Daily Times

Islamabad: Etisalat’s stable of brands has been named the most valuable of any telecom brand portfolios in the Middle East, as measured by London-based brand valuation and strategy consultancy, Brand Finance. As well as the core Etisalat brand which is present in its home-base UAE, and in Egypt, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, the company also has ownership stakes in Mobily in KSA, PTCL and Ufone in Pakistan, as well as the Maroc Telecom and Moov brands in Africa. At a value of USD $7.728 billion, this places the Etisalat portfolio at a comfortable USD 1.5 billion, ahead of second-placed STC, whose combined value is 25% lessat USD 6.218 billion.

PTCL and Ufone represent a sizeable portion of the current Etisalat brand portfolio value. PTCL’s brand value is USD 86 million and Ufone’s is USD 50 million. The PTCL USD brand value in Etisalat’s stable of brands is number 7out of 11 operations.

PTCL is the largest information communication technology (ICT) services provider in Pakistan. With cutting-edge technology, including voice telephone, fixed and wireless broadband, Smart TV (IPTV) and OTT applications like Smart TV app, Smart Link app and PTCL Touch, PTCL serves the ever-increasing connectivity needs of millions of consumers nationwide. Its Smart TV app was also nominated last year at the GSMA Global Mobile Awards (GLOMO) in Barcelona and GSMA Asia Mobile Awards (AMO) in Shanghai. PTCL’s corporate and digital solutions cater to the communication needs of leading multinationals, banks and other organizations, while its carrier services form the backbone of core infrastructure services to cell phones and LDIs.

A key contribution to this result was an increase in the strength of the flagship brand, Etisalat, jumping from a rating of AA- last year to AA+ for 2017, and increasing 45% year-on-year in brand value. The company has been pursuing a focused programme of brand activities, encompassing the management of significant global sponsorship properties such as FC Barcelona, as well as contribution to local operations, like PTCL’s Islamabad United Sponsorship in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Increased revenues for the Group have also contributed to the rise in brand value this year.

Brand Finance values thousands of brands annually to compile its ‘Global 500’ and ‘Telecoms 500’ listings, as well as numerous other sectors, regions and individual market league tables. 2017 marks the first year that Brand Finance has conducted a study of Telecom brands on a portfolio basis.

Commenting on Etisalat’s strategy, Brand Finance CEO, David Haigh said: “As well as developing its core brand, Etisalat has pursued a broader brand portfolio strategy as a way to build business value through leveraging branded assets.” David Haigh said the latter gives the opportunity for branded development of a broader converged proposition, involving mobile and fixed line operators in the shape of Ufone (mobile) and PTCL (fixed line).