Synopsis
The Middle East mobile market goes from strength to strength, reaching dizzyingly high penetration levels in some countries, whilst growth remains surprisingly solid, spurred on by increasing competition and economic growth. In response to greater competition at home, incumbent telcos have expanded rapidly, becoming major players not only in the Middle East but also in Africa and, increasingly, Asia by buying new licences and established operators. The Internet and broadband sector is much less developed with the very notable exception of Israel and to a lesser extent some of the Gulf countries. Greater market liberalisation is gradually opening the market. This report presents key statistics and analysis on the telecoms market in 2009, noting the principal developments.
