There are many positive developments occurring in the liberalised telecoms market of Bahrain, according to Research & Markets.
Telecommunications industry revenues are rising, mobile penetration is very high and mobile data is growing faster than voice. There are now well over 2.8 million mobile subscriptions in the Kingdom and penetration sits at over 200%.
Consumers are reaping the benefit of competition which has led to a decline in prices for services. Roaming costs have also dropped and will continue to do so for the next few years. The unlicensed mobile sector, led by handset devices, resulted in a revenue growth of 88% between 2014 and 2015.
With mobile subscribers accounting for the majority of broadband subscriptions in Bahrain, the operators are focusing heavily on improving mobile infrastructure. LTE networks are well established and the operators are now looking towards new services like VoLTE, LTE-A, M2M and the potential of 5G in the future.
Bahrain's Fourth National Telecommunications Plan was prepared by the end of 2015 and given approval by the Ministry in May 2016. It will focus on fibre-optic infrastructure and affordable prices for high-speed access. It also includes 5G development and readiness.
