Operators

Batelco and the Effects of the Bahraini Market Liberalization

The Bahrain Telecommunications Company was established in 1981 as the sole communications service provider in the country. The operator is mostly owned (directly or indirectly) by the Bahraini government with a total of 77 percent (more than 50 percent shared between Mumtalakat holding company and the social insurance organization). However, the telecommunications regulatory authority (TRA) […]

Mobily: A Unique Strategy to Get Back into Competition

The Saudi telecom market is highly competitive with the existence of three major mobile network operators, STC, Mobily, and Zain KSA and several mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) licensed by the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), the main communications regulatory authority in the KSA. Although each with a different strategy, they have been all […]

Zain Kuwait, and the Urgent Need to “Globalize” the Local Identity

Zain is undoubtedly one of the pillars of the telecom sector in the Middle East and North Africa. The story started in 1983 with the establishment of the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), in a time where digital mobile communications was still being developed with mostly predominant fixed telephony. MTC soon became among the first providers […]

Du Telecom's Raging Battle with e&: A Leader-Follower Game in Action?

Du mobile telecommunications service, owned by the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), was established in 2007 as the second operator in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), aiming at contesting the hegemony of Etisalat, the undisputable leader in the telecom sector in the UAE and other foreign markets. Du offers mobile and fixed telephony, broadband connectivity, […]

Saudi Telecommunication Company (STC): When an Oligopoly Replaces a Fading Monopoly

The Saudi Telecommunication Company, known as STC, is the leading telecom operator in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), competing with United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Etisalat for the number one spot in the region. Established in 1998, the company has been witnessing successive periods of evolution and portfolio diversification that often mirror the telecom landscape […]

Dissecting the Birth of e&: When Vision and Ambition Meet Opportunism

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been witnessing consecutive waves of changes to the various constituent sectors shaping its economy. As part of its vision for decades to come, the gulf state is looking to secure a futureproof resilient strategy by unlocking potential economic growth opportunities that will allow different sectors to change, progress, and […]