MAP > Internet Providers in Bahrain

Bahrain’s telecommunications industry has been guided by the Fourth National Telecommunications Plan that focuses on the fiber optic infrastructure deployment as well as establishing some affordable prices for the high-speed access. It does include the high level strategies for the 5G readiness, and in the year 2018, the planning process went ahead and took a step further with the establishment for the 5G working group that is chaired by telecommunications regulator.  The mobile penetration is very high by the regional standards despite it declining sharply in the year 2017 due to SIM biometric registration which was introduced along with the withdrawal of the many of unlimited packages offered by operators.

The mobile data has been growing very fast than the voice in Bahrain, and it contains some of the well-developed LTE networks that also does lay the foundation for the future 5G deployment. In the year 2017, the first 5G trials for Bahrain were conducted. Bahrain has been able to deploy its regulator National Broadband Network, and in the year 2018, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority got to develop the regulatory framework for delivery of the ubiquitous fats broadband infrastructure. In general, Bahrain has been demonstrating the high level of the telecoms maturity for Middle East region.

This mobile sector has been saturated with minimal organic growth prospects on the 10-year horizon. Also, the regulatory efforts to be able to implement the biometric SIM registration as well as the new ownership limits have gone on and resulted in the significant decline as the inactive accounts get to be made redundant.

It provides a competitive environment that is well regulated, and it does incorporate the significant LTE infrastructure and the National Broadband Network. Some of the companies that have been mentioned in this report include Viva Bahrain, Batelco, MenaTelecom, Noor-sat, Zain Bahrain and Kalaam Telecom.

Some of the key developments in this report include:
• The prepaid mobile has been beginning to decline as the operators to be able to encourage the consumers to use more lucrative postpaid mobile subscriptions
• Batelco went on to announce the launch of Batelco Gulf Network in the year 2018.
• In the year 2018, the VIVA Bahrain got to acquire MENA telecom.
• In the mid-2017, the biometric SIM registrations got to be introduced in Bahrain, and the decline in the mobile subscribers later on followed.
• First successful trial of the 5G has gone on to get conducted in Bahrain, and in the year 2018, the 5G working Group got to be established.