Who’s who in Arab ADSL rates? The highest, the lowest and the fairest!

April 17, 2007

The Arab Advisors Group analyzed the ADSL rates in seventeen Arab countries. Mauritania has the highest ADSL cost, while Egypt has the lowest cost. When comparing these rates with the GDP per capita in each country, the GCC countries lead the pack.

ADSL remains the prevailing Internet broadband technology in the Arab World. Uptake is strong in many countries especially as ISPs launch promotions and reduce their rates. The Arab Advisors Group has analyzed the ADSL service provision and rates in the following Arab countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.

The analysis from the Arab Advisors Group reveals valuable insights into the ADSL rates and total cost in the Arab world. The total annual cost of residential ADSL services for the 256 Kbps downstream speed in the Arab region ranges from a minimum of US$ 231 per year to a maximum of US$ 1,289 per year, while the average regional annual cost stood at US$ 600. As for the 512 Kbps download stream, the rates ranged from US$ 375 up to US$ 2,174, while the average regional annual cost stood at US$ 853.

A new report, “ADSL Rates in the Arab World: A Regional Comparison” was released to the Arab Advisors Group’s Telecoms Strategic Research Service subscribers on April 01, 2007. This report can be purchased from the Arab Advisors Group for only US$ 500. The 27-page report, which has 17 detailed exhibits, provides a comprehensive analysis of the ADSL rates offered by the main ISPs in the Arab countries during January 2007. The report covers the aforementioned seventeen countries that offered the ADSL service.

Any investment in this report will count towards an annual Strategic Research Service subscription should the service be acquired within three months from purchasing the report.

The investment can also count towards attending Arab Advisors’ fourth annual Media and Telecoms Convergence Conference on June 4 & 5 2007 at the Four Seasons in Amman. More information on the conference can be seen at http://www.arabadvisors.com/Convergence/schedule.htm

Please contact the Arab Advisors Group for full information on the conference, agenda and sponsorship opportunities.

“The Arab Advisors Group concluded with the ADSL Affordability Measure (AAM). The total annual cost of ADSL in a country was calculated as a % of that country’s GDP per capita, whereby the higher the score the less affordable the service will be in that country. For the 256 Kbps download speed, this calculation indicates that Mauritania has the highest score of 199.4%, followed by Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE with the lowest score of 1.6%.” Mr. Hussam Barhoush, Arab Advisors Research Analyst wrote in the report.

The ADSL Affordability Measure (AAM) for the 512 Kbps download speed, calculation indicates that Mauritania has the highest score of 336.2%, followed by Sudan, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar with the lowest rate of 1.5%.

The Arab Advisors Group’s team of analysts in the region has already produced over 765 reports on the Arab World’s communications, media and financial markets. The reports can be purchased individually or received through an annual subscription to Arab Advisors Group’s (www.arabadvisors.com) Strategic Research Services (Media and Telecom). To date, Arab Advisors Group has served over 410 global and regional companies by providing reliable research analysis and forecasts of Arab communications markets to these clients.