The Mobile Economy Middle East and North Africa 2018

Advanced MENA markets are at the forefront of innovation, with the GCC Arab States in particular looking to be global leaders in the deployment of 5G networks. All six GCC markets are expected to launch 5G mobile services in the next two years, followed by relatively rapid 5G rollout. By 2025, 15 markets will have launched 5G mobile services across the whole MENA region.

Meanwhile, the mobile industry makes a significant economic contribution to the region’s economy, at 4% of GDP. Between 2017 and 2025, the MENA region will see the fastest subscriber growth rate of any region except Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite an uncertain political, economic and competitive environment, operators are increasingly diversifying their revenue streams, implementing new services and monetising the growth in data traffic to counteract the revenue squeeze. Key opportunities and areas of investment for the region’s mobile operators include 5G, IoT and the provision of digital identity services.