Arab countries - analysis of tariffs

A new report from Arab Advisors Group analyzes the cellular tariffs for 46 cellular operators in Arab countries

A new report from Arab Advisors Group analyzes the cellular tariffs for 46 cellular operators in 19 Arab countries, operators in Lebanon have the highest average cost of prepaid cellular minutes in the Arab World while those in Morocco have the highest average cost of postpaid cellular minutes.

Egypt and Yemen offer the lowest average cellular minute costs for prepaid and postpaid respectively.

New research and analysis from the Arab Advisors Group reveals that Lebanon's cellular operators charge the highest prepaid average minute rates in the region, while Morocco's operators charge the highest postpaid average minute rate. Egypt and Yemen lie on the other extreme, having the region's lowest average prepaid minute rate and average postpaid minute rate respectively.

The Arab Advisors Group has analyzed the cellular rates in the following nineteen Arab countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen. In order to allow for comparisons, the report focuses on the average cellular rates of these countries' 46 operational cellular providers.

In calculating the average cellular rates, the Arab Advisors Group relied on the simple average for all relevant packages and offers in each market. The average peak and off peak minute rates in the report include the tariffs for on net and off net traffic. The report also covers the airtime billing methods that the cellular operators use.

A new report,'Cellular Rates in the Arab World: A Regional Comparison' was released to the Arab Advisors Group's Telecoms Strategic Research Service subscribers on February 5th, 2009. This report can be purchased from the Arab Advisors Group. The 33-page report, which has 21 detailed exhibits, provides a comprehensive analysis of the cellular tariffs of the cellular operators in the Arab region. The report covers the following cellular operators that were operational by end of December 2008.

These are Algerie Telecom Mobile (Mobilis), Orascom Telecom Algeria (Djezzy), Wataniya Telecom Algeria (Nedjma), Batelco, Zain Bahrain, Vodafone Egypt, MobiNil, Etisalat Misr, Asiacell, Korek Telecom, Zain Iraq, Zain Jordan, Orange, Umniah, XPress (iDEN operator), Wataniya Kuwait, Zain Kuwait, VIVA, MTC Touch, Alfa, Libyana, Mattel, Maroc Telecom, Medi Telecom, Wana, Nawras Telecom, Oman Mobile, Jawwal, Qtel, Saudi Telecom (AlJawal), Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), Bravo (iDEN operator), Zain Saudi Arabia, Zain Sudan, MTN Sudan, Sudatel, MTN Syria, Syriatel, Tunisie Telecom, Orascom Telecom Tunisia (Tunisiana), Etisalat, Du, MTN Yemen, Sabafon, Yemen Mobile and HITS-UNITEL (Y).

Al Madar Aljadid in Libya, Mauritel and Chinguitel in Mauritania were not included in the report, as reliable information on rates could not be collected.

Any investment in this report will count towards an annual Strategic Research Service subscription should the service be acquired within three months from purchasing the report.

'Increased competition in Arab cellular markets is driving operators into adopting billing per second or fractions of a minute. As of October/November 2009, an array of 13 different billing methods were in use by 46 cellular operators in the 19 covered Arab countries. 14 operators still use the traditional (and most profitable) per minute billing,' Mrs. Faten Bader, Arab Advisors Group senior research analyst commented.

'Although the majority of operators have abandoned this method, it is still the most common billing method utilized, as it is utilized in 39% of postpaid billing methods and 37% of prepaid billing methods. Per second billing, which offers the best value for end users, is the basis for a total of 8 operators in the Arab World,' she added.

The Arab Advisors Group's team of analysts in the region has already produced close to 1,400 reports on the Arab World's communications, media and financial markets. The reports can be purchased individually or received through an annual subscription to Arab Advisors Group's (www.arabadvisors.com) Strategic Research Services (Media and Telecom).

To date, Arab Advisors Group has served 525 global and regional companies by providing reliable research analysis and forecasts of Arab communications markets to these clients.