Qatar mobile market adds 564,000 new subscribers in 9 months up to Sept: BMI

Ooredoo has been investing in network upgrade and technological improvements, including developing 5G technological solutions with Ericsson.By Pratap JohnChief Business ReporterQatar’s mobile market has added an “impressive” 564,000 new subscribers in nine months up to September, ending the third quarter of this year with nearly 4.69mn users, a new report has shown.BMI Research, in its latest ‘Qatar Telecommunications Report’, anticipates stable growth prospects till the end of our forecast period, driven by infrastructure development and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.“We have made some positive upward revisions to the Qatari mobile market forecast in our Q1, 2016 report update,” said BMI Research, a Fitch Group company. According to BMI Research, the Qatari market performed well in nine months up to September, “outperforming” its initial forecasts. The growth has been propelled by infrastructure and economic development projects, the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup and the arrival of migrant families. Qatar benefits from a wealthy population, which drives the demand for advanced data services, and a large migrant community that is a factor for growth. Operators have to cater to both segments, with the profitability coming from the former. High average revenue per user (ARPU) is underpinned by the uptake of LTE and fibre services in the country, as well as multiple-SIM ownership through multiple-device ownership (smartphone, tablet, dongle). “This requires a high level of investment to meet demand and ensure a strong quality of service, especially on LTE networks. This gives the incumbent an advantage, as its rival has not made a profit in the market since launching in 2009,” BMI said. Ooredoo has been investing in network upgrade and technological improvements, including developing 5G technological solutions with Ericsson, it said.  Qatar ranks third in BMI’s latest Risk/Reward Index for the Middle East and North Africa, with a score of 59.1 compared to a regional average of 47.5. The country outperforms the average in all four categories, and saw a small increase in its country risks this quarter, with the remainder staying unchanged, BMI noted. Meanwhile, Ooredoo Qatar and Nokia Networks recently launched LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) three-band carrier aggregation technology on the Ooredoo Supernet. Nokia technology enables the operator to provide higher data speeds of up to 375mbps to Ooredoo customers. The higher speeds are already available in several high-traffic areas of Doha, including West Bay, the Corniche and Katara Cultural Village. With this new technology, people using Category 9 (CAT 9)-capable handsets can benefit from data intensive services, including ultra-high-definition video download, and upcoming trends, including virtual reality, an Ooredoo release showed. Vodafone Qatar recently invested more than QR150mn in its network infrastructure in six months up to September, which included the “continued upgrade” of all of its network sites, reaching them at the forefront of technology.Vodafone has also improved its 3G and 4G coverage and further increased capacity, which has produced a significantly better customer experience on both voice and data services.