ICT

With plans under way for some of the most sophisticated wireless infrastructure on the continent, a sizeable network backbone, high mobile data usage and encouraging corporate demand, South Africa is bursting with opportunities for growth in information and communications technology (ICT).

The introduction of the latest wireless network technology – long-term evolution (LTE) networks – was a surprisingly delicate issue in South Africa in early 2012. It was expected that spectrum licences for the networks would be awarded before the year’s end, but, even as operators race to increase capacity, implementation complications have delayed...

Broadband internet is one of the fastest-developing markets in Bahrain, as an economically powerful consumer base calls for speedier and better-quality internet services. According to reports issued by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), there were around 290,000 internet subscribers in Bahrain in 2011, all of them broadband users,...

As the first country in the region to exploit its oil resources, Bahrain has long had a reputation as an early mover in the Gulf. Its information technology (IT) sector is no exception, with the first mainframe computer in the region installed by Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) in 1962. Following this pioneering trend, Bahrain was the first GCC...

A decade has passed since Bahrain’s telecoms sector was revolutionised by the liberalisation of the industry and the formation of an independent regulator. Over that time, the sector has evolved into one of the most open and diversified in the region. Fixed and mobile telephony and broadband services reach nearly every household, and many mobile...