Nigeria's fourth largest mobile operator Etisalat has announced that subscribers on its network have reached the 18 million mark.

Acting chief executive officer at Etisalat, Matthew Willsher commented about the increase of subscribers and said the "achievement is evidence of the company’s commitment to the delivery of experiential customer service to its customers in the country."

"The swift and steady growth in our subscriber numbers is an evidence of the acceptance we have enjoyed from our customers and the superior products and services we offer. We are delighted to have been able to hit such a figure in just five years of commercial operations despite our position as the fifth entrant into the dynamic Nigerian telecoms market," Willsher added.

Etisalat Nigeria, a unit of United Arab Emirates (UAE) headquartered operator Etisalat, has been operating in Nigeria's telecommunications industry for the past five years.

According to Etisalat it has operations in the Middle East, Asia and Africa with a total of 150 million subscribers.