CAIRO: Etisalat Egypt expects the number of subscribers to reach three million by the end of 2007, said CEO Saleh El-Abdooli at a press conference Monday. Egypt's newest mobile phone operator is targeting 10 million subscribers within the next three years "At Etisalat, our strategy is to be distinguished from other operators present on the market. That is why, we [race] to offer newest technologies at the most competitive prices, he added. Etisalat is bullish on Egypt's evergreen mobile communications market, which currently stands at the low penetration rate of 25 percent. By 2010, Etisalat Egypt anticipates to have staked out an ambitious 25 percent share of the Egyptian market, which the company expects to more than double its penetration rate in just four years. "The Egyptian market is growing.because when you create a technology you create a need for it, said Hazem Metwally, chief commercial officer at Etisalat Egypt. "Forecasts in the early 1990s showed that mobile users will grow in thousands. Now, they are growing in millions. The secret of success is to be the first, the fastest, and the [most affordable] in services you provide. Etisalat Egypt is a unit of the UAE-based Emirates Telecommunications Corp. - the second-largest Arab telecom company by market value. The company made its debut into the Egyptian market last May after winning a coveted auction for the country's third mobile phone license, with the hefty price of LE16.7 billion ($2.9 billion). Since then, Etisalat Egypt has blanketed the city with its green outdoor ads and TV advertising campaigns, announcing special packages such as the tax inclusive price deals and the new high-speed 3G mobile services, which the company recently upped to 3.75G. "3.75G is not a [cliché], it is a technology that Etisalat first introduced into the Egyptian market, confirmed El-Abdooli. "The new technology offers services that are not provided by 3G networks. Via 3.75G networks, users enjoy greater bandwidth, which means that more information can be received and transmitted at a higher speed by compatible phones, allowing for data-intensive services such as streaming video, television, video calling and internet. "For example, 3G networks operate at the maximum speed of 3.084 megahertz, 3.5G networks at 3.6 megahertz, while 3.75G networks at 7.2 megahertz, El-Abdooli explained. "Hence, we are investing in high-tech and advanced new services. He added that 3G networks, in general, optimize use of network infrastructure and enable a larger volume of traffic than 2G networks. The company sees good potential for 3G services in Egypt. Currently, around 10 percent of its subscribers use 3G services. "When prices of compatible mobile phones go down, more and more subscribers will use the service, El-Abdooli said, referring to future exclusive deals with mobile phone companies. So far, Etisalat Egypt has established 2,100 network stations covering 144 cities in some 22 governorates across the country. The company will continue to invest in building more stations to cover the entire country and avoid being at the mercy of rival operators MobiNil and Vodafone Egypt under the national roaming deal. One of Etisalat's recent innovations is its new Business Solutions, which is tailored to large enterprises as well as SMEs. The new Etisalat Business comes at a unified tariff for all mobile-to-mobile or mobile-to-landline calls.
