Name & legal
Group drops e& and goes back to the etisalat name
Retires the e& master brand and takes the founding name into its next fifty years.
Etisalat
Telecom and technology group
Abu Dhabi telecom group, renamed e& in 2022, back to etisalat at 50 in 2026.
- Group name
- etisalat (e& from 2022 to 2026)
- Footprint
- 38 countries, more than 250 million subscribers (Oct 2026)
- Main shareholder
- Emirates Investment Authority
- FY2025 revenue
- AED 72.9 billion
The Brand in Brief
Etisalat is the UAE's founding telecom operator, set up in 1976 and named in Arabic for connection. In 2022 the group became e&, a symbol meant to carry a technology and investment conglomerate across telecom, consumer apps, enterprise and fintech, while the UAE business ran as etisalat by e&. Four years later, at its 50th anniversary, it went back to etisalat for the whole group, repositioned as an AI-powered and enabling telco.
Recent Brand Moves
- 2026Go for More pushes e& as a technology group abroad
Uses influencers, executive voices and live events to be seen as more than a telco.
- 2026New vision: an AI-powered and enabling telco
Repositions around four engines: telco, AI and business solutions, infrastructure and fintech.
- 2026Group drops e& and goes back to the etisalat name
Retires the e& master brand and takes the founding name into its next fifty years.
- 2023e& takes control of the Careem Everything App
Adds a regional consumer super app brand to the e& life family.
Where it ranks · BTC Observatory · Sep 2026
Each list is ranked on its own; positions in different lists are not comparable.
Turning points
The Decisions that Made the Brand
Name & legal
Etisalat Group becomes e&
Replaces a telecom name with a symbol for a technology and investment group.
Identity
Etisalat UAE becomes etisalat by e&
Keeps the Etisalat name at home but endorses it with the new e& master brand.
Identity
Green signal logo for an international Etisalat
Takes UAE green as the brand colour while preparing the name for markets abroad.
Name & legal
Emirtel is renamed Etisalat
Swaps an English contraction for an Arabic word that says what the company does.
Timeline
Every Brand Decision
etisalat again2026 to now
e&2022 to 2026
Etisalat1984 to 2022
Emirtel1976 to 1984
2026
Go for More pushes e& as a technology group abroad
Uses influencers, executive voices and live events to be seen as more than a telco.
2026
New vision: an AI-powered and enabling telco
Repositions around four engines: telco, AI and business solutions, infrastructure and fintech.
2026
Group drops e& and goes back to the etisalat name
Retires the e& master brand and takes the founding name into its next fifty years.
2023
e& takes control of the Careem Everything App
Adds a regional consumer super app brand to the e& life family.
2022
Fintech arm renamed e& money
Folds the wallet business into the e& naming system after taking full ownership.
2022
Etisalat Group becomes e&
Replaces a telecom name with a symbol for a technology and investment group.
2022
Publicis Groupe named creative partner for all e& pillars
Hands the new master brand to one creative agency of record, led by Saatchi & Saatchi.
2022
Etisalat UAE becomes etisalat by e&
Keeps the Etisalat name at home but endorses it with the new e& master brand.
2021
Moonwalk film for Wasel Gifts makes Vimeo's year best
Uses universal everyday bad luck to sell a simple prepaid reward: everybody wins.
2020
Sonic signature launched with The Sound of Togetherness
Adds a sound mark, launched with performers including deaf artists signing the tune.
2018
The Network casts Rowan Atkinson as a secret agent
Sells network strength through a film-style comedy chase for a spot without coverage.
2006
Green signal logo for an international Etisalat
Takes UAE green as the brand colour while preparing the name for markets abroad.
2004
Mobily carries the Etisalat name into Saudi Arabia
Enters Saudi Arabia through a local brand, Mobily, with Etisalat in the company name.
1984
Emirtel is renamed Etisalat
Swaps an English contraction for an Arabic word that says what the company does.
etisalat again2026 to now · 3 moments
Back to the founding name, positioned as an AI-powered and enabling telco.
- 2026Go for More pushes e& as a technology group abroad
Uses influencers, executive voices and live events to be seen as more than a telco. - 2026New vision: an AI-powered and enabling telco
Repositions around four engines: telco, AI and business solutions, infrastructure and fintech. - 2026Group drops e& and goes back to the etisalat name
Retires the e& master brand and takes the founding name into its next fifty years.
e&2022 to 2026 · 5 moments
Master brand for a technology and investment group with prefixed pillars.
- 2023e& takes control of the Careem Everything App
Adds a regional consumer super app brand to the e& life family. - 2022Fintech arm renamed e& money
Folds the wallet business into the e& naming system after taking full ownership. - 2022Etisalat Group becomes e&
Replaces a telecom name with a symbol for a technology and investment group. - 2022Publicis Groupe named creative partner for all e& pillars
Hands the new master brand to one creative agency of record, led by Saatchi & Saatchi. - 2022Etisalat UAE becomes etisalat by e&
Keeps the Etisalat name at home but endorses it with the new e& master brand.
Etisalat1984 to 2022 · 6 moments
Arabic name, green signal logo from 2006, growth across the region.
- 2021Moonwalk film for Wasel Gifts makes Vimeo's year best
Uses universal everyday bad luck to sell a simple prepaid reward: everybody wins. - 2020Sonic signature launched with The Sound of Togetherness
Adds a sound mark, launched with performers including deaf artists signing the tune. - 2018The Network casts Rowan Atkinson as a secret agent
Sells network strength through a film-style comedy chase for a spot without coverage. - 2006Green signal logo for an international Etisalat
Takes UAE green as the brand colour while preparing the name for markets abroad. - 2004Mobily carries the Etisalat name into Saudi Arabia
Enters Saudi Arabia through a local brand, Mobily, with Etisalat in the company name. - 1984Emirtel is renamed Etisalat
Swaps an English contraction for an Arabic word that says what the company does.
Name & identity
How It Got Its Name and Its Look
The Name
Etisalat is Arabic for connection; the company says its name at its root means to connect. It began in 1976 as the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, known as Emirtel, and was renamed Etisalat in the summer of 1984 after a decree that all state establishments carry Arabic names. In February 2022 the group took the master brand e&, and in October 2026, at its 50th anniversary, it went back to etisalat as the group name.
Logo
- Etisalat2006Green stylised signal symbol [design blog source]
- Etisalat2022e& ampersand lockup; UAE business as etisalat by e& in black and red
- Etisalat2026Swirl e mark above a lowercase etisalat wordmark (group communications from October 2026)
Colour
- 2006Green, the UAE national colour
Words & Type
Etisalat means connection
2026
- Sonic signature, launched with The Sound of Togetherness (BBDO Abu Dhabi)2020
Ownership & architecture
Who Owns It, and How Its Brands Fit Together
Owned byEmirates Investment Authority (main shareholder)
ThroughEmirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC (ADX listed)
EtisalatMaster brand with endorsed local operatorsBrands it owns
- MobilySaudi Arabia, launched 2004, about 28% stake (2023)
Maroc TelecomMorocco, Moov brand in 10 African countries- PTCL and UfonePakistan, since 2005
- Careem Everything App50.03% since December 2023
- e& PPF TelecomBulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, since 2024
Products
- etisalat UAE
- etisalat money
- Smiles
- STARZ ON
Services
- e& enterprise (AI and business solutions)
- Carrier & Wholesale
Retired names
- Emirtel
- e& (group master brand)
- etisalat by e&
How the names are built · Master brand with endorsed local operators
2022 to 2026e& prefix: e& life, e& enterprise, e& capital, e& money
2026etisalat names returning, e.g. etisalat UAE, etisalat money
The UAE government took a 60 per cent share in 1983, with 40 per cent publicly traded. The Emirates Investment Authority is named as the main shareholder in October 2026. In July 2026 the group agreed to sell its whole Vodafone Group stake.
Leadership
Who Leads It, and Who Shaped It
JA
Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba AlzaabiChairman, Etisalat Group
MM
Masood M. Sharif MahmoodGroup CEO (and CEO, etisalat UAE)
MB
Mohamed Karim BennisGroup Chief Financial Officer
Chief Executives
2020–2026
Hatem DowidarLed the 2022 move from Etisalat Group to the e& master brand.
Saleh Abdulla Ahmed Saeed Alabdooli
Brand Builders
MF
Mahmoud Farwiz
Client lead on the award-winning Moonwalk film for Wasel Gifts.
SG
Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East (Publicis Groupe)2022–
Built the first group-wide campaigns for the e& master brand.
Campaigns
The Work that Carried the Brand
Did you know?
Less Known Facts
name_legal1984
Etisalat started life as Emirtel. It took its Arabic name in 1984 because a decree required state bodies to have Arabic names.
experience1982
Etisalat launched the Middle East's first mobile network in 1982, six years after the company was founded.
positioning2022
In 2022 e& was named the world's strongest telecom brand, the first from the Middle East and Africa to reach that spot.
identity2022
The e& name is said 'e and'. The e was read as electronic and ethernet.
Compiled by the BrandTheChange editors from company records, filings, archives and press. Suggest a correction · Image credits