Batelco's mobile subscriber base grows significantly

Sep 13, 2007, 12:09 GMT

Manama, - Bahrain Telecommunication Company (Batelco) revealed Thursday that its mobile subscriber base grew significantly over the past year, driven mainly by expansion in Jordan and Yemen.

Batelco, Bahrain's leading mobile provider and an emerging regional operator, has been expanding like many regional competitors beyond its traditional monopoly, profiting from a wave of liberalizing telecom markets in the Middle East and North Africa.

In Jordan, Batelco's subsidiary Umniah achieved 1 million subscribers and Sabafon over 1.6 million customers, complementing Batelco's 650,000 customers in Bahrain, said Batelco's chief executive Peter Kaliaropoulos.

Kaliaropoulos added that the group achieved growth despite rapidly increasing competition in the Jordanian, Yemeni and Bahraini telecom markets.

Batelco acquired a 96 per cent shareholding in Umniah for 415 million dollars in June of last year.

'In Umniah we realized an exceptional performance. It gives impetus to our expansion drive and validates our major investment in buying the Umniah stake,' said Kaliaropoulos.

Batelco's purchase of a 20 per cent shareholding in Yemen's leading mobile communications company SabaFon for 144 million dollars in March had boosted the company's mobile distribution footprint.

SabaFon is the largest GSM mobile operator in Yemen offering national coverage with over 500 base stations across the country. The Company has over 1.6 million mobile subscribers, and with a population of over 22 million there is plenty of scope to see that figure rise, said Kaliaropoulos.