With the advent of new operators and increased competition in 2008, cellular subscribers in 19 examined Arab countries reached 194.533 million. AlJawal and MobiNil sustained their top rankings by June 2008, with 17.8 million and 16.3 million subscribers respectively. Vodafone Egypt ended the period with 15.2 million subscribers, settling as the third largest mobile operator in the region. These are key findings from a new report A scorecard of key performance indicators of Arab Telecom Operators 2008, which was released to the Arab Advisors Group's Telecoms Strategic Research Service subscribers on November 23.
UAE recorded the highest cellular penetration rate by June this year, 198.6% followed by Saudi Arabia (123.3%). Both countries report subscribers based on active on the switch method. UAE also had the highest fixed line penetration rate for the period (29.4%).
On the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) front, Qatar's Qtel recorded the highest ARPU for fixed services, while Zain Kuwait recorded the highest ARPU for cellular services by June 2008.
The 61-page report, which has 46 detailed exhibits, provides a comprehensive analysis of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the fixed voice and mobile operators in the Arab region for 2007 and the first six months of 2008. The 19 countries covered in this report are: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.
Two separate sections cover fixed operators and mobile operators. The report offers analytical comparisons between the service providers, by examining their performance in terms of the absolute number of subscribers, penetration rates, revenues, monthly Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), market shares, and key financial profitability ratios.
Issa Goussous Sr, Research Analyst at Arab Advisors Group, writes as follows in the report: "The Arab cellular markets continue to grow at a high pace, while the fixed line markets are either growing slowly or stagnating. By H1 2008, cellular operators added around 18 million subscribers while all the fixed line operators added a mere 1.4 million mainlines. Cellular operators in Egypt and Saudi recorded the highest subscriber additions in by H1 2008. MobiNil topped the ranks with 2.121 million added subscribers by H1 2008.
"Competition in cellular services is a main driver for growth. Several cellular operators recorded high growth rates by H1 2008. Al Madar Aljadid in Libya recorded the highest growth rate amongst all cellular operators, which stood at 57.1%, followed by UAE's du at 53.3%."
The report covers cellular and fixed operators in addition to Integrated Communications Providers (ICPs) that provide both fixed and mobile services. The ICPs covered include Algerie Telecom (Algeria), Batelco and Zain Bahrain (Bahrain), Etisalat and du (UAE), Jordan Telecom Group (Jordan), Maroc Telecom, Medi Telecom and Wana (Morocco), Paltel (Palestine), Qtel (Qatar), Saudi Telecommunications Company (Saudi Arabia), Tunisie Telecom (Tunisia), Sudatel (which provides mobile services under the brand name Sudani), Mauritel and Chinguitel (Mauritania) and Omantel (Oman).
* The Arab Advisors Group's team of analysts in the region has already produced over 1,300 reports on the Arab World's communications and media markets. The reports can be purchased individually or received through an annual subscription to Arab Advisors Group's Strategic Research Services (Media and Telecom). To date, Arab Advisors Group has served over 500 global and regional companies by providing research analysis and forecasts of Arab communications markets to these clients. A scorecard of key performance indicators of Arab Telecom Operators 2008 can be purchased from Arab advisors Group for US$2,000.
More info:
