27 million MENA broadband subscribers by 2014

The MENA region will continue to experience some of the world’s highest growth rates in broadband subscriber numbers, according to a new report.

Informa Telecoms & Media’s Middle East & North Africa Broadband report states that the 66 percent growth witnessed in 2008 will level out at around 24.9 percent (compound annual growth rate) by 2014. By this time there will be a total of 27 million high-speed internet subscriptions in the region.

“Perceptions about the Middle East and North Africa countries’ ability to foster e-commerce are increasingly becoming outdated,” said Mohammed Hamza, senior broadband analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.

The report cites the demand for media services as one of the major bandwidth drivers.

“The prospects for broadband in the MENA region will continue to grow as operators improve infrastructure to make their services more attractive with multi-play offers. In addition media companies will begin to respond with more relevant online content aimed specifically at the region,” said Hamza.

“Operators across the region are beginning to invest heavily in getting high-speed, high-capacity and cost effective telecoms networks into the region and the current infrastructure is much more advanced than perhaps they have been given credit for,” added Hamza.

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