The Middle East ICT

With low prices translating into sustained growth in subscriber numbers, Jordan’s highly competitive mobile phone market now has a penetration rate of over 108%. To keep that number increasing, industry players are calling for a sales tax on smartphones to be rescinded, while also launching new mobile phone-based services.

Significant progress has been made on the goals set out for Jordan’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector to reach by the end of 2011, with internet penetration rates, foreign direct investment (FDI) and revenues all increasing, even as government spending declines. Expanded plans for the sector for the 2010-16 period should be finalised by the end of this year.

Efforts to deepen the penetration of information and communications technology (ICT) in everyday life in Oman are gathering pace, with state-backed investments targeting improved and faster access to advanced applications. The government has been stepping up spending on ICT as part of its policy – formally launched in 2002 – of providing the private sector with the tools to expand and diversify as well as putting in place a state e-infrastructure to improve services provision to the public and promote the development of a knowledge-based economy.

Fixed-line telephone services in Kuwait are currently owned by the state, however, this may be set to change, according to recent statements by government officials. At the same time, the establishment of an independent regulatory agency for the communications sector is being considered. Both of these changes would dramatically affect the country’s internet service providers (ISPs), which have recently been subject to criticism from local internet users for their decision to implement “fair access” policies.

As Turkey’s internet usage rises and opportunities for online shopping gain traction, the rapid expansion of the e-commerce market has attracted the attention of international players.

The telecommunications industry in Sharjah and the wider UAE is expecting important changes with the introduction of long-term evolution (LTE) and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services, as well as mobile number portability (MNP), all of which look set to be launched later this year by the country’s two biggest telecoms firms.