Page 106 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2024

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Bangladesh

Bangladesh advanced two steps to 110 position in mobile internet users in the last year, according to the recently released data by the
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speed in April, according to the Speedtest Global Index published country's telecom regulator. The Bangladesh Telecommunication
by Okla. Previously, the country was ranked 112 in March for Regulatory Commission (BTRC) data showed that of the internet
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mobile internet speed. Meanwhile, for broadband internet speed, subscribers, some 118.49 million are mobile internet users and
Bangladesh moved up two steps from 108 to 106 position in 12.88 million broadband internet users. Meanwhile, with 10.61
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April, a local media outlet reports citing the Speedtest data. million new mobile users in 2023, the number of subscribers in the
According to the report data, the average download speed on country reached 190.81 million in December 2023. Bangladesh has
mobile internet in Bangladesh was 23.83 Mbps in April, while the currently four mobile companies in operation, three of them being
upload speed was 10.80 Mbps. The median latency in the country foreign-backed cell phone operators. The number of subscribers
was 26 milliseconds. (May 17, 2024) thefinancialexpress.com.bd of mobile operators – Grameen Phone, Robi Axiata, Banglalink
Digital Communications, and Teletalk Bangladesh – stood at 82.20
The number of internet subscribers reached 131 million (13.1 million, 58.67 million, 43.48 million, and 6.46 million, respectively,
crore) at the end of December 2023, including nearly 7 million new at the end of December, the data shows. (May 9, 2024) www.daily-sun.com

Egypt

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has witnessed the opening of the analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). The inauguration of the
Government Data and Cloud Computing Center, as per a statement Government Data and Cloud Computing Center, also known as P1,
by the Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency. Located along Ain marks a pioneering initiative not only in Egypt but also in North
El Sokhna Road, this center offers services focusing on big data Africa. (May 2, 2024) www.zawya.com

Iraq

Chairman of Iraq's Communications and Media Commission IT sectors, and ensure the state receives its full financial dues. A
(CMC), Dr. Ali Al-Moayyed announced that KPMG has started meeting earlier this month, KPMG presented its audit plan, which
auditing the revenues of mobile phone companies operating includes analyzing the financial data of mobile operators, verifying
in Iraq from 2017 to 2022. This initiative aims to enhance accounting procedures, and conducting interviews with company
transparency, combat tax evasion in the telecommunications and employees. (May 24, 2024) www.iraq-businessnews.com

Jordan

Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission in the Arab world, underscoring the telecom industry’s pivotal
(TRC) Bassam Sarhan announced that Jordan has approximately role as the backbone of numerous sectors, fostering innovation
7.72 million active phone lines. Addressing the weekly Government and growth. “The TRC transcends its traditional role and acts as
Communication Forum, which included the participation of an enabler for local telecommunication operators,” Sarhan said,
Government Communication Ministry Secretary-General Zaid adding that since its inception until April 2024, the commission has
Nawaiseh, Sarhan highlighted the challenges and opportunities generated an income of JD2.27 billion, contributing significantly
in the local telecommunication sector. Sarhan emphasized to the state treasury. Sarhan also said that the total number of
the commitment to enhancing the telecommunication sector’s fixed internet subscriptions stands at 805,000, with an additional
strength and sustainability by introducing high-quality services 13,000 5G service subscriptions. He also noted that an individual
and prioritizing customer satisfaction. Sarhan said that the TRC in Jordan typically consumes around 25GB of data per month.
established in 1995, was the first telecommunication regulator (May 9, 2024) www.albawaba.com
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