Pakistani mobile operator Warid Telecom has been given a cash injection of some US$250 million by its two main shareholders Abu Dhabi Group and Singapore’s SingTel. According to a report by Pakistan Observer, which cites an official statement by the operator, the new equity injection will be used to further expand Warid’s GSM and GPRS/EDGE networks in the country. The operator currently covers around 450 cities and 7,200 towns across Pakistan, the report said.

“With [Abu Dhabi Group and SingTel’s] persistent support and the continuous hard work of our team we are geared up to become number one GSM operator in Pakistan,” said Tariq Gulzar, Warid’s chief financial officer. According to Wireless intelligence data, Warid is currently the fourth-largest operator in Pakistan with an estimated 16.9 million subscribers by the end of 2008. It trails market-leader Orascom (28.5 million), Telenor (19.4 million) and Ufone (19.3 million).