ICT

The government’s New Kuwait 2035 strategy has signalled ICT development as a key pillar that is expected to attract investment and boost the local economy. In 2016 telecoms accounted for 7.7% of non-oil revenue and 3.92% of total GDP at constant prices, according to the Central Statistical Bureau. Though its contribution to the non-oil sector grew to 8.2% in 2017, its GDP share dipped slightly to 3.86%; however, sector contribution to GDP is regaining momentum, with telecoms accounting for about 5% in the first half of 2018. The sector generated $1.9bn at constant prices by the end of the second quarter of 2018, a year-on-year growth of 34%, and its positive trajectory is expected to continue, backed by the expansion of three international mobile network operators in Kuwait: VIVA, Ooredoo and Zain. This chapter contains an interview with Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Badran, CEO, VIVA Kuwait.