The fixed markets in the Arab countries are still dominated by monopoly operators, threatened by the increasing trend towards “fixed to mobile migration or substitution”. A new study by the Arab Advisors Group of twelve fixed operators shows that the total number of mainlines exceeded 20.69 million by yearend 2002, a combined penetration rate of 10.6 percent.
Telecom Egypt served the largest number of lines. Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC), Telecom Egypt and Etisalat generated the highest Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) revenues among the examined operators.
The mobile market in the Arab World is overriding the PSTN market. By end of year 2002, the total number of cellular subscribers for nineteen mobile operators exceeded 22.2 million subscribers, a combined penetration rate of 11.45 percent.
The bulk of the cellular subscribers belonged to Saudi Telecommunications Company, Maroc Telecom and Etisalat, where the three together had more than 50 percent of the total mobile subscriber base for all the examined operators.
The average GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) monthly Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU) for the fifteen examined mobile operators was $43 in 2002 with a median of $46. Saudi Telecom, one again, had the highest monthly ARPU in 2002. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
