UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar lead the Arab World in the penetration of telecom services

The annual results of Arab Advisors Group’s Total Country Connectivity Measure (TCCM) reveal substantial -mostly cellular service driven- improvements in overall scores. The Arab broadband Internet markets also registered very positive growth.

The United Arab Emirates is the most connected country in the Arab World according to the Arab Advisors Group’s annually released Total Country Connectivity Measure (TCCM); Saudi Arabia and Qatar followed in second and third ranks respectively. The Arab Advisors Group calculates its Total Country Connectivity Measure (TCCM) by adding the household mainlines penetration, cellular penetration, and Internet users penetration rates in each country.

The household mainlines penetration is measured by dividing the residential mainlines by the number of households in each country. The TCCM shows the extent of connectivity of individuals in a certain country whether via fixed lines, cellular lines and/or the Internet. Of course, there will be an overlap since many individuals will be using these three communications services at the same time. However, the measure still yields an accurate and informative picture on the level of ICT services adoption in each country.

A new report, “Arab Advisors’ Total Country Connectivity Measure (TCCM) for end of 2009 for the Arab World” was released to the Arab Advisors Group’s Telecoms Strategic Research Service subscribers in August 2010. This report can be purchased from the Arab Advisors Group for only US$ 300. The report ranks the Arab World countries according to their Total Country Connectivity Measure, based on a methodological approach.

The Total Country Connectivity Measure results for 2009 revealed the continued leadership of GCC countries. UAE maintained the top spot (with a score of 352%), followed by Saudi Arabia (286%), Qatar (254%), Bahrain (250%), Libya (246%), Kuwait (201%), Oman (189%), Algeria (161%), Lebanon (155%), Morocco (149%), Jordan (148%), Tunisia (145%), Syria (142%), Egypt (140%), Palestine (109%), Iraq (100%), Yemen (66%) and in last place Sudan with a TCCM value of 51.2%.

“By looking at the TCCM scores, it is noticeable that high scores are correlated with high-income levels. GCC countries dominate the TCCM, as income levels and GDP per capita in these countries is significantly higher than the rest of the Arab countries. Moreover, countries with competitive markets have seen their scores improve rapidly as competition drove down rates and enhanced awareness amongst consumers” Mr. Samer Abbas, Senior Research Analyst at the Arab Advisors Group wrote in the report.