Bahrain has a history of involvement with telecoms that dates back to 1864, when the island became a way station for the telegraph cable link between India and Europe. It was the first country in the Middle East to install a mainframe computer (at the Bahrain Petroleum Company, BAPCO, in 1962), to install a satellite station (1969) and to...
Telecoms operators across Bahrain have become increasingly spectrum-hungry over the past few years. Since the late 2000s, when uptake of smart-phones began to rise sharply, then-existing 3G capacity started to look increasingly inadequate. At the same time, margins of voice services have continued to decline, prompting telecoms firms to seek...
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...
Low oil prices will undoubtedly continue to be a significant challenge for Bahrain in 2016. However the kingdom’s early moves to diversify its economy mean the country is well placed to weather the storm and non-oil segments are expected to continue performing well in 2016.
With two well established full-network operators complemented by a range of dynamic “reseller” players, Oman’s telecommunications market is lively and competitive. Growing market maturity has led to operators looking to boost take up of mobile internet and value-added services (VAS) in order to drive revenues, while targeting niches with...
Having adopted a forward-looking strategy for ICT development a decade ago, Oman has made great strides in building up its technological infrastructure and its capacity, within both the government and the private sector. “There has been an increase in the demand for IT services, particularly from the private sector who know the value of...
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