Dubai - Telecoms: The difficulty with liberalisation (FT - Zawya.com)

TECOM (parent of Dubai Internet City) is growing from serving pockets of areas in Dubai to perhaps one day bidding for the second telecom license in the UAE. The telecom provider currently serve telecom, data, Internet connectivity to host of zones in Dubai as well as Emaar properties (Villas, Flats). With the creation of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the sole regulator of the telecom market in the UAE, Etisalat will have to face up to competition, eventually. With its 70% margin (one of the highest in the GCC), and high penetration it will form a formidable force to be reckoned with. Data & Internet connectivity being its weak points.
Due to political sensitivity, liberalization will take a long time nevertheless TRA may be prompted to allow Voice over IP (VoIP) which will benefit TECOM.