Bahrain’s position as a regional leader in telecommunications was confirmed by the Arab Advisors Group at the 5th Annual Media and Telecoms Convergence Conference.
Using the Total Country Connectivity Measure (TCCM), the Group revealed the groundbreaking progress made by Bahrain which has led to the impressive score of 210.4% connectivity per person - dwarfing the regional average of 135.37%.
Bahrain - which has a reputation for leading ICT in the region - was rated above its fellow GCC states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. The Kingdom’s success in connectivity owes much to the recent growth in fixed telephone lines and the internet as well as the traditional source of growth in connectivity, increases in cellular phones. Both reflect the liberalisation policies introduced by the government in 2002 designed to increase competition and choice in the Kingdom’s ICT market.
Since its establishment in 2002 the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, which follows international best practices, has issued 152 licences as of December 2007, eight of which are national fixed line providers. The Oxford Business Group reported that Bahrain invested more of its GDP in ICT than any other GCC country in 2006. Major multi-national companies including Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Zain have chosen to establish regional offices in Bahrain.
Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al-Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board commented:
‘Communication and connectivity lie at the heart of Bahrain’s vision to provide the best environment for business in the GCC. Businesses locating in Bahrain recognise the excellent ICT infrastructure as one of the many advantages that moving to the Kingdom can bring.
Connectivity and wider ICT development are a vital part of the Kingdom’s economic diversification and Bahrain continues its leading role in the region to adopt state-of-the-art technology. Bahrain is fully committed to ensuring a competitive telecommunications industry, and in recent years the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has made considerable strides in diversifying the industry and improving services.’
The results build on Bahrain’s strong track record in ICT. It was the first Middle Eastern country to install a computer, introduce smartcards and hold an online referendum. Bahrain’s success in ICT is largely due to the Government’s policies designed to foster greater connectivity within Bahrain, by liberalising the telecommunications industry and allowing competition to fuel the rapid expansion of this sector of the economy.
The Total Country Connectivity Measure recognised the ever-increasing number of Bahrainis that are connected via telecommunications or internet access. The Arab Advisors Group measured Bahrain’s connectivity by adding together the household mainline telephone penetration, cellular penetration, and Internet users penetration rates within the country.