Investments and capital expenditure (capex) by the telecom sector have been higher than QR1bn in the last five years and increased considerably in 2019, the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has said in a report.
Retail telecom sector investments last year amounted to QR1.7bn and it earned a revenue of QR9.7bn.
Telecom sector revenue has remained at about QR10bn since 2015.
A CRA snapshot showed that the mobile telephone subscriptions in Qatar stood at 3.9mn, while fixed voice and broadband subscriptions at 0.5mn in 2019.
The number of subscriptions has remained stable since Q1, 2017, indicating a “mature” market, the CRA noted.
Postpaid subscriptions have increased from 16% to 25%, also a sign of a “maturing” market.
Mobile telephone penetration stood at 143% while mobile broadband penetration was at 129% as of December 2019.
National mobile voice traffic has displayed stability while national data traffic has grown substantially, it said.
In its report, the CRA said, “The number of subscriptions to fixed voice and broadband presents a picture of solid usage of fixed voice and broadband in Qatar. Fiber is by far the most prevalent technology for fixed broadband in Qatar.”
According to the CRA, speeds have continuously been upgraded in Qatar. The high prevalence of fiber has supported the substantial speed upgrades. Nearly 86% of the fixed broadband subscriptions are with advertised speeds of 30 Mbps or more.
“In line with its mandate, the CRA ensures to develop an open telecom sector and transparent regulatory environment. We will keep publishing the updated report quarterly in collaboration with the telecom service providers, as a reliable, transparent and consistent source of information, so consumers, investors and service providers would constantly have access to updated information related to the telecom market,” said Mohamed Ali al-Mannai, president, CRA.
“The report indicates that the market is maturing. I would like to thank the telecom service providers for their efforts in adopting new technologies and modernising their network, improving and diversifying the services that they provide to their customers, and contributing to the development of the economy in Qatar,” he added.
The data in the report were collected and elaborated by the CRA based on service providers’ regulatory reports that they provide every quarter. The report includes key indicators related to market statistics like voice and broadband subscriptions for both fixed and mobile services, voice and data traffic for mobile services, in addition to trends in advertised fixed broadband speed.
Besides, the report includes financial information like the main service providers’ revenues and investments/capital expenditures also as percentage of their revenues in the telecom sector.
Mohamed Ali al-Mannai, president of CRA.
