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Telecompaper reports that UAE-based operator Etisalat has signed an agreement to sell Apple's iPhone 3G mobile phone in the UAE from later this month.

The Financial Times reports that UAE state-controlled operator Etisalat is cash-rich and, despite the impact of the financial crisis, is actively looking to expand its services and make acquisitions.

Etisalat and Nokia have announced a joint collaboration to provide access to advanced mobile Internet services based on the Ovi platform in the Middle East, reports Telecompaper.

Bharti Airtel strengthened its dominance in the increasingly competitive Indian market during the previous fiscal year (ending 31 March 2009), reporting a 37 percent year-on-year rise in revenue (INR369.6 billion/US$7.4 billion) and a 26 percent increase in net income (INR84.7 billion/US$1.7 billion).

Reuters reports today that Kuwaiti-based mobile giant Zain is on track to land Iran's third mobile license following reports that the earlier winner of the license - a consortium comprising Etisalat and local operator Taameen Telecom - has been stripped of the license. Etisalat/Taameen won the license in January but comments from Iran's Communications Regulatory Authority today suggest that its winning bid has been scrapped because the consortium has failed to meet its obligations.

UAE-based operator Etisalat will bid for a stake in Morocco's second-largest operator, Meditel, and is eyeing Middle Eastern opportunities, reports Reuters.

Naguib Sawiris, CEO of Orascom Telecom, says the Egyptian company’s initial bid for a 32 percent stake in Moroccan operator Meditel has been trumped by two other interested parties, reports TeleGeography, citing Reuters.