du Reports 9.8% Q2 Profit Growth, Raises Interim Dividend

Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du)  delivered solid second-quarter 2026 financial results, reporting higher revenue, profitability and cash generation despite a more challenging operating environment driven ......

du Reports 9.8% Q2 Profit Growth, Raises Interim Dividend

Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du)  delivered solid second-quarter 2026 financial results, reporting higher revenue, profitability and cash generation despite a more challenging operating environment driven by softer market conditions and regional tensions.

The UAE telecom operator posted Q2 revenue of AED 4.08 billion, up 4.6% year-on-year, while service revenue increased 6.7% to AED 3.01 billion, supported by continued demand for its core mobile and fixed services.

EBITDA rose 9.2% to AED 1.99 billion, with the EBITDA margin expanding to 48.8%, up two percentage points from a year earlier. Net profit climbed 9.8% to AED 798 million, reflecting disciplined cost management, operational efficiency and the resilience of the company’s business model.

In recognition of the strong performance, the Board approved an interim cash dividend of AED 0.26 per share, representing an 8.3% increase compared with the same period last year.

Subscriber growth moderated during the quarter, with the mobile customer base rising 1.6% to 9.3 million, while fixed subscribers increased 5.5% to 744,000. The company attributed the slower pace of new customer additions to reduced activation levels following the onset of regional conflict, although demand for premium postpaid plans, enterprise connectivity and Home Wireless services remained strong.

Looking beyond its core telecommunications business, du accelerated investments in cloud, artificial intelligence (AI) and data centre infrastructure. The company also launched du Ventures, a venture capital fund established in partnership with Shorooq to invest in early- and growth-stage technology companies developing emerging technologies.

Capital expenditure increased 19.8% year-on-year to AED 653 million, reflecting continued investment in network expansion and accelerated deployment of data centre infrastructure ahead of planned services under an agreement with a global hyperscaler.

For the first half of 2026, du reported revenue of AED 8.2 billion, up 5.8%, while net profit increased 12.6% to AED 1.63 billion, underscoring the company’s continued focus on digital infrastructure investment, innovation and long-term shareholder value.