Page 91 - SAMENA Trends - January-February 2025

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Liberia, The Gambia and Sierra Leone Sign Roaming Deal

The latest African roaming agreement comes from the west of calls free of charge and make calls, send SMSs, and use mobile
the continent, where the governments of Liberia, The Gambia and data at local rates without the need for a new SIM card. From 1
Sierra Leone have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) July, citizens of Liberia and The Gambia will also be able to enjoy
aimed at reducing telecommunications costs through improved similar benefits without incurring additional international roaming
roaming services. The agreement, which covers voice, SMS and charges. Some 16 million people in total live in the three countries.
data services, is set to begin its phased implementation on 2 May According to Liberia’s Oracle News Daily, the initiative, driven by
2025, allowing travellers from Liberia to Sierra Leone to receive the Liberia Telecommunication Authority (LTA) in collaboration
with the National Communications Authority of Sierra Leone and
the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority of The Gambia, seeks to
promote economic growth and ease communication for citizens
traveling within the three countries. There is still some way to
go until all West Africans can roam anywhere without facing
increased charges. However, the LTA Chairman Abdullah Kamara
has been quoted as saying after the signing: “With these MoUs, we
are making decisive progress towards implementing the ECOWAS
regulation on roaming within the region, an initiative aimed at
eliminating high roaming charges.” Change is most certainly
coming. Among a growing number of agreements in Africa, Ghana
last year implemented free roaming with Benin and Togo and 2023
saw a Senegal-Mauritania deal.

Qatar and GCC Nations Lead Global 5G Roaming Speeds

An Ookla study has revealed that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comparatively slower network performances. The study also
nations, particularly Qatar, offer some of the best 5G roaming highlighted the rapid evolution of the GCC region into a global
speeds globally, greatly improving the digital experience for tourism and business hub. This growth is expected to continue,
visitors. The research, based on Speedtest Intelligence data, with the region’s travel and tourism market projected to generate
assessed mobile user experiences in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, $9.57 billion in revenue by 2029, up from an estimated $8.32 billion
and the UAE in 2024. Karim Yaici, Lead Industry Analyst for the in 2025, at an annual growth rate of 3.56%. The expansion is driven
Middle East and Africa at Ookla, emphasized the importance of by ongoing infrastructure investment, world-class amenities, and
mobile connectivity for travelers, noting that 5G technology enables simplified visa policies, further enhancing the demand for seamless
users to stay connected, navigate, access tourist information, and 5G connectivity. As the GCC region continues to grow, mobile
share experiences on social media, all while benefiting from high- operators are positioning 5G roaming as a key revenue driver,
speed internet and lag-free video calls. The study found that underscoring the importance of high-speed connectivity for
visitors to Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait experienced top-tier 5G tourism and business development.
speeds, with median download speeds reaching 381.05 Mbps in
Qatar, 374.60 Mbps in the UAE, and 240.37 Mbps in Kuwait. The
research also showed that visitors from Austria, Saudi Arabia, and
Hong Kong were the most likely to use 5G while roaming, while
travelers from Pakistan, India, and Egypt were less likely to adopt
5G roaming. In the UAE, over 37% of roaming users identified by
Speedtest were from India, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Russia, and Hong
Kong. However, their experiences varied, with Saudi Arabian and
Russian visitors enjoying the fastest download speeds, particularly
on 5G networks. Russian tourists, for instance, saw a threefold
increase in download speeds compared to their home networks.
Conversely, visitors from Austria, India, and Hong Kong experienced

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