Page 141 - SAMENA Trends - September 2019

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

A SNAPSHOT OF REGULATORY ACTIVITIES

IN SAMENA REGION

Afghanistan

The first ever Information and Communication Technologies Stores, Software Companies, Website, Application, and Database
(ICT) exhibition to bolster up information technology progresses Developers, Soft Skills Training Consultancies, Startups. Afghan
has been lunched in Kabul. The exhibition was for three days and Iranian companies put on display their innovation and
in Continental Hotel that held by the Siam Event and Business products in 60 booths. Deputy for International Chamber of
Development Center and Ariana ICT in partnership with Commerce of Afghanistan, Hujatullah Fazli said running of this
Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology exhibition is aimed to foster investment in information technology
(MTIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MoCI), Etisalat- in the country and help domestic companies for further progress.
Afghanistan, Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines ‘Nowadays information technology plays a crucial role during
(ACIM), International Chamber of Commerce–Afghanistan (ICC), routine life in the society, so such exhibition is sign of struggle
Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) with the to pave the ground for private sectors in the aspect,’ he added.
Media support of Moby Group. The sectors were participated Iran Ambassador to Kabul, Mohammad Reza Bahrami has voiced
in this events were included ISP, Telecommunication, Banks pleasure over running of joint exhibition, saying this is the ‘first
Insurance Companies, IT, Universities –Computer Science time that we organize exhibition in a new section’ in Afghanistan.
Facilities, Cyber Security Electronic Companies, Chambers, Online (September 4, 2019) menafn.com

Bahrain

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Bahrain the second quarter of 2019 with a penetration rate of 139% after
announces the publication of its Q2 Market Indicators Report seeing a downward trend since the beginning of 2017 due to
for 2019. The report shows that the number of broadband the change in consumer behavior in terms of usage and mobile
subscriptions reached to 2.34 million subscription at the end of operators’ change of some components of available packages.
the second quarter of 2019, with an increase of 9% compared to With regard to outgoing voice calls, mobile voice traffic continue
the second quarter of 2018. Broadband penetration rate in Bahrain its decline as it declined by 14% compared to the second quarter
reached to 156% compared to 143% for the same period of the last of 2018. Fixed Telephony Line subscriptions increased slightly
year. Data consumption increased to 18% compared to the same compared to the end of the last year, while the fixed wireless
period of the last year. The average monthly data consumption in telephony services dropped by 9.26%, however, the fixed wired
fixed wired broadband reached to 192 GB per subscription while telephony increased by 1.92%. Fixed domestic calls remain stable
fixed wireless broadband reached to 117 GB per subscription and between the first quarter of 2018 and the second quarter of 2019,
Mobile standalone usage per subscription is stable at 19 GB. With while international fixed line calls dropped by 25.67% between the
regard to mobile services, the number of mobile subscriptions is second quarter of 2018 and the second quarter of 2019.
beginning to stabilize at 2.08 million subscribers at the end of (September 16, 2019) tra.org.bh

Bangladesh

With addition of nearly 7 million new users in the first eight Regulatory Commission (BTRC) data showed that the number
months of this year, the total number of Bangladeshi Internet of subscribers in the country reached 98.136 million. Of the
users reached over 98 million at the end of August, the statistics total subscribers, the BTRC data showed that there were 92.361
of the country’s telecom regulator showed. Telecommunication million mobile Internet and 5.735 million broadband Internet

141 SEPTEMBER 2019