Will the Country Finally have Fixed-line Telecom Competition?
09-Sep-2015
South Asia, Middle East & North Africa
Market Research
9ABB-00-05-00-00
TE00197-SA-MR_01306
Research Overview
This Frost & Sullivan research service on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) telecom market provides detailed revenue forecasts, drivers and restraints as well as market shares and competitive analyses of participants from 2013-2019. In addition, the study analyses the profiles of key operators in the industry. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following market segments:
- mobile
- fixed line
- broadband
Market Overview
Broadband to drive the UAE telecom market
Sustained growth of its customer base, rising consumer purchasing power, and availability of high-end smartphones is fuelling the telecommunications market in UAE. Etisalat and du, the two mobile network operators (MNOs) in the country, are particularly focused on the mobile broadband and enterprise communications segments, which show the highest potential for growth. Although both operators have already launched 4G services, 3G connections are projected to generate more revenue in the broadband segment in the next five years.
Even though the government partly owns Etisalat and du, the competition in the UAE market is fierce. Aggressive marketing campaigns and competitive pricing will be essential to gain broadband market share. While intense demand has allowed MNOs to keep fixed broadband prices relatively high, decreasing prices will also enable them to meet margins as usage continues to grow. Further, MNOs will concentrate on value-added services (VAS) such as mobile content development and enterprise-focused services such as managed services and cloud computing to gain additional revenue.
When it comes to core segments such as fixed-line services, Internet and cable TV, there is no competition between the two MNOs as du's services are restricted to newly-developed areas of Dubai. Its focus is on retaining clients and increasing the post-paid subscriber base as these clients consume more than double the number of minutes used by pre-paid subscribers. Etisalat's attention over the next two years will be on retaining its leading position in the domestic market. This effort will be bolstered by the UAE government giving priority to the development of IT and telecommunication over the next five years.
Key Findings
Key Findings (continued)
Economic Outlook
Economic Outlook (continued)
Economic Outlook (continued)
Telecom Market Outlook
Regulatory Framework
Telecom Infrastructure in UAE
Telecom Timeline
Drivers and Restraints
Drivers Explained
Restraints Explained
Market Engineering Measurements
Market Engineering Measurements (continued)
Revenue Forecast
Revenue Forecast Discussion
Mobile Segment—Subscriber Forecast and Penetration Rate
Mobile Segment—Subscriber Forecast by Operator
Mobile Segment—Pre-paid Versus Post-paid
Mobile Segment—Revenue Forecast by Operator
Fixed-line Segment—Subscriber Forecast by Operator
Fixed-line Segment—Revenue Forecast
Broadband Segment—Subscriber Forecast and Penetration Rate
Broadband Segment—Subscriber Forecast and Penetration Rate Discussion
Broadband Segment—Revenue Forecast
Competitive Environment
Competitive Environment (continued)
Service Roadmap—Operators
Competitor Analysis—Etisalat
Competitor Analysis—Etisalat (continued)
Competitor Analysis—du
Competitor Analysis—du (continued)
Opportunity Analysis
Opportunity Analysis (continued)
Opportunity Analysis (continued)
Industry Best Practices
Industry Best Practices (continued)
Industry Best Practices (continued)
Conclusions
Conclusions (continued)
Conclusions (continued)
Legal Disclaimer
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Research Overview
This Frost & Sullivan research service on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) telecom market provides detailed revenue forecasts, drivers and restraints as well as market shares and competitive analyses of participants from 2013-2019. In addition, the study analyses the profiles of key operators in the industry. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following market segments:
- mobile
- fixed line
- broadband
Market Overview
Broadband to drive the UAE telecom market
Sustained growth of its customer base, rising consumer purchasing power, and availability of high-end smartphones is fuelling the telecommunications market in UAE. Etisalat and du, the two mobile network operators (MNOs) in the country, are particularly focused on the mobile broadband and enterprise communications segments, which show the highest potential for growth. Although both operators have already launched 4G services, 3G connections are projected to generate more revenue in the broadband segment in the next five years.
Even though the government partly owns Etisalat and du, the competition in the UAE market is fierce. Aggressive marketing campaigns and competitive pricing will be essential to gain broadband market share. While intense demand has allowed MNOs to keep fixed broadband prices relatively high, decreasing prices will also enable them to meet margins as usage continues to grow. Further, MNOs will concentrate on value-added services (VAS) such as mobile content development and enterprise-focused services such as managed services and cloud computing to gain additional revenue.
When it comes to core segments such as fixed-line services, Internet and cable TV, there is no competition between the two MNOs as du's services are restricted to newly-developed areas of Dubai. Its focus is on retaining clients and increasing the post-paid subscriber base as these clients consume more than double the number of minutes used by pre-paid subscribers. Etisalat's attention over the next two years will be on retaining its leading position in the domestic market. This effort will be bolstered by the UAE government giving priority to the development of IT and telecommunication over the next five years.
| Deliverable Type | Market Research |
|---|---|
| No Index | No |
| Podcast | No |
| Author | Jonas Zelba |
| Industries | Telecom |
| WIP Number | 9ABB-00-05-00-00 |
| Is Prebook | No |