UAE-headquartered Etisalat, which has operations in 15 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has announced a solid set of Q2 figures for both its domestic and international operations.

In its home market, Q2 sales rose 12 per cent, year-on-year, to AED6.3 billion ($1.7 billion), buoyed by data revenue and handset sales.

Revenue from international operations grew 50 per cent, to AED 3.5 billion, and now accounts for 36 per cent of group sales.

Group net income rose 6 per cent, to AED1.98 billion, on overall sales of AED9.88 billion (up 20 per cent).

Looking at the first six months 2013, Etisalat’s revenue increased from AED 16.5 billion (H1 2012) to AED19.5 billion.

On the back of this performance, Etisalat announced a 40 per cent hike in the interim dividend, to AED0.35 per share.

“These results demonstrate that Etisalat Group is absolutely on the right track and able to continue to add value to its subscribers, shareholders, employees and the communities it serves,” said Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, Etisalat’s chief executive.

The Q2 announcement comes closely on the heels of confirmation by Vivendi that it had entered “exclusive negotiations” with Etisalat for the sale of its 53 per cent shareholding in Maroc Telecom.