The telecommunication market in Dubai has grown at an annual rate of 20% over the past few years, and the increasing life standard has boosted the demand for digital lifestyle products.
The number of new services and features is expected to increase over the next few years while the prices in the market should shrink.
Until recently, the telecommunication market in Dubai had been dominated by the state monopoly Etisalat. Although Etisalat is still the market leader, new competitors like Du have successfully gained market share (in 2010 Du controlled 30% of the market).
Du offers voice, data, video and content services using fixed and mobile networks. At the moment Du's network covers 85% of the UAE and the rest is covered under an agreement with Etisalat.
A new company called Al Yah Satellite Communications has received a licence to provide satellite telecom services. With the entrance of additional operators, competition will probably increase further and prices are expected to drop.