A rising Internet connectivity rate in Kuwait is surprisingly proving expensive. A monthly Internet subscription in Kuwait costs up to 35 Kuwaiti dinars (KD), equivalent to approximately $100, compared to a standard subscription fee of $15 in the United States, or $10-$15 in Lebanon.
According to the chairman of the board of the Kuwaiti Quality Net Internet company, Khaled Ghanem, the relatively high cost of Internet subscription restricts the spread of Internet in Kuwait.
Ghanem, quoted in Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal magazine, added that the local ISP pays KD 7,500 to the Kuwaiti ministry of telecommunication to lease 2 Megabit through the Fiber Over Gulf. ISPs in other Arab Gulf states pay no more than KD 100 for the same service.
Ghanem revealed that Quality Net currently controls 75 percent of the Kuwaiti Internet market. He furthermore stated that the current number of local Internet subscribers is 120,000, a figure that could shortly rise to 150,000, since there are 150,000 personal computers in Kuwait. — (Albawaba-MEBG)
