Developing Telecoms | 26 operators now host commercial WiMAX across 11 countries in MENA

17 May 2012

Regional Trends

LATEST NEWS:

Thai operator secures wireless distribution agreement Financial services project reaching out to millions of Africans Fibre investment on the way in Algeria Android tablets gaining popularity in Southeast Asia Bharti seeking JV takeover as profits slide Solar-powered learning initiative takes off in Uganda GSMA voices criticism of Indian licensing proposals Enhanced mobile broadband deploying across three Baltic countries Market developments lay the foundation for future growth in Iraq India Feels More Shockwaves from the So-called ‘2G Scandal' Overpriced broadband faces fibre challenge in Angola First commercial 4G services go live in Croatia VimpelCom sells Vietnamese assets TRAI advocates new operators entering 2G auctions Romania’s first MVNE launching imminently Indian tax change could provoke legal action from Vodafone Mobile growth slows in Iran as penetration reaches saturation point Thailand close to finalising 3G auction process Internet Exchange Points Spur Internet Growth in Emerging Markets Incoming fibre boosts investment prospects for Burundi 3G on the way in Djibouti, but competition is required Saudi incumbent looks abroad amidst heated domestic competition Orascom serves Algerian government with arbitration notice Kenya’s mobile sector recovering from slump Download deal aims at attracting Indian Android users Bangladesh set for mobile & internet growth as Indian relations improve Android takes the lead in China by doubling market share Liberalisation driving growth for Bahrain’s broadband Partnership agreement drives roaming costs down across nine African countri... Indian 2G licence cancellations affirmed by Supreme Court TeliaSonera in talks over MegaFon’s future HSPA+ upgrade for Thailand’s state operator Growth set to continue in the Philippines despite looming saturation

26 operators now host commercial WiMAX across 11 countries in MENA

Tuesday, 20 July 2010 11:33 | James Barton

Attention: open in a new window.

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.

More info: