering.
The company succeeded in testing higher 42 mbps capacity for high speed wireless internet in Egypt and the region and the results of these tests were very satisfying. Through this technology Etisalat provided advanced services including the BlackBerry smart services. Etisalat also was the only company to provide video calls and technical visual support for people with special needs. These services were widely accepted and received the ITP Award for the most innovative non-voice service in 2009.
Etisalat Misr offered new subscription schemes. Calls and internet offers were totally aligned with the customer. It offered the lowest price for calls per minute, providing a price of 1 penny per minute for local calls. Etisalat was always the first to provide international roaming rates which is one pound for incoming calls. Etisalat also was the first operator to launch a flat rate for international calls LE 1.99 per minute, in addition to many other offers and services allowing Etisalat Misr to lead the market to unprecedented success. Now Etisalat is not only considered a strong competitor but also a proactive company in terms of launching services and offers for individuals and businesses.
Commenting on prices and offers, Al Abdouli said: “Etisalat was different from any other provider because its prices included the tax for the first time in Egypt, an unexpected surprise to the market and which was revealed only on the first day of its operations. Shortly after all other operators followed Etisalat’s steps in this offering.”
“We have full adherence to the market ethics and the competition, we are also committed to fair competition away from any unfair practices that could harm the market and the customer”
Al Abdouli concluded.
Etisalat Misr has the widest and strongest coverage 3.5G in more than 80% of the county in addition to providing HSPA+ applications which offer high internet speeds to download and transfer data. The company was the only operator in Egypt to be awarded its own international gateway license. The company now provides special services and rates through its special gateway. Etisalat Misr also acquired EgyNet and Nile Online to provide fixed internet services, this step comes in line with the company’s commitment to provide comprehensive services for its customers. This way Etisalat’s customers will have the opportunity to reach high quality internet services promptly anytime and anywhere.
For more information:
Iyad Al Zoubi
SM international Media Relations
T: 00971506123568
F: 0097126182622
E: ialzoubi@etisalat.ae
Posted by
VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
|
|
|
|
|
