Twenty nine operators offer 3G/3.5G cellular services in thirteen Arab countries.

A new Arab Advisors Group report reveals that by end of 2009, a total of twenty nine operators in thirteen Arab countries offered 3G/3.5G cellular services. The most common 3G/3.5G services offered by the operators are mobile Internet, followed by video calling and mobile TV. More operators are expected to commercially launch their 3G/3.5G services in 2010, these include: Orange in Jordan, Tunisie Orange Telecom in Tunisia and Wataniya Mobile in Palestine.

By the end of 2009, thirteen countries in the Arab World had commercial 3G/3.5G services. The third generation technology (3G/3.5G) allows mobile operators to provide an array of mobile services that require higher speeds. These services include: Local and international video calling, mobile Internet (broadband Internet), mobile TV, video mail, video monitoring and multiplayer gaming.

A new report, “3G/3.5G Cellular Services in the Arab World” was released to Arab Advisors Group’s Communications Strategic Research Service subscribers on February 8, 2010. This report can be purchased from the Arab Advisors Group for only US$ 950. The 76-page report, which has 103 detailed exhibits, fully analyzes and compares the 3G/3.5G services offered by twenty seven operators in the Arab world, as well as providing an in-depth profile of the 3G/3.5G services offered by each operator. Countries that offered commercial 3G/3.5G services by year-end 2009 are: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and UAE. This report details the offerings of twenty seven operators in twelve of these countries. Iraq’s main operators do not offer 3G services which were reportedly offered by a provincial operator. Furthermore, Wana the third cellular operator in Morocco only offers 3G voice services and offers mobile Internet services to its corporate subscribers only. The report also provides insights into 3G awareness and usage in the region based on Arab Advisors major surveys in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman and Tunisia. Please contact the Arab Advisors Group to get a copy of the report's Table of Contents.

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.

An investment in the report can also count towards attending Arab Advisors' 7th annual Media and Telecoms Convergence Conference on June 7 & 8 2010 at the Four Seasons in Amman. More information on the conference can be viewed on http://www.arabadvisors.com/Convergence/schedule.htm

“The Arab Advisors Group analysis of the 3G/3.5G operators revealed that all twenty seven operators offer mobile Internet. The local video calling service is offered by twenty two operators. Mobile TV is the third most common 3G service among the operators, and it is offered by thirteen operators.” Ms. Danya Nusseir, Arab Advisors Senior Research Analyst, and the author of the report, said. “Our research shows that by the end of 2009, Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen did not have commercial 3G/3.5G services”. Ms. Nusseir added.

“Ten more operators commercially launched 3G/3.5G services in the Arab World since April 2008. The number of cellular operators that provide 3G/3.5G services in the Arab World stood at nineteen in April 2008. The substantial increase in the number of 3G/3.5G operators bodes well for the development of the Arab broadband markets” Dr. Nasser Jabari, Arab Advisors Director of Research and Consulting, noted.

The Arab Advisors Group’s team of analysts in the region has produced over 1,800 reports on the Arab World’s communications and media 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 560 global and regional companies by providing reliable research analysis and forecasts of Arab communications and media markets. Some of our clients can be viewed on http://www.arabadvisors.com/clients.htm