Abu Dhabi, November 12, 2015

Etisalat Group, the leading telecommunications operator in Middle East, Africa and Asia, yesterday received three prestigious awards at the 10th Annual CommsMEA Awards at Jumeirah Etihad Towers, Dubai.

Etisalat Group's commitment to African markets was recognised by two awards. Firstly, as African Operator of the Year and, secondly, for the successful completion of the acquisition of Maroc Telecom, which won Telecom Deal of the Year. The acquisition of Maroc Telecom was one of the largest Mergers & Acquisitions ever seen in the region and increased the number of African countries where Etisalat Group operates to 13, and consolidated the Group's capability to transform the ICT landscape in frontier markets.

In addition, the Group's commitment to investment was recognised by the judges with the award of Telecoms Technology Investment. Etisalat Group's investment has enabled the UAE to lead the world in Fibre-To-the-Home (FTTH) connections and made Abu Dhabi the first capital city in the world to be wholly covered by FTTH. Furthermore, Etisalat Group is conducting research and trials for the UAE to be the first nation to deploy the next generation of network, 5G.

Commenting on the awards María González Rodrigo, Editor, CommsMEA said: "This year, the judging process was tough due to the quality of nominations and the sheer number of entries we received. CommsMEA Awards reflect the advances and innovations in the telecoms sector in the MEA region. They acknowledge the skill, dedication and hard work of the winners."

The 10th edition of the annual CommsMEA Awards acknowledged operators and individuals who have taken a leadership role in the region's fast growing and rapidly changing telecoms sector. The Awards also honoured companies that have invested in technology, implemented winning strategies and developed services to capture the hearts and minds of end-users, and helped turn the communications sector in the Middle East and Africa into one of the most dynamic and vibrant in the world.

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About Etisalat Group:
Etisalat, the leading emerging markets telecom group, is headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Since its inception almost four decades ago, Etisalat has been introducing innovative connectivity solutions for its customers across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. These cutting-edge solutions have given Etisalat the ability to expand its subscriber base to more than 170 million in the 18 international markets it operates in. Etisalat's market cap is 96.8 billion AED, equaling 26.4 billion USD.

For more information, please contact:
Etisalat Media Desk
E: gyoussef@etisalat.ae 
T: +9712 618 2877
www.etisalat.com

© Press Release 2015