Etisalat’s appetite for international growth remains

UAE operator Etisalat is considering expansion into Libya, Syria and Lebanon, according to Jamal Al Jarwan, CEO for Etisalat International Investments.

Etisalat, which operates in 18 markets including the UAE, hopes to broaden its overseas operations still further when Libya declares the winner of its auction of a third GSM licence. The decision is expected to be taken by the Libyan government before the end of the year.

Lebanon, which has two state-owned telecom operators, wants to privatise the business. Etisalat will also participate in the privatisation of Syria’s sole mobile operator.

Etisalat suffered something of a set back earlier this year, having been declared the winner of the third mobile licence in Iran, only to fail to have the decision ratified. There has also been market speculation that the UAE’s operations in Africa have not been performing as well as initially hoped, and that the telco may have been at an early stage of reviewing its continued participation in West Africa.