All Countries and All Sectors

With several major infrastructure projects slated for 2013-14 and a land acquisition reform bill waiting in the wings, Indonesia is clearly working to address one of the most severe restrictions to its competitiveness. The bill will help clear away obstacles for the many public works in the pipeline, but significant legal and financial obstacles remain that will continue to slow growth.

Efforts to expand the reach of broadband internet to encompass the entire country are expected to help Oman meet the needs of its growing economy, but the sheer size of the country and the scope of laying out necessary infrastructure present significant challenges.

With strong consumer confidence and a sound economic outlook for the immediate future, Saudi Arabia’s retail sector appears set for a good year of trading. Concerns over rising inflation, particularly with Ramadan underway, however, mean that consumers may begin eyeing price tags more carefully.

The limestone deposits of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), along with the emirate’s five ports, an airport and good road links to the rest of the UAE and GCC, have enabled the emirate to develop a substantial industrial sector, most notably in ceramics. Indeed, despite facing rising costs and uncertainty in overseas markets, RAK’s flagship industrial manufacturer recently reached a major milestone.

El desarrollo de la red de telefonía móvil en Colombia alcanzó un hito a mediados de junio a partir del lanzamiento en el país del primer servicio de tecnología 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution). La iniciativa representa uno de los primeros lanzamientos de 4G en América Latina y hace parte de una red de esfuerzos más grande que ha desarrollado el gobierno colombiano para disminuir la brecha digital e incrementar la penetración del Internet.

After almost two years of delay, Port Moresby is preparing for its imminent connection to Papua New Guinea’s (PNG’s) 10 gigabyte per second (GBps) fibre-optic gateway in Madang. Connected via a 750-km cable that will piggyback the ExxonMobil liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline, the new connection is expected to drastically reduce internet rates, thus serving as a catalyst for wholesale market change across the telecommunications sector.