More than 12 percent of Internet users in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are using broadband access, with Kuwait leading the way with 29 percent broadband Internet penetration.
Other countries with high broadband penetration are Bahrain at 22.59 percent, Qatar at 19.4 percent and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 16.6 percent, stated a press release published by IT solutions provider Al-Falak.
Broadband Internet connection is an 'always on' connection that offers speeds of over 64 Kilo Bytes per second (kbps) compared to narrow band's 56 Kbps. The high speed connections that include ISDN Local Area Network (LAN), Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) and connectivity via satellite are poised to register further growth in the Middle East, driven by recreational and professional applications such as video streaming, network gaming and IP telephony.
Broadband connectivity is growing at a fast pace amongst the institutional users in the Middle East, with users such as the Technology, eCommerce and Media (TECOM) Free Zone in the UAE demonstrating the commercial benefits of high speed connections.
With the government in Saudi Arabia investing heavily in boosting IT penetration in the country through increased emphasis on eGovernance and with a growing number of businesses opting for high-tech operations, Internet penetration is growing at a rapid pace.
Large corporations, institutional users, as well as eLearning and eCommerce sectors in the region are expected to increase the numbers of users connected to the Web at high speeds. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
