Mobile operators Etisalat and MTN Group may be competitors in African markets such as Nigeria, but this hasn’t stopped the two firms from announcing a data partnership in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a press statement, Etisalat, which has operations in the Middle East and Africa, has on Monday announced its partnership with Pan-African and Mideast operator MTN Group to help extend its regional network reach via the Etisalat SmartHub.

Etisalat's SmartHub is a global communications hub facilitating direct routing of traffic among the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.

The facility is based in the UAE and provides advanced content, internetwork packet exchange (IPX), internet exchange (IX) and high speed data services.

And MTN Group plans to connect through Etisalat's SmartHub to expand its advanced data network capabilities.

The partnership is further intended to enable MTN Group to connect via an additional route to Europe, in a bid to benefit its customer base in the Middle East.

MTN has operations in nations such as Syria and Iran. Worldwide, MTN has a total connection base of 203.8 million.

"We are delighted to have such a prestigious telecom group as MTN join the SmartHub community of operators and content providers. SmartHub is designed to provide our partners with a one stop shop for connectivity to the region,” said Ali Amiri, executive vice president, carrier and wholesale services, Etisalat.

"This partnership with MTN Group showcases the importance of the SmartHub as well as puts UAE in the limelight as the regional hub for telecom services. We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship and enhancing customer experience," said Amiri.

Jyoti Desai, group chief technology and information officer, MTN said: "Etisalat's Smarthub is seen as an important hub in our bid to expand MTN's world class global multi-services network, as it allows us to provide advanced communication services to our customers in the Middle East and Africa. The rising significance of UAE's strategic position as the communication network hub for the Middle East and Africa region underpins the importance of this partnership in our expansion plan."