Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/28/2014 -- The biggest growth area in Saudi Arabia's telecoms market is high-value services for corporate and individual customers. This view is supported by operators' fi nancial and operational results which show a strong uptake of next generation mobile and wireline data services as well as convergence services. The major service providers will focus on these areas in the future as they look to offset the impact of stagnating mobile subscriptions growth owing to market saturation and increased regulatory scrutiny of SIM card registration and ownership.

Key Data:

- Mobile subscriptions declined by 2.2% q-o-q and 4.2% y-o-y in Q114, according to the regulator's data.

- Fixed-line subscriptions increased 1.9% q-o-q in Q114 to offset a decline by the same amount in FY13.

- Dedicated mobile broadband accounts for the largest share of broadband subscriptions and continues to demonstrate robust growth. Total broadband subscriptions grew by 42.9% q-o-q in Q114.

View Full Report Details and Table of Contents

Risk/Reward Ratings

Saudi Arabia dropped one place to third position in BMI's Risk/Reward Ratings (RRR) table for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in our Q414 update. This was due to a downgrade of its industry rewards score owing to the continued contraction of the mobile market. The impact of this decline is however offset by strong subscriptions growth in the broadband sector and a relatively high ARPU.

Key Trends And Developments

Mobily Ventures is targeting start-ups in areas such as e-commerce, mobile financial services (MFS), digital advertising, digital content and entertainment, and IT and cloud services. Its first two investments are in mobile applications Easy Taxi and Anghami. Easy Taxi enables users to book taxis based on their location and is available on iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows operating systems. Anghami is the leading mobile music application in the Middle East, which has Arabic and English content and allows users to stream and download music.

Zain has...

The Saudi Arabia Telecommunications Report features Business Monitor International (BMI)'s independent industry forecasts on the future strength of Saudi Arabia's ICT market, covering the fixed-line, mobile and internet segments and analyses latest regulatory developments and corporate news, including investment activity, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships. Leading operators and manufacturers are fully profiled, highlighting their quarterly financial performance, capital expenditure plans and latest contracts.

BMI's Saudi Arabia Telecommunications Report provides industry professionals and researchers, operators, equipment suppliers and vendors, corporate and financial services analysts and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on the telecoms industry in Saudi Arabia.

Key Benefits

- Benchmark BMI's independent telecoms industry forecasts for Saudi Arabia to test other views - a key input for successful budgeting and strategic business planning in the Saudi telecoms market.

- Target business opportunities and risks in Saudi Arabia's telecoms sector through our reviews of latest industry trends, regulatory changes and major deals, projects and investments in Saudi Arabia.

- Assess the activities, strategy and market position of your competitors, partners and clients via our Company Profiles (inc. SWOTs, KPIs and latest activity).

Coverage

BMI Industry View

Summary of BMI's key industry forecasts and views, covering the ICT, fixed-line, mobile (including 3G), internet and broadband markets.

Industry SWOT Analysis

Analysis of the major Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats within the wireline and wireless sectors and within the broader political, economic and business environment.

Business Environment Rankings

BMI's Telecommunications Business Environment Rankings provides a country-comparative Risk-Reward Rankings index aimed at investors (vendors, operators and suppliers) in the regional telecoms market.

The rankings methodology makes sophisticated use of more than 40 industry, economic and demographic data points.

BMI Industry Forecast Scenario

Historic data series and forecasts to end-2018 for all key industry indicators (see list below) supported by explicit assumptions, plus analysis of key downside risks to the main forecast.

- Fixed-Line Telephony - Telephone lines ('000); telephone lines/100 inhabitants.

- Cellular Telephony - Mobile phone subscribers ('000); mobile phone subscribers/100 inhabitants; mobile phone subscribers/100 fixed line subscribers.

About Fast Market Research
Fast Market Research is a leading distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff is always available to help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget.

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 800-844-8156

Browse all Fixed Networks research reports at Fast Market Research