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26 operators now host commercial WiMAX across 11 countries in MENA
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WiMAX has seen phenomenal growth throughout the MENA region since it was first launched in Algeria in 2007. The service is now offered by 26 of the 55 operators licensed to provide it, and is now commercially available in 11 countries in the Arab world...
WiMAX has seen phenomenal growth throughout the MENA region since it was first launched in Algeria in 2007. The service is now offered by 26 of the 55 operators licensed to provide it, and is now commercially available in 11 countries in the Arab world: Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the UAE. Moreover, Yemen and Oman are slated to begin offering WiMAX services in the second half of 2010.
The Arab Advisors Group expects an increase of 3 operators, at least, by the end of 2010. The group has released a new report which investigates the availability of WiMAX regulations in 18 Arab countries, the frequencies used, entities that have tested WiMAX or pre-WiMAX services, and vendors for equipment.
“There are still no detailed regulations specific to WiMAX in some Arab countries. Still, a few have specified the type of licence that needs to be obtained to provide WiMAX service. For example, in Algeria, the company should have a VoIP authorization and the regulator’s specified band for WiMAX. In Jordan, the company should have an individual licence needed to use the frequency (a scarce resource) as well as win the spectrum auction for WiMAX”, notes Alaa Numair, a research analyst at Arab Advisors Group.
“The top three frequencies allocated to operators in the Arab world are 3.5 GHz, 3.6 GHz and 2.6 MHz. The 3.5 GHz band, allocated to 19 out of 55 licensed operators to provide WiMAX, is the most common allocated frequency in the Arab countries. 3.6 MHz and 2.6 MHz followed with 8 and 7 licensed operators, respectively”, adds fellow research analyst Tareq Masarweh.
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