Etisalat became known for its efforts to roll out its Fibre-To-The-Home ( FTTH ) network in the UAE.

After the partial privatization of the parent company PTCL, 26 % of shares and control was sold to Etisalat and Ufone became a part of the Emirates Telecommunication Corporation Group.

Indonesia-based mobile services operator PT XL Axiata ( formerly PT Excelcomindo Pratama ) is Etisalat ’ s first acquisition in the Far East.

After finishing fourth, therefore earning a play-off berth in the Asian Champions League, and leading the team to the Etisalat Cup Final in his first year at the club, he signed a one-year extension.

Raya is owned by Vodafone Egypt, Nileonline and Egynet are now owned by Etisalat, TEdata is owned and operated by the oldest telecom company in the region telecom Egypt and link. net is owned by Orascom telecom.

In 2006, Etisalat International Pakistan, a wholly owned subsidiary of Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, purchased a 26 % stake in PTCL and assumed management control of the company.

Etisalat was named the most powerful company in the UAE by Forbes Middle East in 2012

Emirates Telecommunication Corporation – Etisalat was founded in 1976 as a joint-stock company between International Aeradio Limited, a British Company, and local partners.

Today Etisalat stands 140th among the Financial Times Top 500 Corporations in the world in terms of market capitalisation, and is ranked by The Middle East magazine as the 6th largest company in the Middle East in terms of capitalization and revenues.

Etisalat Afghanistan operates out of Kabul and as of 3 March 2010, the company has achieved 24 per cent market share in 27 provinces of Afghanistan.

In 2010, following the $ 39 billion 2G spectrum scam, Etisalat DB, the Indian subsidiary of the company, was stopped from buying a stake in a Chennai-based company due to objections raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs ( MHA ).

The MHA had pointed out four issues that needed to be resolved before allowing the company to come into Etisalat DB, a company that got scarce 2G spectrum at allegedly throwaway prices.

# The MHA has also expressed concerns about the telecom surveillance software Etisalat had used in a Blackberry service it had introduced in the UAE and recommended that the company should not be allowed to offer Blackberry services in India.

In a released statement the company said, " Etisalat Group has decided not to participate in the auction as it is not willing to re-participate after being canceled its owned licences.

It was told to the House that the SPA is completed and the transaction was made without the privatization of the Commission Council in confidence, adding that Etisalat 800 million U. S. dollars has kept the sport of land issue be transferred to the UAE-based company.

Etisalat has management control with 26 per cent shares of PTCL, which was in 2006 for US $ 2. 6 billion and is withholding $ 799, 000, 000 worth of initial payments to the Pakistani Government, part of the company ’ s 2006 properties with the acquisition in PTCL registered in name.

As of December 2011 Etisalat announced the commercial launch of Etisalat 4G " Long Term Evolution " ( LTE ) Network.

In December 2011, UAE's Etisalat announced the commercial launch of 4G LTE services covering over 70 % of country's urban areas.

As of October 2008, Etisalat has 510 roaming agreements covering 186 countries and enabling BlackBerry, 3G, GPRS and voice roaming.

GSM / GPRS mobile phone services in the city are provided by Afghan Wireless, Etisalat, Roshan and MTN.

However for the majority of the UAE ( Non free zones ), Etisalat has a monopoly on business and personal telecommunications services.

TRA instructs Etisalat and du to block parts of Wikipedia, all VoIP services such as Skype and SIP based services and some social networking services like hi5, Friendster, and all dating sites like Yahoo!

Public services, competitive to Etisalat, should commence at the end of 2006.

Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat (, literally, Communications ) is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

In addition to its telecommunication services provider and carrier units, Etisalat incorporates a number of additional non-telecom business units under the umbrella of Etisalat Services Holding LLC.

These units support the company's operations and even provide services to other operators and organizations, namely: training and consultancy services ( Etisalat Academy ), SIM / smart card manufacturing and payment solutions ( Ebtikar ), data clearing house services ( EDCH ), peering / voice and data transit ( Emirates Internet Exchange – EMIX ), call center ( The Contact Centre ), cable TV ( eVision ), facilities management ( EFM ), as well as submarine cable laying services ( eMarine ).

In 2006 Etisalat started a major restructuring program that resulted in the de-merger of many of its non-core business units operating under the telecom's centralized and direct management ; core services were consolidated and streamlined, reflecting the company's shift from a technology-driven telecom to a customer-focused services provider.

Currently operating under the brand name Mobily, Etihad Etisalat offers Saudi Arabia subscribers conventional and 3. 5G mobile telephony services, and has floated shares on the Saudi stock market.

Etisalat is one of the founding partner companies of Canar Telecom, a fixed-line telecom services operator.

In January 2009 Etisalat in consortium with Tamin Telecom ( a subsidiary of the Iranian Social Security Organization ( SSO )) won the bid for running the third mobile services operator in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Some of the Internet services for home users that Etisalat offers include:

Due to concerns with the security and the provisioning of legal interception for Blackberry non-voice services, on 1 Aug 2010, the Telecommunication Regularity Authority of the UAE instructed Etisalat that all Blackberry e-mail, internet and messenger functions must be suspended on 1 Oct 2010.

Sri Lanka Telecom, Lankabell, Suntel, Mobitel, Dialog, Etisalat, Airtel and Hutch are the major providers of telecommunication services.

As of February 2012, Etisalat is the 15th largest mobile network operator in the world, with a total customer base of more than 135 million.

On 22 February 2012, Etisalat announced that it will cease operations in India post cancellation of its licenses by Supreme Court of India.

On 5 September 2012, Etisalat announced that it would not bid for spectrum in the November 2012 2G spectrum auction.

In response to this Etisalat and MTN Group were launched, and by 2009 there were about 18 million mobile phone users in Afghanistan.

Recent deregulation of the mobile phone market has led to the introduction of Global System for Mobile communication ( GSM ) network providers operating on the 900 / 1800 MHz spectrum, MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom and Etisalat.

Currently, there are three companies which offer cellular communication service: Mobinil, Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Egypt.

NileOnline and Egynet has been recently sold to Etisalat, increasing Etisalat access into the broadband market.

In 2004, the Saudi Telecom Company ( STC ) monopolization was broken by authorizing Etihad Etisalat / Mobily to compete in mobile communication, in June 2009 GO Telecom ( Etihad Atheeb Telecom ) or " جو " also entered the market.

The TRA requires Etisalat to actively censor Internet sites.

A 2005 study, before du was established, also showed Etisalat sometimes block websites relating to the Bahá ' í Faith.

Sahm as a telecomms operator for Emaar, a commercial and residential real estate developer, was in competition with the state-run Etisalat, and was arbitrarily absorbed into Dubai Holding Company / TECOM / Dubai government prior to the formation of du.

On 10 February 2011, Etisalat reported net revenue of USD $ 8. 4 billion ( AED 31. 9 billion ) and net profits of USD US $ 2. 078bn ( AED 7. 631 billion ).

Etisalat is one of the Internet hubs in the Middle East ( AS8966 ), providing connectivity to other telecommunications operators in the region.

Etisalat operates Points of Presence ( PoP ) in New York, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore.