As per a new research, the competitive pricing plans that telecom majors Etisalat and du have started to offer, has led to lowering of mobile service charges, including call tariffs, in the UAE in the GCC and among the 22 Arab countries.

It was after the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced plans to deregulate the industry, that the competitive prices were introduced.

Wednesday, Emirates Telecommunications Company forwarded a three fold growth in revenues in 2009 in Afghanistan, one the most difficult markets. The company also claimed 24 percent share of the mobile telephone market.

A sum of $300 million has been invested by Etisalat, which entered Afghanistan in 2007 and gives bread and butter to nearly 10,000 Afghans.

E-Vision, the cable TV arm of UAE based telecom firm Etisalat, has been working out plans for increasing its offering of high definition (HD) channels in the ongoing year. It will expedite its efforts to tap opportunities which are present in the existing market of the telecom player.

It would become further easy for the Yahsat, the satellite subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Government-owned Mubadala Development to offer high-speed internet, television and telephone services across satellite connections by the end of next year as the company has signed agreement for enhancing the scope of extending data and voice services throughout the middle-East and Africa.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) has granted a ten year satellite services license to Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat). The firm would the third telecom player in the country to have such license after the two existing players Eisalata and Du which are offering installation, operation and management of a public telecommunications network services in the UAE through terrestrial lines.

DU, one of the leading telecom firms in UAE, has reported impressive performance for the year 2009 with hopes of continuing with growth stories during the year 2010 as well.

As per media reports, a majority stake in Kurdish operator Korek Telecom might be bought by UAE-based telecom major Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) with the aim of expanding opportunities abroad.