Telecoms & IT

Bahrain is home to one of the most liberalised telecoms sectors in the Middle East. Although it is a relatively small market, the country is keen to leverage telecommunications to facilitate broader economic growth, with the third National Telecommunications Plan, issued in 2012 and running until end-2015, envisaging the industry as a key enabler of socioeconomic development. Data services have continued to witness exploding demand in the country, with mobile broadband accounting for 38% of usage in the fourth quarter of 2013, up from 35% in the first quarter. In response to expected continued growth trajectories, the government has allocated funds of $68.5m between 2013 and 2017 for the further development of the national broadband network.

This chapter contains an interview with Muna Al Hashemi, CEO, Batelco.