Boom time for Bahrain telecoms

Presented by Bahrain's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the statistics show a 74% leap in industry revenue between 2003 and 2006, and increased employment of more than 28%. From a base of just under £194m in 2003, the industry generated over £342m in 2006, while employment figures rose from 1808 in 2003 to 2322 in the first quarter of 2007.

More than half of Bahraini households now enjoy access to the internet, with two-thirds holding fixed telephone lines. The (TRA) statistics also found that 99% of households now have a member with mobile phone access, with individual subscriptions exceeding 800,000 in 2006, having numbered around 300,000 only four years previously.

Alan Horne, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority General Director, commented "This outstanding growth testifies to the success of Bahrain's liberal and competitive market conditions. Bringing the benefits of traditional and cutting-edge telecommunications into both Bahraini homes and our growing businesses is a vital component of our continuing development."

The TRA data also found residential broadband penetration to have exceeded 40%, with more than 48,500 subscribers documented in Q12007. This marked a near four-fold increase on the figures for 2004, when just over 13,000 households had a broadband subscription.

Alan Horne continued "Despite this success, the telecommunications market in this country still has vast growth potential, and this is being recognised by international brands such as Orange and Zain who are coming to Bahrain to do business. We are continuing efforts to expand the sector for the economic and social benefit of our people, and greatly welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with both new and existing solutions providers".

The TRA offers advice to, and protects the interests of, the telecoms industry's subscribers and users. It promotes fair competition and assures the quality of service provision in Bahrain.