The report estimates that there will be more than 50 million 5G connections across the MENA region by 2025.
Operators in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region will be amongst the first in the world to launch commercial 5G networks, according to a new report, titled The Mobile Economy: Middle East and North Africa 2017, published at the GSMA Mobile 360 Series MENA conference in Dubai on 9-10 October, 2017.
The report estimates that there will be more than 50 million 5G connections across the MENA region by 2025, with 5G networks covering approximately 30% of the regions population by that point. The report also highlights how mobile broadband (3G/4G) networks account for about half of total mobile connections in the MENA region today and are forecast to increase to 70% of the total by the end of the decade.
With rising mobile broadband adoption, growing subscriber numbers and increasing smartphone use, mobile is having an incredible impact across this diverse region, ushering in an era of innovative tech startups and new mobile services, as well as helping to connect the unconnected, said Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA. At the same time, we urge operators to continue investment in 4G networks to ensure future growth and encourage governments to set policies that promote technological, social and economic progress to create a society where all citizens can benefit from mobile technology.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states will be amongst the first in the world to launch commercial 5G networks. High 4G adoption rates and government support is helping leading operators to challenge both North American and Asian operators in driving 5G development. Both Etisalat and Ooredoo are already undertaking live 5G trials on speed, equipment, latency and beam steering, with commercial launches expected in 2020.
There were 365 million unique subscribers across the region at the end of 2016, accounting for 63% of the population, which is expected to rise to 399 million or 65% by 2020.
The report highlights that there are significant variations in mobile market maturity between the different countries across the region. In the GCC States, 76% of the population are mobile subscribers, with three of these markets (Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE) having a subscriber penetration rate of 90% or above, placing them among the most penetrated mobile countries in the world. By contrast, North Africa has an average subscriber penetration rate of 67 %, and across the Other Arab States, penetration stands at 46%, including three markets where less than a third of the population subscribe to mobile services (Comoros, Djibouti and Somalia).
The study highlights that, due to the huge rise in smartphone adoption across the region, a wide array of mobile services are being consumed, such as video, social media, e-commerce and financial services.
