Ranked 25th largest telecommunication operator globally, and largest in the United Arab Emirates in 2016, Etisalat had 12.9 million Euros in revenue in the same year [2]. In 2017, Etisalat was ranked top in the Middle East as the most valuable brand by Brand Finance in its Middle East 50 2017. Coming top with a 7 Billion US Dollar brand value against other competitors like Emirate Airlines. Structured as a global business, Etisalat International Investments which oversees global and international business growth and expansion outside the UAE. The International Business Unit, under the leadership of Hatem Dowidar, CEO of Etisalat International, has successfully expanded its presence to 14 countries beyond its headquarters. The global management team consists of 14 members, with 11 directors on the board. vision is to shape the digital future and empower societies through innovation and connectivity.

In recent years, telecoms and adjacent industries have been in a state of flux on account of ongoing changes within the macroeconomic environment and the increasing and evolving influence of digital developments. In light of this, the Etisalat Group has conceived a new vision supported by a bold corporate strategy to maximise shareholder value in this developing market landscape.

In 2017, the company delivered consolidated revenue of AED 51.7 billion and consolidated operating profit of AED 17.45 billion which represented about a 3% increase YOY in the UAE and the Group’s consolidated revenuedeclined 1% to AED 51.7 billion in 2017 due to the unfavourable exchangerate movements mainly in Egypt. However, the business hits a year-over-year revenue growth was 2%. While the company has experienced some challenges with its decline in its global profitability, the company's shareholders make a case for global growth as consolidation for the decline.

International Revenue Outlook: Revenues of International consolidated operations for 2017 declined year-on-year by 7% to AED 20.0 billion negatively impacted by the unfavourable exchange rate movements in Egypt in addition to competitive pressure of mobile segment in Morocco and a fixed segment in Pakistan. Revenues from international operations represented 39% of Group's consolidated revenue. The report uses the SWOT analytical framework to provide a structured assessment of the global operations of the company.

The SWOT tool is used to provide insight and differential analysis of the current status and business condition of Etisalat, helping the international marketing team to make a more informed decision. The framework also will help is provide information on the strategic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Etisalat as it considers expanding into the new market [3].

The demographic profile of the market. Nigeria, for instance, has a growing youth population.

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) enables mobile subscribers to keep their mobile telephone numbers

another.

Strong governmental and public relations which help for new emerging market penetration.

Ever-changing customer behaviour and needs pose a new business opportunity for the company.

Investment capability for structured product management and diversification.

Etisalat can practice a differentiated pricing strategy by leveraging on new technology.

More acquisition opportunities of start-ups disrupting communications.

The economic boom and increasing customers’ purchasing power in emerging and fast-rising

environment for Etisalat.

Threat Focus on oil-producing economies and drastic reduction of oil prices might affect the profitability of the company.

New markets have a lot of startups offering more

Currency fluctuations because of the volatile political situation in the countries where Etisalat is operating.

Access to human capital and talent in developing economies.

Cultural differences might also pose some threat to the leadership of Etisalat.

Imitation of the counterfeit and low-quality product is also a threat to Etisalat’s product, especially in the emerging markets and low-income markets.

Direct and intense local competition and protectionism of the government from international business.

Liability laws in different countries are different and

given changes in policies in those markets.

when changing from one mobile network operator to affordable services.

economies will help create a more profitable business Etisalat may be exposed to various liability claims

Benchmarking against other African countries in terms of FDI, Nigeria has the highest number of investment influx and also ranks second in Sub-Saharan Africa. Owing this to the political and economic landscape, the country since 2007 has sustained a 50% FDI in the energy sector and 50% in the service sector [4]. As of 2016, the telecommunication industry attracted about 30% of the entire FDI in Nigeria. While there have been debates about the correlation between FDI and telecommunication development in Nigeria, it’s also important to note that infrastructural projects are valued at $100 billion.

A country of about 180 million people with a Gross Domestic Product per capita recorded at 2412.41 US dollars in 2017, the prospect of profitability in telecommunication is high. In the context of FDI as a framework for analyzing the attractiveness of the industry, the telecommunication sector has been mentioned by the Central Bank of Nigeria to be attractive to global investors. This investment, however, impacts infrastructural investment in technology and human capital for the sector [5].

As the FDI investment improves, the Telecoms infrastructure improves, and this has an effect on the cost of transactions from the customers' end and increases the output and productivity of the industry, hence improving the economy [6]. Telecommunication is recognized as one of the fastest-growing sectors in Nigeria but competition is getting fierce among players, hence rates are dropping [7].

With major references to mobile telephony and data transmission, the Nigeria telecoms industry is at emphasis a fast-rising market. The focus ofthis analysis is to use some more structured analytical techniques to provide insight into Etisalat as a new entrant in the Nigerian market.

The firm needs to redefine its model to allow for a more robust and structured form of partnership. Etisalat would need to consider a sharingmodel that allows it to share already existing infrastructure, suppliers, and channels with competitors. Also, the firm needs to consider a structured partnership for passive infrastructure share as this allows for a considerable reduction in investment across the board. The firm might consider landing on the MainOne or the Glo1 Submarine cables for point of data, mobile broadband and other value-added services.

The technology landscape has changed greatly with mobile applications with growing social networking capabilities. There is a whole lot around e-health, e-policing, e-education, e-banking etc, and this internet-enabled application offers Etisalat the opportunity to leverage the unique customer needs and demands to offer value. Hence, Etisalat can diversify its product base to generate extra revenue and attract new subscribers. This approach, at scale, will help Etisalat dominate an emerging market. One of the major areas of innovation is for Etisalat to offer unique solutions for free for its subscribers and a pressing challenge is the e-policing and e-traffic control offering.

Ordinarily, because of the monopolistic competitive feature of this market, prices are known to fall as new firms get into the market and product differentiation will be a key factor. Also, Etisalat can consider offering a highly competitive model which allows for price flexibility in areas where the purchasing power of the customers is low. Also, the company can consider opportunities to offer a strategic partnership with manufacturers in different regions to offer after-sale services on user-end equipment, provide ‘package solutions’ that are viewed as a value-added service and differentiate you from the competition [15]. However, competing on price is not always a worthwhile long-term strategy as firms might compete away profits. Hence, Etisalat must considerdifferentiation of scope which is driven by quality- this might be an avenue to offer premium values at high prices.

Another leverage Etisalat can have over its competitors is the value that comes with technology innovation. Especially with the increase in innovation technology in Lagos, Etisalat can position itself as the ‘Friend of Tech’. This positioning will give the business an opportunity to make use of its acquisition and merger capability to take over a few technology-driven products that are disrupting the industry in Nigeria [15].

The implementation framework is divided into two major components based on the timeline. The short-term strategies are worked out to be deployed within the first 2 years while establishing the brand and its values in the telecoms industry. The long-term strategies are to be deployed post 3 years and these strategies are identified to help consolidate Etisalat’s presence in the regions.

The short-term strategies are focused on ensuring that real values are offered to the users and customers and ensuring that the company achieves a break-even within the first 2 years of working within the market. Highlighted below are the short-term plans that this report has identified.

To join the battle for supply chain access, one of the easiest approaches to gaining access and building the company’s network of suppliers is to join organizations and coalitions that help with access networks.

One approach that has worked in the past for new entrants is to outsource the marketing activities to firms that are specialists in marketing.

The short-term goal is to engage local engineers that are regionally dispersed and working directly with local communities. An approach to scaling this outcome is providing incentives to local service providers that work directly with the brand.

One of the few challenges in the short term is operational efficiency. The recommendation is to work directly with the HR unit of the organization to keep developing the human capital in-house in operational efficiency.

The long-term implementation strategies should focus on how to overcome some of the forces that are high in the market so that after years of establishing itself in the market [16], Etisalat can become a leading industry player.

The long-term plans, based on the Porter 5 forces, are highlighted below:

I. The Etisalat supplier network: as Etisalat grows and becomes known in Nigeria, it is important to start building a network of suppliers that are loyal to the brand. Independent of the interdependencies on the ecosystem of suppliers in Nigeria, this approach allows the brand to navigate the supply hurdle and scale its product scope.

II. Innovating through differentiation: Etisalat needs to keep leveraging the technology emergence in the service industry and provide its customer free (or most affordable) m-services as complementary values. III. Increasing barrier to entry: since the threat of entry is high, Etisalat needs to build a model that allows it to scale and influence regulators to set in new policies that raise the barrier to entry. This is done majorly by public relations and government engagement.