A subsidiary of Bahrain-based Batelco,[1] it is the third and most recent GSM cellular phone company to enter the Jordanian telecom market.

Umniah was founded in August 2004 by former Fastlink (now Zain Jordan) executive Michael Dagher and Fouad Al Ghanem Group of Kuwait with Huawei Technologies and HP as strategic partners.

Umniah was granted the second GSM license in August 2004 issued by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission to operate, manage and own a public digital cellular mobile network.

[3] In June 2006 Batelco, the state-owned Bahraini telco, acquired 96 percent of Umniah's shares for $415 million[4] with the rest being held by The Underprivileged Student Support Fund.

[6] By the end of 2007 Umniah customer base reached one million subscribers.