After four years as e&, the UAE's biggest telecoms company has reverted to the name most people actually used anyway: Etisalat. The switch was announced on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, via an open letter on its website and social channels, timed to the company's 50th anniversary.

The rebrand history is short but telling. In February 2022, Etisalat rebranded as e& to reflect its evolution from a regional phone company into a multinational tech group with investments spanning telecoms, fintech and digital services. That experiment is now over. The company says returning to its founding name — 'the name you've trusted for five decades' — is the right way to mark the start of its next half-century.

The numbers behind the brand are substantial. Etisalat today serves more than 250 million subscribers across 38 countries, up from around 154 million in 16 countries in recent years. Its portfolio has included significant stakes in Vodafone (since sold), PPF Telecom Group, Saudi operator Mobily and Pakistan's PTCL Group. Domestically, it has been the engine behind the UAE's connectivity record: the Middle East's first mobile network in 1982, internet services in the 1990s, and a fibre-to-the-home coverage rate of 99.5 per cent — among the highest on earth. It is also laying early groundwork for 6G, having launched the world's first commercial Upper 6GHz mobile network.

For consumers, the practical products remain the same: home and business internet, mobile plans, TV bundles, and VoIP calling through BOTIM and GO CHAT. Only the name on the bill changes.

Why should a traveller care? If you're heading to the UAE, Etisalat is one of the two networks (alongside du) you'll be choosing between for a tourist SIM or eSIM, and its infrastructure is the reason your hotel Wi-Fi and video calls work as smoothly in Dubai or Abu Dhabi as they do at home. A 50-year-old brand returning to its roots is also a small signal of the UAE's tech confidence — the country that got the region's first mobile network is now positioning itself as a testbed for whatever comes after 5G. The piece ends with a hope familiar to anyone who has visited: fingers crossed for full WhatsApp video calling, which remains restricted in the UAE despite the availability of licensed alternatives.

Credit: What's On Dubai