Mohammed Khalfan Al Qamzi tells OBG of Etisalat plans for growth

In regards to the mobile market Qamzi said: "We reached 100% penetration a long time ago. Since that day when we reached that level of penetration, we have significantly increased our revenues and profits but we have to concentrate on deeper issues, such as services."

Qamzi mentioned about Etisalat plans for growth and told OBG:

"We are looking into additional services such as mobile TV and ring tones for example, and we are looking to get more people to use these services. Today, the story is not only on the voice, but on data. There is a lot of room to grow on added data services and other value-added activities.

We can automate a lot of services today such as e-Pay or other money transfers by using our mobile devices. We are now creating 'mobile wallets' to pay for activities like going to the movies or paying your parking fees."

Qamzi emphasized on the growth in the industry and said: "I believe that there is a lot of room for growth in this area and the whole industry has just begun exploring these opportunities. Soon we will see, within the coming five years, revenues from data services will increase with respect to voice services. We will see more in bundling services, multiple services in one price. Media applications will also be delivered to the mobile."

He concluded: "There is a lot of growth we are not worried in regards to market penetration. We have to look into growth in the area of services. We will continue to develop value-added services to the market."

The interview will be carried in full in The Report: Abu Dhabi 2008, which features a series of exclusive interviews with key officials and business leaders in what is considered the most extensive, independent, unbiased and accurate intelligence available.

Rated as the premier guide for foreign direct investment into the country's vibrant economy, the forthcoming edition of The Report is an invaluable guide to the many facets of Abu Dhabi, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, political landscape, banking and sectoral developments, and will present a remarkably in-depth profile of the emirate.

The 200-page business guide to the emirate, with an international distribution of 76,000, is produced by a team of OBG analysts based in Abu Dhabi for six months, who conducts some two hundred interviews with leading political and economic figures.

Available in print form and online, the forthcoming edition of The Report is part of the range of OBG's publications, which are renowned as leading sources of information on developing and emerging economies around the world.