Jordan second in Arab world in mobile market competitiveness

AMMAN — As Jordan was ranked the second most competitive cellular market in the Arab world, Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) on Monday called for a revision of the regulatory and taxation system to ensure sustainability of investment in telecom networks.

“It is good news that competition is high in Jordan. This has positive implications for customers, results in very low rates, and prompts operators to continue to develop their services,” Jawad Abbassi, head of MENA region at GSMA, told The Jordan Times on Monday.

However, Abbassi called for revising regulations and taxes imposed on the industry to enable telecom companies to boost their investments.

“As the market is developing, regulations in the sector need to develop and be in line with market trends,” he stressed, adding that the telecom market in Jordan is one of the fastest-growing in the region in terms of penetration rates and services.

Saudi Arabia ranked first in the Arab Advisors Group’s Cellular Competition Intensity Index 2015, followed by Jordan and Palestine. These top three countries maintained their rankings from 2014.

Saudi Arabia scored 85.08 per cent, followed by Jordan (75.92 per cent), Palestine (75.19 per cent), Iraq (69.76 per cent), Bahrain (65.33 per cent) and Egypt (64.48 per cent). 

Tunisia maintained its seventh-place ranking from 2014 with 62.45 per cent, followed by Kuwait (61.43 per cent). Morocco, Oman and Algeria saw drops in the ranking with 61.52 per cent, 61.21 per cent and 60.23 per cent respectively. 

Yemen was in 12th place with a score of 57.97 per cent, followed by Sudan (57.39 per cent), Mauritania (56.31 per cent), United Arab Emirates (51.32 per cent), Qatar (50.80 per cent), and Lebanon (41.83 per cent). 

Libya and Syria were at the bottom of the list, with scores of 35.20 per cent and 34.99 per cent respectively.

The Arab Advisors Group devised the Cellular Competition Intensity Index to rate and examine the intensity of competition in the Arab world’s cellular markets relative to one another. 

The index takes into account the number of operators, packages, and services available in each of the 19 countries covered by the Arab Advisors Group. 

The categories include the number of licensed and expected mobile network operators in 2015, the number of working operators, the market share of the largest operator, the number of prepaid plans available and the number of postpaid plans, as well as the availability of smartphone plans, corporate offers, third or fourth generation services, and operational international long distance competition.