UAE telecoms group joins Nigeria mobile phone fray

LAGOS: Etisalat, the main telecoms operator in the United Arab Emirates, said on Tuesday it was ready to roll out Nigeria's fifth mobile telephone network.

"I am happy to announce that Etisalat Nigeria is indeed on track in its quest to build and deliver a truly robust and stable network," chairman Hakeem Bello-Osagie said in a statement.

"It has become crucial for Etisalat Nigeria to ensure that, as Nigerians join the 64-million-strong Etisalat family across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, they experience first-hand the innovative service delivery and creative product development that have become the hallmark of Etisalat's quality."

He said operations will begin with a 0809 number prefix.

Etisalat won the $400 million (282 million euro) licence to operate telecoms services in Nigeria -- Africa's most populous nation and its biggest cellphone market -- last year.

Four other telecom operators -- including South Africa's MTN, the market leader -- have a combined subscriber base of around 60 million.