"Qatar Telecommunications Report Q3 2011" is now available at Fast Market Research

July 25, 2011 - PRLog -- BMI's Q311 update on the Qatar telecoms market incorporates data from fixed-line incumbent operator Qatar Telecom (Qtel) and alternative operator Vodafone Qatar, a subsidiary of UK-based Vodafone Group Plc, relating to the end of March 2011. Our latest five-year forecasts for the country's mobile, fixed-line and internet sectors, which extend to 2015, is based on recent developments in Qatar's telecoms sector, as well as our view of the country's macroeconomic environment during the next five years. We also introduce our five-year ARPU forecast for the Qatar mobile market, which shows a general downtrend during our forecast period.

Qatar's mobile market grew by 0.7% in Q111 (5.8% in Q110 and 8.8% in Q109) to reach 2.781mn subscribers. The slow growth in Q111 reflects market leader Qtel's subscriber net loss for the third consecutive quarter. BMI attributes subscriber losses by Qtel to the disconnection of inactive lines and fewer subscriber uptakes following increased competition in the market. Second operator Vodafone produced another strong performance in the Q111 with net additions of 46,000 subscribers.

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Full Report Details at
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Qtel's mobile revenue and mobile ARPU grew significantly in Q111, despite subscriber losses. The operator reported an 11% q-o-q increase in mobile revenues for the three months to March 2011 to QAR851.6mn. Qtel's blended ARPU also increased by 23.2% q-o-q to QAR138.7, driven by significant increases to prepaid and postpaid ARPU. BMI believes the increase in mobile revenues and ARPU are related to upselling of higher value services, especially mobile data. We expect the downward pressure on ARPU rates to continue in the medium term, mainly because of Vodafone's aggressive pricing strategy in a bid to boost its subscriber base. We maintain our view that Qatari operators need to focus on higher value services, such as data, and improve their subscriber mixes to offset revenue losses from the voice segment. However, there was little improvement to subscriber mixes in Q111 as Vodafone reported a contraction to its postpaid subscriber bases. Meanwhile Qtel's postpaid subscriber base expanded by 0.8%.

The telecoms regulator (IctQatar) on June 6 2011 instructed Qtel to close all Qtel Virgin Mobile-branded services in Qatar. Qtel is required to transfer all existing customers currently on Qtel Virgin Mobile Service (QVMS) to a similar Qtel service, or provide a full cash refund for the QVMS SIM card and any credit balance they have in their account. Qtel is also required to remove the Virgin Mobile brand from the marketplace. All Virgin Mobile-branded SIM cards must be deactivated by August 4 2011.

In March 2011 IctQatar announced Qatar's government established a company called Qatar National Broadband Network Company (QNBN) to accelerate the roll-out of a nationwide fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network. QNBN is a government-led initiative and will focus on deploying a passive network infrastructure using existing and new infrastructure in Qatar. The new company's key mandate is to provide fibre access to consumers and businesses across Qatar, achieving coverage targets of more than 95% by 2015.

Partial Table of Contents:

SWOT Analysis
- Qatar Mobile SWOT
- Qatar Wireline SWOT
- Qatar Political SWOT
- Qatar Economic SWOT
- Qatar Business Environment SWOT
Business Environment
- Middle East And North Africa
- Middle East And North Africa Q311 Telecoms Business Environment Ratings
- Qatar
Industry Forecast Scenario
- Mobile
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Mobile - Historical Data & Forecasts, 2008-2015
- ARPU
- Table: Monthly Blended ARPU - trend line
- Fixed Line
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Fixed Line - Historical Data & Forecasts, 2008-2015
- Internet
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Internet - Historical Data & Forecasts, 2008-2015
Market Data Analysis
- Mobile
- Table: Qatar Mobile Market, Q111
- Table: Qtel And Vodafone Prepaid Vs Postpaid Customers, Q409-Q110
- ARPU
- Qtel's Virgin Mobile Service
- Mobile Data
- Mobile Contract Wins
- Table: Mobile Contract Wins
- Mobile Content
- Regional Outlook
- Country Outlook
- Value-Added Services Timeline
- Table: Selected VAS Services
- Mobile Operator Data
- Table: Qatar Mobile Market Overview
- Table: Vodafone Qatar
- Table: Q-Tel
- Fixed Line
- Wireline Revenues
- Table: Qtel Fixed Line Revenues, Q110 - Q111 (QARmn)
- VoIP
- Internet
- WiMAX
- IPTV
- FTTx
- Wireline Contract Wins
- Table: Wireline Contract Wins
Regulatory Environment
- Table: Qatar Regulatory Bodies And Their Responsibilities
- Legislation And Market Liberalisation
- Regulation
- Licensing And Spectrum
- Industry Developments
Competitive Landscape
- Key Players
- Table: Key Players - Qatar Telecoms Markets
- Table: Selected Operators Financial Indicators
Company Monitor
- Ericsson
- Table: Ericsson Quarterly Net Sales By Division, SEKmn
Company Profiles
- Qatar Telecom (Qtel)
- Vodafone Qatar
Appendices:
- Regional Telecommunications Penetration Overview
- Fixed Line
- Table: Regional Fixed-Line Penetration Overview
- Mobile
- Table: Regional Mobile Penetration Overview
- Broadband
- Table: Regional Broadband Penetration Overview
Country Snapshot: Qatar Demographic Data
- Section 1: Population
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Full Table of Contents is available at:
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Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.