Qatar Telecom Market - Growth, Trends, Impact Of COVID-19, and Forecasts (2023-2028)

Key Highlights

• The Qatar telecom market witnessed growth in recent years, and it is anticipated to continue developing over the forecast period. The change in the industry is primarily due to the increasing urban population with the rising adoption of mobile phones that support 3G, 4G, and 5G services. Qatar's Telecom sector is expected to grow substantially over the forecast period with the rising adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), which connects with wired and wireless broadband.
• The growth of the Qatar telecom market is driven by the increasing population, communication services, and rising adoption of smartphone services. The development is further supported by regulatory authorities, which play a significant role in the adoption of 5G network in the country.
• 5G network enables autonomous vehicles and customer services, including physical infrastructure and contractual agreements. However, 5G network adoption may face hurdles from public organizations as it might lead to technical challenges and threaten public safety and health. A key technical challenge in the adoption of 5G band is that they tend to have a limited range, and lower penetration rates hampered the pilot tests.
• In March 2022, Ooredoo Qatar, in partnership with Ericsson, announced the successful implementation of the world's first 5G Indoor shareable solution in Qatar, achieving speeds of 1.5 gigabits per second (Gbps). The partnership will help deploy indoor networks faster and offer the highest performance possible to deliver on new 5G opportunities and enhance Erricson's customer experience.

Qatar Telecom Market Trends

Deployment of 5G Technology

• Qatar is considered one of the regional leaders in telecoms maturity, having one of the highest fixed and mobile penetrations in the Middle East. Qatar is also one of the more progressive countries in terms of its progress toward 5G.
• Qatar telecom companies are adopting 5G technology quite fast, and billions of devices will soon depend on the system for communication and information exchange. The fifth-generation technology (5G) network has several efficiencies. It gives people, data, and applications, infrastructures, and networked environments. However, there are fears that it may cause adverse environmental and health effects.
• A significant part of 5G network investment in Qatar is targeted at the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Ooredoo and Vodafone are major players in the Qatar telecom market looking for a chance to demonstrate the capabilities and strength of their 5G networks to a global audience. They are heavily investing in their 5G networks, with Ooredoo taking the lead by attaining 99.5% population coverage in the first quarter of 2022, followed by Vodafone, which is committed to providing universal coverage by the end of 2022.
• 5G networks better support technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), which contributes to the sustainable growth of the Information and communications technology (ICT) sector and other sectors linked with these technologies.

Increasing Number of Mobile Networks

• According to the Telecom Report 2021, released by Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), Qatar is witnessing an increase in mobile broadband penetration rate. The mobile penetration rate in 2021 was recorded as 132%, which was previously recorded as 129% in 2020.
• The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) issued the Regulation for the Standards for Government Telecom Duct Infrastructure Design and Construction. CRA focuses on establishing and setting common requirements and standards that are aligned with Qatar's government telecom duct infrastructure needs. Telecom service providers have successfully implemented more than 13,000 house connections by implementing 24 projects in the past two years.
• In October 2022, Qatar's Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) announced an individual license to provide public satellite telecommunications networks and services to Starlink Satellite Qatar. The license authorization will enable Starlink Satellite Qatar to offer satellite broadband Internet services to Qatar. It is expected to deliver mobile connectivity to remote areas of Qatar, such as offshore zones for oil and gas platforms, sea vessels, and aircraft. It is also expected to provide backup power in case of outages.

Qatar Telecom Market Competitor Analysis

• February 2022 - Vodafone Qatar announced the launch of an international subsea cable station that hosts the largest subsea cable project because of a 20-year agreement signed with (STC) Saudi Telecom Company. The company would build and operate an exclusive subsea cable station, which would make Qatar a part of a multi-regional project that would support an ever-growing global digital economy, and extends local and international opportunities.

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