The Middle East and Africa region has a strong position in mobile internet connections. It ranks second among all regions in mobile internet connections, which highlights the rapid growth in the region’s mobile network infrastructure.
In 2021, the Middle East and Africa region registered a 10% increase in the number of mobile internet subscribers, with a total subscriber base of 947 million. This led to an increase in the revenue for the region by 6% in 2021, with revenue reaching $83 billion.
The mobile average revenue per user (ARPU) in the Middle East region in 2021 stood at $296 per month, which increased 2.5% due to an increase in the number of subscribers as the demand for voice and data services grew, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing use of the internet for digital entertainment by users pushed up the demand for mobile data services. The subscriber base for 5G services also increased, following the rollout of 5G services in most of the countries in the region.
Qatar and Kuwait remained the top countries with the highest mobile ARPU of $26 and $22 per month, respectively. In the Middle East and Africa region, the mobile subscriber base grew at a CAGR of 12% during 2018–21.
The major telecom companies in the Middle East and Africa region include Saudi Telecom, Etisalat Group, Ooredoo, Zain Group, Vodafone, and Airtel.
In the Middle East, Zain Group, in its recent earnings call, reported growth in its revenue due to an increase in the number of subscribers.
In the African region, consumption of 5G services is expected to increase as the number of consumers becoming digitally savvy is increasing considerably. In Africa, Airtel saw a rise in its customer base by 3.1 million users in the year 2021.
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