Tag: Bahrain

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 20, 2024

How Batelco Makes Strategic Network Improvements in Bahrain with Ookla Data [Case Study]

For tier-one operators like Batelco, part of Beyon group, continuous innovation is required to meet the rising user demands and deliver exceptional service quality across the Kingdom as well as positioning itself among the best networks globally. To achieve its goal, Batelco not only relies on its expertise and traditional methods it also leverages on data from Ookla Cell Analytics™ and Consumer QoE™ to identify areas for strategic network optimization and enhance the end-user network experience.

Situation

For telecommunications operators, prioritizing the right investments can be challenging, especially when the ultimate aim is to continue delivering the best customer experience and driving service improvements for users. 

Batelco tackled this challenge using Ookla data as the foundation for informed decision-making. This data enabled Batelco to implement innovative solutions including coverage enhancements, enhanced content delivery methods, and the refarming of existing 3G spectrum to improve the consumer network experience.

Read the full case study here.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

About the Author

Ookla

Ookla Research™ Articles
| June 3, 2024

Gigabit Internet is the New Competition Ground for ISPs in the Middle East

Several Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, and the U.A.E., have emerged as leaders in fiber deployment and adoption. The introduction of gigabit packages and the increase in entry-level speeds have significantly boosted their ranking in the Speedtest Global Index®  for fixed broadband. This article examines the factors driving performance in these countries, the initiatives of ISPs to enhance indoor performance, and key enablers for wider gigabit internet adoption in the region.

Key Takeaways:

  • According to Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence®, the U.A.E. leads the Middle East in fixed broadband performance in Q1 2024. The U.A.E. achieved a median download speed of 270.91 Mbps and an upload speed of 124.37 Mbps. Meanwhile, Bahrain and Qatar saw significant improvements in download and upload speeds, while the median download speed in Jordan rose rapidly from a small base, surpassing Saudi Arabia by Q1 2024. 
  • ISPs are addressing indoor performance bottlenecks with more modern consumer premise equipment (CPE). In-premise connectivity is crucial to guarantee maximum throughput on-premise. That is why ISPs started bundling Wi-Fi 6 compatible CPEs and deploying fiber-to-the-room (FTTR) for ubiquitous gigabit wireless access indoors.
  • Affordability is a barrier to wider gigabit adoption in the Middle East. While geography, level of competition, and government policies all impact fiber deployment, affordability is key to unlocking faster speeds in the region. Making gigabit plans more accessible can help operators boost fiber subscribers and aspiring countries to move up the Speedtest Global Index.

The U.A.E. tops the Middle East in Speedtest Global Index for fixed broadband

The analysis focuses on countries in the Middle East that are leading in fiber coverage, adoption, and speed enhancements, namely Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. These achievements were thanks to significant progress by local ISPs in extending fiber coverage, encouraging migration to higher-speed plans, and making services more affordable. Government support has been vital in accelerating fiber roll-outs to keep pace with the demand for data services and to ensure universal access to high-speed internet as part of national broadband development strategies. 

As a result, these countries continue to improve their Speedtest Global Index rankings. For example, the U.A.E rose from 18th in June 2020 to the second position in March 2024. Jordan jumped from 64th to 33rd while Bahrain jumped up 32 places to 63rd in the Index over the same period. Qatar’s position fluctuated between 29 and 45, with steady improvements since 2021. Saudi Arabia’s speed increase rate has been more modest than in other markets, causing a drop in the global ranking by 11 places to 46th in March 2024. The country is the largest in the group, which makes fiber coverage more limited outside the big cities, while there is a relatively large base of legacy copper connections.

Speedtest Global Index™ Rankings for Fixed Broadband, Select Countries in the Middle East
Speedtest Intelligence® | June 2020-March 2024
Speedtest Global Index Rankings for Fixed Broadband, Select Countries in the Middle East

Fixed broadband performance improved as faster entry-level fiber plans and gigabit packages were introduced

According to Speedtest Intelligence, the U.A.E. leads the Gulf region in median download speeds at 270.91 Mbps in Q1 2024, more than double the Q3 2022 figure. This represents the largest speed improvement among the reviewed countries. The turning point came in Q4 2022 when ISPs lifted the minimum broadband package speed from 250 Mbps to 500 Mbps and offered aggressive discounts to encourage upselling to faster fiber packages. The median upload speed also saw notable improvement, reaching 124.37 Mbps in March 2024.

Median Download Speeds for Fixed Broadband, Select Countries in the Middle East
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2022-Q1 2024
Median Download Speeds for Fixed Broadband, Select Countries in the Middle East

Bahrain and Qatar also experienced significant and rapid rises in median download speeds, reaching 83.09 Mbps and 135.34 Mbps, respectively. The ISPs in the two countries saw significant improvements in upload speeds too. Users in Qatar saw the biggest jump in median upload speed, tripling from Q1 2022 to Q1 2024 to 115.74 Mbps. In Bahrain, the median upload speed increased by over 2.7x but remained the lowest of the group at 20.70 Mbps.

In Bahrain, the telecoms regulator mandated ISPs to double the speed of entry-level fiber packages in April 2023 while maintaining the same wholesale prices. This immediately impacted the market, with median broadband download speeds jumping from 48.14 Mbps in Q1 2023 to 70.17 Mbps in Q2 2023 (over 40%).

Qatar was the first country in the GCC to offer 10 Gbps consumer broadband packages. However, Ooredoo and Vodafone maintained a relatively low download speed on entry-level tariffs at 100 Mbps. This changed in June 2023, when they raised the minimum speed to 1 Gbps while offering discounts on more expensive fiber packages. These initiatives resulted in a step change in download speeds, increasing by 41% in Q1 2024 compared to Q2 2023.

Jordan began ramping up its fiber infrastructure in 2013-2014, with strong take-up since 2019 driven by increased competition, extended coverage outside the capital, and rising demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The launch of Fibertech, a fiber wholesale company, in 2019 significantly boosted service competition and led to more accessible and affordable fiber services for consumers. Fibertech, set up as a joint venture between ISP Umniah and Jordan Electricity Company, covered 1.2 Million households by July 2023 and planned to reach 1.4 million premises, 70% of Jordan’s households, by the end of that year.

Fiber overtook fixed wireless access (FWA) and ADSL connections in Q2 2021 and represented 56% of fixed broadband connections by the end of 2022. Fiber maintained its upward trajectory, capturing 64% of the market in 3Q 2023 with 513,744 active connections according to the last reported data from the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC)). Local ISPs have also been increasing the speed of entry-level plans and offering gigabit packages. For example, Orange Jordan introduced 2 Gbps and 10 Gbps plans in May 2023.  This accelerated fiber take-up boosted the median speeds for both download and upload, reaching 130.41 Mbps and 108.08 Mbps, respectively, in Q1 2024. Notably, Jordan doubled its median upload speed in two years, narrowing the gap with its median download speed.

In Saudi Arabia, stc led the way by increasing the minimum download speed from 100 Mbps to 300 Mbps in the summer of 2022. Mobily followed suit in 2023 by doubling the speed of its entry-level package and introducing a 1 Gbps broadband plan during Q2 2023. Zain initially reserved higher download speeds (ranging from 200 Mbps to 500 Mbps) for customers on 2-year contracts, while those on 12-month contracts received speeds between 100 Mbps and 300 Mbps. However, in 2023, Zain merged its plans into a standard 18-month contract starting at 200 Mbps, with 1 Gbps at the high end. These initiatives began to impact the market in Q2 2023, when the median download speed surpassed 90 Mbps for the first time, reaching 108.95 Mbps by Q1 2024. Upload speeds also saw significant growth, rising to 53.75 Mbps during this period.

Speedtest Intelligence’s Enrichment API allows us to track the adoption and performance of individual fixed broadband technologies and assess their impact on the Saudi market. For example, the fiber share of stc Speedtest samples has been growing – fiber represented 75.4% of Speedtest samples in March 2024, up from 69.9% in Q4 2023. This increased fiber adoption contributed to raising overall fixed broadband performance across download, upload, and latency metrics and widened the performance gap with legacy DSL lines. This result also highlights the potential for further improvement if most samples (and by extension, customers) switch to fiber.

DSL and Fiber Performance, Saudi Arabia
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q4 2022 – Q1 2024
DSL and Fiber Performance, Saudi Arabia

Improving indoor coverage is key to ensuring maximum fiber performance delivery to customers

ISPs in the analyzed countries have rapidly expanded their fiber footprint and migrated customers to faster broadband services, helping to increase the median download speed. However, the last few meters indoors, closer to the end-users, can be a potential bottleneck to achieving maximum throughput. To address this, local ISPs have taken steps such as:

  • Offering upgraded CPEs that support Wi-Fi 6. The choice of Wi-Fi standards and spectrum bands directly influences indoor connectivity quality, throughput, and network coverage. Our recent analysis found that over one-third of test samples in the Gulf region reported using Wi-Fi 4 to connect to the fixed CPE. More ISPs are now offering Wi-Fi 6 compatible CPEs and including additional mesh Wi-Fi nodes at no extra costs to improve indoor coverage and speed.
  • Deploying fiber-to-the-room (FTTR). This relatively new technology involves deploying and extending fiber connectivity to each room, usually through transparent cables, to provide ubiquitous gigabit wireless access. ISPs started deploying this technology in East Asia to differentiate their broadband offering and it is now being adopted by ISPs in the Middle East, including Jordan (Umniah and Zain), Qatar (Ooredoo), Saudi Arabia (Salam, stc), and the U.A.E. (Etisalat by e&).

Making gigabit internet more accessible will unlock faster speeds and drive wider adoption

Countries with small landmasses and populations, and high urbanization, such as Singapore, the U.A.E., Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, and Monaco, top the Global Speedtest Index. While such geographical and demographic characteristics give an advantage to smaller nations as they facilitate the deployment of fiber infrastructure, other factors including market competition, government support, and service affordability are key to driving mass adoption.

Many of the top 10 markets in the Global Speedtest Index have multiple ISPs competing which drives investments in better technology and continuous upgrades to attract customers. A competitive landscape benefits consumers because it helps to keep prices relatively low. It also accelerates increases in median speeds as ISPs tend to offer free speed upgrades to existing customers. For example, in Hong Kong (which had 28 licensed ISPs as of March 2024) and Singapore, gigabit broadband speeds have been available to residential customers since the early 2010s, and ISPs have eliminated sub-1 Gbps plans. As a result, 85% of residential homes in Singapore and 68.0% in Hong Kong have at least 1 Gbps services. Chile, Latin America’s leader in fixed line performance and fourth in the Speedtest Global Index in Q1 2024, has six ISPs with more than 5% market share, all of which are heavily focused on migrating customers to fiber.

Governments in these leading countries have also prioritized strong digital infrastructure development with significant investment in infrastructure. For example, China has pursued a state-coordinated infrastructure deployment program to promote economic development. In France, the government’s “France Très Haut Débit” initiative aimed to provide fiber optic access to all citizens by 2025 through public-private partnerships. The Singaporean government invested S$1 billion to build the infrastructure of its National Broadband Network (NBN) which supported speeds of up to 10 Gbps and reached more than 95% premises in 2013. In February 2023, it announced an additional investment of up to S$100 million to upgrade the NBN to enable more than half a million households to benefit from speeds of up to 10Gbps by 2028.

While the broadband infrastructure in some countries from the Middle East is gigabit internet-ready, the disparity in income and the high price of these packages hinder the adoption rate of high-speed broadband services. For example, a 1 Gbps fiber line in Hong Kong or Singapore could cost as little as $30 per month, and a plan with a similar speed starts at $100 per month in Qatar,  $150 in the U.A.E., $250 in Saudi Arabia, and $345 in Bahrain. This highlights the need to make gigabit plans more affordable if the operators want to boost fiber subscribers and countries aspire to move up the Speedtest Global Index.

As demand for high-speed internet continues to grow, we expect increased adoption of 10 Gbps speeds to support more demanding applications and improve the user experience. Work is underway in some developed markets to build higher-capacity broadband networks to enable new cases and make the infrastructure future-ready. For example, In March 2024, Hong Kong Telecom announced the availability of 50 Gbps lines for residential and business customers. This trend is slowly emerging in the Middle East – Etisalat by E& in the U.A.E and Ooredoo in Qatar announced early experiments with 50G PON technology. We anticipate continued innovation and competition in the region, driving further advancements that will ultimately benefit end-users by delivering faster and more affordable gigabit connectivity options.

For more information about Speedtest Intelligence data and insights, please contact us.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

About the Author

Karim Yaici

Ookla Research™ Articles
| July 27, 2021

Oslo Tops the List of World Capitals with the Fastest 5G in Q1-Q2 2021

Global Speeds

Mobile operators are rapidly expanding 5G deployments across the globe, with 16,410 new 5G deployments across 109 countries added to the Ookla 5G Map™ in June 2021 alone. Huge investments in 5G are being made to increase performance, especially in major cities. We used Speedtest Intelligence® to see which world capitals have the best 5G speeds and availability, based on locations with commercially available 5G during Q1-Q2 2021.

Oslo, Norway was the fastest world capital for 5G during Q1-Q2 2021

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The race for fastest 5G performance among world capitals was extremely competitive during Q1-Q2 2021. Oslo, Norway had the fastest 5G of any world capital, clocking in with a median download speed of 526.74 Mbps. Seoul, South Korea had the second fastest median download speed over 5G at 467.84 Mbps; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was third (421.26 Mbps); Doha, Qatar fourth (413.40 Mbps) and Stockholm, Sweden fifth (401.30 Mbps). Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (384.66 Mbps); Kuwait City, Kuwait (338.97 Mbps), Muscat, Oman (318.95 Mbps); Beijing, China (291.19 Mbps); and Taipei, Taiwan (287.86 Mbps); rounded out the top 10. Helsinki, Finland showed a median 5G download speed of 279.59 Mbps; Sofia, Bulgaria 260.55 Mbps; Canberra, Australia 258.39 Mbps; Bangkok, Thailand 253.73 Mbps; Manama, Bahrain 249.71; Dublin, Ireland 223.01; Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 209.98 Mbps; Paris, France 208.48 Mbps and Bucharest, Romania 203.44 Mbps.

We saw median 5G download speeds between 150 Mbps and 200 Mbps in the following world capitals during Q1-Q2 2021: Ottawa, Canada (196.11 Mbps); Hanoi, Vietnam (195.99 Mbps); Bratislava, Slovakia (188.23 Mbps); Madrid, Spain (183.37 Mbps); Bern, Switzerland (175.69 Mbps); Rome, Italy (171.79 Mbps); London, United Kingdom (167.50 Mbps); Tokyo, Japan (167.02 Mbps); Athens, Greece (164.95 Mbps); Copenhagen, Denmark (162.75 Mbps); Ljubljana, Slovenia (158.50 Mbps); Hong Kong (153.78) and Washington, D.C., United States (151.80 Mbps).

Cape Town, South Africa was the slowest world capital for 5G in Q1-Q2 2021

ookla_slowest_5g_download_speed_world_capitals_0721

Speedtest Intelligence shows Capetown, South Africa had the slowest median download speed over 5G during Q1-Q2 2021 at 53.33 Mbps. Other world capitals with slower median 5G download speeds included: Brasilia, Brazil (62.18 Mbps); San Juan, Puerto Rico (72.59 Mbps); Warsaw, Poland (80.18 Mbps); Singapore (111.20 Mbps); Manila, Philippines (112.23 Mbps); Prague, Czechia (116.30 Mbps); Budapest, Hungary (137.54 Mbps); Amsterdam, Netherlands (139.75 Mbps); Zagreb, Croatia (140.92 Mbps); Vienna, Austria (144.93 Mbps); Jerusalem, Israel (145.17 Mbps); and Berlin, Germany (148.16 Mbps).

Capitals not mentioned on either of these lists did not have sufficient 5G samples during Q1-Q2 2021 to be included in this report.

The fastest 5G speeds are yet to come

5G is rapidly improving across the world and we’re eager to see how countries, cities and operators continue to perform during Q3 2021 and beyond. If you want to see how your 5G network performs against these benchmarks, please download the Android or iOS app, and take a Speedtest®. Learn more about 5G provider performance in select cities here, and visit the Ookla 5G MapTM to see which providers are offering 5G in your area.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on July 28 to reorganize the content for clarity.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 6, 2021

Ookla Video Analytics Reveals the State of Global Video Experience

Services


Video is essential to today’s internet across the world. We use it to watch shows and movies, stream live events and even keep up to date on our favorite cats on social media. Ookla® launched video testing in the Speedtest® app for iOS and Android earlier this year so consumers can measure the quality of their video experience. Already, millions of video tests have been initiated by consumers. Today we’re sharing some of that data to provide insight into video experience around the world, specifically, we’ve analyzed adaptive start time and highest overall video resolution over all mobile technologies, 5G and fixed broadband in select countries during Q3 2021.

Switzerland had the fastest adaptive start time for all mobile technologies, South Africa fastest for 5G

Video streaming services use adaptive bitrate technology

All modern video streaming platforms use adaptive bitrate technology to automatically adjust video quality based on network conditions and device capabilities in order to display the highest quality video that a device can support, while minimizing buffering and slow video start time. Speedtest Video Analytics provides deep insights and competitive benchmarking for device and network video streaming capabilities.

Adaptive start time — the time it takes for adaptive bitrate playback to initiate — allows us to see how quickly videos are loading. A 2012 study found that users will leave a video if it doesn’t begin playing within two seconds. We have to imagine in 2021, that timeframe is being squeezed even further. Our analysis shows how countries are performing against this important benchmark.

ookla_adaptive-start-time_all-mobile-tech_1121-01-3

Speedtest Intelligence® reveals that Switzerland had the fastest median adaptive start time for all mobile technologies combined among the countries we analyzed at 1.02 seconds during Q3 2021. South Korea and Norway were close behind at 1.07 seconds and 1.10 seconds, respectively. Five more countries achieved a median adaptive start time at or under 1.25 seconds during Q3 2021, including Hong Kong (SAR) and Croatia (1.17 seconds), Portugal (1.24 seconds), and Kuwait and Mexico (1.25 seconds). All but three of the remaining countries we surveyed achieved a median adaptive start time between 1.25 seconds and 2.00 seconds during Q3 2021 except Colombia (2.11 seconds), Saudi Arabia (2.12 seconds) and India (2.13 seconds).

Most 5G-capable video tests showed blazing fast adaptive start times

ookla_adaptive-start-time_5g_1121-01

We’ve seen median 5G download speeds zoom ahead of traditional mobile technologies, even reaching median download speeds 10 times faster than on 4G LTE. It’s no surprise Video Analytics revealed adaptive start time was often much faster on 5G than on all mobile technologies combined. Five countries achieved median adaptive start times faster than 1.00 second during Q3 2021: South Africa (0.73 seconds), Switzerland (0.79 seconds), Norway (0.82 seconds), Hong Kong (0.86 seconds) and South Korea (0.90 seconds). Video Analytics shows the only countries with a median 5G adaptive start time slower than 1.25 seconds were the United States (1.27 seconds), Brazil (1.42 seconds) and Saudi Arabia (1.94 seconds).

Five countries’ adaptive start time improved more than 0.25 seconds on 5G compared to all technologies combined during Q3 2021: the Philippines (-0.62 seconds), South Africa (-0.53 seconds), Brazil (-0.39 seconds), Hong Kong (-0.31 seconds) and Norway (-0.29 seconds). However, several countries showed a less than 0.20 second improvement when comparing adaptive start rate on 5G to that on all technologies combined during Q3 2021: the U.S. (-0.14 seconds), Bahrain (-0.16 seconds), South Korea and Saudi Arabia (-0.17 seconds), and the United Kingdom (U.K.) and France (-0.18 seconds).

Adaptive start time is not always faster on fixed broadband

ookla_adaptive-start-time_fixed_1121-01-1

Speedtest Intelligence showed a narrower range for adaptive start time on fixed broadband than on 5G with every country on our list achieving between 0.67 and 1.85 seconds during Q3 2021. Ten countries on our list achieved a median adaptive start time faster than 1.00 second during Q3 2021: South Korea (0.67 seconds), Norway (0.74 seconds), Hong Kong (0.75 seconds), Switzerland (0.76 seconds), the U.K. (0.79 seconds), France (0.86 seconds), the U.S. (0.87 seconds), Spain (0.88 seconds), Portugal (0.89 seconds) and Italy (0.98 seconds).

Twenty out of the 24 countries we surveyed had a median fixed broadband adaptive start time faster than 1.50 seconds during Q3 2021. Colombia (1.50 seconds), Egypt (1.59 seconds), Turkey (1.64 seconds) and Saudi Arabia (1.85 seconds) were the only countries with a median adaptive start time slower than 1.50 seconds on fixed broadband during Q3 2021.

South Korea video tests reached 4K resolutions at the highest proportion on mobile and fixed broadband

Video resolution is incredibly important in the experience of streaming video and the higher the resolution, the more definition and clarity we are able to see. These days, the difference between an SD and 4K experience is gigantic. Resolution is measured in the numbers of pixels in a 16:9 ratio, with 2160 pixel height representing a 4K picture. Video Analytics measures the resolution rates, which represent the portion of samples that reach a particular resolution. In this analysis, we evaluated the resolution rates for 4K, typically the highest resolution users will need.

ookla_highest-video-resolution_all-mobile-tech_1121-01

Using Speedtest Intelligence, we found South Korea and Switzerland had the highest overall successful resolution rates for all mobile technologies combined during Q3 2021, reaching 4K resolutions 80.4% and 80.3% of the time, respectively. Croatia (79.7%), Kuwait (77.4%) and Norway (75.4%) were the only other countries on our list that achieved 4K video resolution more than 75.0% of the time. Only seven countries on our list did not reach a 4K resolution at least 50% of the time on all mobile technologies combined: the Philippines (38.4%), India (41.1%), Indonesia (44.8%), Colombia (45.3%), Mexico (46.3%), Russia (49.7%) and Egypt (49.9%).

5G led to higher video resolution, but 4K mobile devices still remain rare

ookla_highest-video-resolution_5g_1121-01

5G provided a higher resolution for mobile devices during Q3 2021 than all technologies combined. Every country we surveyed reached a 4K resolution over 80.0% of the time over 5G. In fact, six out of the 14 countries we surveyed for 5G achieved a 4K resolution more than 90.0% of the time, including South Korea (95.9%), Norway (94.5%), Kuwait (94.0%), South Africa (93.6%), Switzerland (92.6%) and France (91.5%). On the lower end of our list, only Italy (81.9%), Brazil (83.9%) and the U.S. (83.9%) achieved 4K resolutions less than 85.0% of the time.

While this is great news for the future of mobile devices, 4K resolutions in mobile devices still aren’t common: Sony is the only popular device manufacturer producing 4K mobile devices. In the meantime, users who can connect to 5G through either a hot spot or fixed wireless access (FWA) will reap the benefits of being able to stream on 4K devices like computers, televisions or tablets.

South Korean fixed broadband delivers ultra-high definition resolutions

ookla_highest-video-resolution_fixed_1121-01

Speedtest Intelligence reveals South Korea had the highest fixed broadband 4K resolution rate among countries surveyed at 92.2% during Q3 2021. Other countries that achieved 4K resolution rates above 85.0% on fixed broadband during Q3 2021 included: Switzerland (89.4%), Hong Kong (87.6%), Norway (87.1%) and the U.S. (86.7%). Every other country in our analysis achieved 4K resolution rates between 65.0% and 85.0%, except Egypt (49.5%), Indonesia (52.5%), the Philippines (64.2%) and Turkey (64.3%).

Video Analytics gives you the information you need about your video playback

We’re excited to share more about video performance and quality of experience using Video Analytics in the coming months. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about Video Analytics and how it can help you benchmark and improve your network, please join our upcoming webinar, December 9 by clicking here.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

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About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 21, 2021

Oman’s Mobile Performance Is Blazing Ahead and 5G Will Boost Speeds

Global Speeds


pdf_download_button_ar-1

Middle Eastern countries — particularly within the oil-rich Gulf — have been investing heavily in expanding and upgrading their mobile networks over the past few years. That’s been paying off for consumers across the region, with United Arab Emirate (U.A.E.) operator Etisalat being awarded with the World’s fastest mobile network operator in 2020 and Gulf nations holding four of the top 10 spots on the Speedtest Global Index™ during September 2021. With Oman rising in the mobile rankings and Muscat placing in the top 10 world capitals for fastest 5G during Q1-Q2 2021, Oman’s rise as a potential mobile powerhouse merits further investigation.

This article examines the state of Oman’s mobile performance during Q3 2021, including which provider had the fastest mobile performance, Oman’s 5G evolution, a governorate-level mobile analysis and snapshot of provider performance in Muscat using Ookla® Cell Analytics™.

Oman is behind its regional partners for mobile performance during Q3 2021, but speeds are rapidly accelerating

ookla_download-comparison_oman_1021_en

Speedtest Intelligence® revealed the U.A.E. had the fastest median mobile download speed among Oman’s regional trading partners at 109.92 Mbps during Q3 2021. Oman was a hair faster than Bahrain at 46.85 Mbps. Jordan and Iraq had the slowest median download speeds on this list at 18.82 Mbps and 33.74 Mbps, respectively.

Ooredoo overtook Omantel as Oman’s fastest mobile operator

ookla_mobile_performance_oman_1121_en

Competition between Oman’s top providers, Ooredoo and Omantel, has been fierce over the past year. However, Ooredoo pulled ahead of Omantel during Q3 2021, achieving a median mobile download speed of 48.22 Mbps to Omantel’s 44.56 Mbps. Ooredoo also had the fastest median mobile upload speed during Q3 2021 at 13.74 Mbps to Omantel’s 12.00 Mbps.

Ooredoo outpaced Omantel for fastest 5G download speed

ookla_5G_performance_oman_1121_en

Ooredoo also achieved the fastest 5G in Oman during Q3 2021, achieving a median 5G download speed of 346.37 Mbps to Omantel’s 228.25 Mbps. The fastest median 5G upload speed during Q3 2021 was much closer with Ooredoo achieving a median upload speed of 27.37 Mbps to Omantel’s 24.78 Mbps.

Ooredoo beat Omantel for 4G Availability, Omantel pulled ahead for 5G Availability

ookla_4G-5G-availability_oman_1121_en

Competition for the highest 4G and 5G Availability — with 4G Availability representing the proportion of users who spend most of their time on 4G or greater networks and 5G Availability representing the proportion of users who spend most of their time on 5G networks — was also close in Oman during Q3 2021. Ooredoo had the highest 4G Availability at 84.3% to Omantel’s 78.4%. For 5G Availability there was no statistical winner, but Omantel achieved 8.1% and Ooredoo achieved 7.4% during Q3 2021.

Muscat had the fastest mobile download speed among Oman’s governorates

ookla_mobile-performance_oman_map_1121_en

We used data from Speedtest Intelligence to examine Oman’s 11 governorates and found Muscat Governorate had the fastest median mobile download speed at 66.96 Mbps during Q3 2021. Al Buraymi Governorate was next on this list at 47.22 Mbps, followed by Al Batinah North Governorate (46.74 Mbps), Al Batinah South Governorate (44.68 Mbps) and Ad Dakhiliyah ‍Governorate (42.49 Mbps). Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate, Dhofar Governorate and Ad Dhahirah Governorate and Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate achieved between 34.00 Mbps and 39.00 Mbps. Al Wusta Governorate had the slowest median download speed at 33.21 Mbps. Musandam Governorate lacked sufficient data for inclusion.

Four governorates achieved the 4G Availability above 80% during Q3 2021

ookla_4g-availability_oman_map_1121_en

Speedtest Intelligence found that there was no statistical winner for highest 4G Availability in Oman during Q3 2021, but Muscat Governorate (84.4%), Al Batinah North Governorate (83.5%), Al Batinah South Governorate (83.0%) and Dhofar Governorate (82.8%) all achieved 4G Availability above 80%. All the rest of Oman’s governorates had 4G Availability between 72.0-80.0% except Al Wusta Governorate, which had the lowest 4G Availability in Oman at 57.9% during Q3 2021.

Signal strength is competitive in Muscat

We identified several key locations in Muscat to highlight using Cell Analytics data from Q2-Q3 2021. Each of these maps shows the strongest 4G reference signal received power (RSRP) in a given area, which can help mobile operators locate areas where they can improve their networks. Cell Analytics can identify the strongest RSRP by mobile network provider for a given area if there is a statistically-significant winner and color codes that plot bin to the provider’s color. Provider-level maps show the performance of individual providers for a given area, with pink and red showing a strong signal and blue indicating a weak signal.

Al Mawaleh South and Al Mouj Muscat

Located west and northwest of the Muscat International Airport, Al Mawaleh South and Al Mouj Muscat are high-traffic areas frequented by many Omani residents. The image below shows the strongest 4G LTE RSRP signal strength by provider with the dark blue representing Omantel and purple representing Ooredoo. As evidenced by the bands of solid colors, Omantel and Ooredoo have a strong presence by the major throughways in this area, while competition throughout the neighborhood is tight, particularly around the City Centre Muscat mall just west of the airport.

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The maps below show areas where each top provider has high and low signal strength data. Omantel had areas of high signal strength (pink and red), particularly on the major throughways and crowded shopping areas. Omantel also had a strong presence near the Al Mouj Marina, as well as key locations at the Seeb Stadium and City Centre Muscat mall. Ooredoo had deployments in similar locations with a strong signal near 18th November St., just north of the airport.

cell-analytics_rsrp_al-mawaleh-south_1021_en

Ruwi and Al Wadi Al Kabir

Located in central Muscat, Ruwi and Al Wadi Al Kabir Industrial Estate represent the commercial heart of Muscat. As the images that follow show, it’s clear mobile operators have recognized how valuable this valley is to Omanis. Ooredoo had a strong presence in this area during Q2-Q3 2021, particularly through the central throughways, downtown core and central Al Wadi Al Kabir Industrial Estate. Omantel had strong signal strengths along most of Bait Al Falaj St. as well as south of this map.

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It comes as no surprise then that Ooredoo showed very strong 4G LTE signal strength near the central and southwest areas of this map during Q2-Q3 2021, as well as a few pockets of strong RSRP throughout. Interestingly, there were a few weaker areas between Ruwi St. and 41 Way near the center of the map. Omantel had strong signal strength near the north of this map, the southern half and central core, though there were a few areas of weaker signal strength (green and blue) in the west and center.

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Al Ghubrah South, Al Ghubrah Ash Shamaliyah, Al Azaiba North, Al Azaiba South and Al Khuwayr South

Home to the busy downtown Muscat area as well as the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, national Omani soccer stadium and beautiful beaches, this central Muscat area contains major local and international points of interest. The map below shows the provider with the strongest RSRP signal strength for a given area during Q2-Q3 2021. We saw a seemingly even competition between Ooredoo and Omantel, with each provider showing stronger RSRP signal strength in bands near the major highway and major sightseeing activities.

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However, when we look at each individual mobile operators’ 4G LTE RSRP, we see the area on Sultan Qaboos St. that includes Oman Avenues Mall, LuLu Hypermarket-Bousher, Muscat Grand Mall, Sharaf DG Muscat Mall and IKEA Muscat was fiercely competitive. Ooredoo had strong signal strength near the north of this area while Omantel had strong signal strength near in the middle of this area, fading slightly within the shopping mall areas. Omantel also had strong signal strength along most of Qaboos St. and lower signal strength within many of the neighborhoods beyond that core roadway. In that last respect, Ooredoo seemed to be doing a little better with more red showing in some of the neighborhood areas where Omantel fell short.

cell-analytics_rsrp_al-ghubrah_1021_en

Oman’s future mobile experience is faster, competitive 5G

Like many of its peers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Oman has set in place a strategic vision for its economic development as it looks to diversify its economy away from a reliance on oil. Its e.Oman 2030 strategy highlights the realization of a high-speed, high density network infrastructure as a key enabling factor in achieving its goals of increased digital literacy and skills, the development and adoption of e-government services, and the digital transformation of Omani industries.

In October 2019, Oman’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) outlined its 5G roadmap in support of this objective. The regulator has granted Omantel and Ooredoo rights to a 100 MHz block of spectrum each in the C-band for 5G services, while reserving an additional 100 MHz block for a new entrant. The regulator also waived annual frequency fees for a year to encourage investment, while the operators undertook deploying 4,400 5G base stations over the following five years. According to the RTA, a total of 1,300 5G sites had been deployed in the market as of June 2021, equating to 5G coverage of 40% of the population. With 5G Availability in the market below 10%, it’s clear that operators need to do more to encourage 5G adoption.

Oman Future Telecommunications (OFT), operating under the Vodafone Oman brand, plans to launch commercial services in late 2021. OFT signed a strategic partnership with Vodafone in 2019 and was granted a license in 2021 to become Oman’s third network operator. OFT recently signed a managed services agreement with Ericsson to build and operate a greenfield 4G and 5G core and radio access network and already has agreements in place with Oman Tower Company and Oman Broadband to accelerate its network build. Increased competition in the market, particularly when 5G adoption is still in its early stages, will bring renewed focus on network speed as a differentiator. This is backed up by Vodafone Oman’s aggressive network rollout with Ericsson. Vodafone‘s experience in India — where the early 4G era and entrance of Reliance Jio saw price wars that led to both network operator consolidation and the amassing of large debt burdens by operators in the market — is likely to dissuade Vodafone from pursuing an aggressive pricing strategy in Oman.

Internet speeds in Oman are blazing forward and we’ll be watching closely to see how they change. Click here to learn more about Speedtest Intelligence and Cell Analytics.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| September 21, 2023

Mobile gaming in the Gulf region: 5G improves the experience, but latency remains an issue

5G

In this article, we look at the performance of mobile networks in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) during the first half of 2023 for their ability to support gaming services. To this end, we introduce Ookla’s Game Score™ to quantify the gaming experience and analyze four network metrics that typically impact mobile gaming: download speed, upload speed, latency, and jitter.

Key takeaways

  • The Gulf region offers strong growth potential for mobile gaming. The region benefits from a large youth demographic, a growing casual gaming base, widespread smartphone adoption, and high-speed internet access. Operators and governments are also helping to increase public engagement in gaming.
  • The U.A.E., Bahrain, and Qatar had the highest Game Scores in the Middle East (83.49, 83.24, and 82.81, respectively, on a 100-point scale). These countries have superior mobile network performance that helps to deliver a good gaming experience. Their Game Scores were also higher for 5G compared to 4G, highlighting the importance of network upgrades and migrating customers to 5G.
  • Relatively high latency in some markets can make some games glitchy. Most casual gamers should be able to enjoy a smooth experience over 5G thanks to fast download and upload speeds, but some latency-sensitive games (like multiplayer shooters) may have noticeable lags. Mobile operators can explore different approaches (such as deploying edge computing infrastructure) to improve game responsiveness and prepare their networks for more data-intensive games.

Ookla’s Game Score™ helps quantify the gaming experience

Game Score™ compares the performance of operators’ networks in terms of their ability to offer the best gaming experiences to consumers. The score is composed of different components, each measuring a different aspect of a consumer’s gaming experience based on multiple network key performance indicators. Game Score™ is based on Ookla’s consumer-initiated Speedtest Intelligence® results for download and upload speeds, as well as Consumer QoE’s™ latency and jitter measurements taken on real-world game servers. 

Each component is evaluated and scored on a scale of 0-100 for each eligible operator. Finally, scored components are combined in a weighted average to produce a Game Score for each operator. For this article, we aggregated the scores of eligible operators to obtain a country-level Game Score. More details about our Game Score methodology can be downloaded from this link.

The Gulf region offers strong growth potential for mobile gaming

According to BCG, the Middle East region has the highest gaming penetration: more than 60% of the population are game enthusiasts. The audience for live-streaming games is expected to exceed 200 million in 2025, making the Middle East one of the fastest-growing regions for gaming.

The GCC region, in particular, has strong growth potential in terms of active gamers and e-sports participants thanks to its large youth demographic, sizable disposable income, access to high-speed connectivity, and the ongoing development of gaming infrastructure (such as hosting local gaming servers and setting up gaming arenas and e-sports facilities). The market will expand as gaming becomes more mainstream and more female users and older demographics engage in gaming.

5G is also helping to increase mobile gaming adoption as it enables smoother gameplay than 4G. According to the GSMA, around half of surveyed 5G users (or those intending to upgrade to 5G) in eight developed markets game frequently compared to around 30% among non-5G users. More operators are also bundling gaming services into their 5G plans, making mobile gaming more mainstream. Operators consider gaming as a growth area and a means to increase customer engagement and differentiate their connectivity propositions (see table below).

Local governments have also implemented strategies to develop a local gaming ecosystem to diversify their economies. For example, Saudi Arabia has a national gaming and e-sports strategy while the U.A.E. aims to encourage global gaming producers to establish a local presence.

Recent gaming-related propositions and initiatives

Bahrain Batelco introduced a mobile gaming portal in 2022
stc offers stc play app and organizes e-sports tournaments. It partnered with gaming infrastructure provider Subspace in 2019 to improve the multi-player experience in the region
Zain offers a mobile game pass with a dedicated data allowance for popular games
Kuwait Zain has a dedicated e-sports division that hosts tournaments. It partnered with PLAYHERA to establish a gaming and e-sports platform in 2022
Ooredoo offers gamer-dedicated 5G and fiber plans with reduced latency. It also organizes e-sports competitions
stc offers a 5G plan add-on that promises to reduce latency, jitter, and packet loss
Oman Omantel launched ‘GeForce NOW’ cloud gaming service in partnership with NVIDIA. It also offers an add-on to get 100 Mbps extra speed on fiber and a dedicated mobile add-on for game data traffic
Ooredoo organizes local e-sports tournaments
Qatar Ooredoo launched the first e-sports tournament in Qatar, part of its e-sports brand, Ooredoo Nation – Gamers’ Land, in 2021. In 2023, it launched Ooredoo Nation League as a hub for Qatari gamers
Vodafone commercialized the Vive Cosmos headset with a subscription to VIVEPORT Infinity, a repository of VR games, apps, and videos
Saudi Arabia stc launched ‘stc play’ e-sports and game distribution platform and rolled out the Blacknut cloud gaming platform. It also offers a mobile data add-on tailored for gamers
Mobily launched an e-sports platform for gamers powered by D11 Gaming. It also offers Game Mode, an add-on for unlimited use of PUBG Mobile and League of Legends: Wild Rift games
Zain launched ‘GeForce NOW’ cloud gaming service. It also offers a fiber package dedicated to gaming that includes a low-latency router, up to 500 Mbps for download and 200 Mbps for upload speeds
U.A.E. Etisalat by e& launched ‘Arena Play’ mobile add-ons to enable customers to play without incurring data charges. It also introduced ‘Arena eLife’ fixed broadband add-on to access many games online from home
du launched Games Instant Play as part of its ‘My World’ mobile portal

Bahrain, Qatar, and the U.A.E. had the highest Game Scores in the Middle East

The U.A.E., Bahrain, and Qatar had the highest Game Scores during the first half of 2023 in the Middle East. That means that users in these countries get the best mobile gaming experience in the region. The U.A.E. is home to the fastest 5G operator globally in Q2 2023, according to Ookla Speedtest Intelligence™ data. The U.A.E. comes first with a Game Score of 83.49 on a 100-point scale (considering all mobile technologies). The U.A.E.  was closely followed by Bahrain with a score of 83.24 and Qatar with a score of 82.81. These results reflect the superior mobile network performance in these three markets which helps to deliver a good gaming experience. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Oman were further down the Game Score ranking, achieving scores of 80.41, 78.74, and 75.40, respectively. 

Chart of Overall Game Score™, per Country

Game Scores were consistently higher for 5G than 4G users in all Gulf countries. The gaming experience benefits from the larger bandwidth and lower latency offered by 5G, contributing to smoother and more responsive gameplay. Game Scores on 4G lagged those on 5G by a range from 5.37% in Oman to 8.26% in Saudi Arabia. Gulf operators have the potential to improve the gaming experience by continuing to improve their 5G infrastructure, migrating more customers to 5G, and establishing local gaming servers.

Chart of Game Score™ for 4G and 5G, per Country

In the following sections, we break down the Game Score into its components to understand how being on a 4G or 5G network can affect the everyday gaming experiences of Gulf-based mobile users.

Gaming download and upload speeds are markedly higher on 5G than on 4G, making mobile gaming more enjoyable

Download speed is essential in creating a smooth gaming experience without interruptions or degradations in streaming quality. High download speeds are also important for downloading digitally distributed games and updates. Download speed requirements for online mobile gaming vary depending on the game type (for example, cloud gaming needs higher bandwidth than a game played on a smartphone), gamer profile (for example, competitive gamers will need higher bandwidth than casual players) and use cases (for example, downloading game updates compared to playing preload games). 

For the purpose of this analysis, we assume that 25 Mbps is the minimum download speed to enjoy a good gaming experience for casual gamers (who represent the majority of gamers). According to Ookla’s data, all Gulf markets comfortably exceed that requirement on 4G and surpass it significantly on 5G. Kuwait had the lowest download speed over 4G in the first half of 2023 at 35.12 Mbps. In contrast, Oman had the lowest 5G download speed at 176.79 Mbps. 

U.A.E. offers the fastest median download speeds for both 4G and 5G at 69.17 Mbps and 566.10 Mbps, respectively, ahead of Qatar and Bahrain which rounded out the top 3 in the region. 5G offers significantly better performance than 4G in all markets. The median 5G speed across Gulf countries was 6.8X faster than the median 4G speed (345.53 Mbps vs. 43.9 Mbps).

Chart of Median Download over 4G and 5G, per Country

Upload speed also plays an essential role in creating a smooth gaming experience without interruptions or quality degradation, particularly in multiplayer games. We use 3 Mbps as a reference point based on the recommended minimum upload speed for a good gaming experience for casual gamers.

Ookla’s data shows that Gulf markets are crushing it when it comes to exceeding upload requirements for both 4G and 5G. The lowest median upload speed recorded on 4G was in Saudi Arabia at 10.87 Mbps; For 5G, it was in Oman at 17.28 Mbps. Median upload speeds on 5G were 1.27X faster than those on a 4G network in the region. The gap between 4G and 5G upload speeds is larger in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E., which means that gamers in these countries could see the most significant improvement in gameplay and streaming quality when switching from 4G to 5G. In absolute terms, Qatar, Bahrain, and the U.A.E. offer the fastest upload speeds, reaching a maximum of 38.48 Mbps for the latter.

Chart of Median Upload over 4G and 5G, per Country

Relatively high latency in some markets can make some multiplayer games glitchy on 5G

Game Latency is a measure of latency to popular gaming server locations. Latency affects how quickly a gamer’s response is reflected in gameplay and is of particular interest to those who prefer games where reaction time is crucial. Low latency can provide smooth and lag-free gaming. For this analysis, we consider a sub-100 ms latency to be good for many games and most casual gamers.

Ookla’s data shows that most countries, except Oman, recorded latency below 100 ms on 5G. Bahrain had the lowest latency on 5G at 72.01 ms, and Oman had the highest latency at 115.46 ms. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also had a relatively high 5G latency at 93.2 ms and 90.31 ms, respectively, which means that some multiplayer shooters, racing, fighting, and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games might have a noticeable lag. Operators have room to improve the conditions for multiplayer games, especially for competitive gamers. 

Users saw more modest differences in latency between 4G and 5G than for download and upload speeds. That means that multiplayer gamers can still get decent gameplay on either network technology and may not perceive an improvement in response time when switching to 5G. However, enhancements in 5G infrastructure will widen 5G’s advantage over 4G and provide a stronger incentive for gamers to migrate over time.

Chart of Gaming Latency over 4G and 5G, per Country

The variation in latency to popular gaming servers, known as Game Jitter, can also cause laggy gameplay or distorted audio if it is too high. For smoother gameplay, latency should be consistently low. A jitter below 30 ms is considered good for casual mobile gamers.

Results show that the Gulf region has low jitter, especially on 5G. Jitter ranged from 8.26 ms in Bahrain to 13.43 ms in Oman during Q1-Q2 2023. Jitter on 4G was slightly higher than 5G in all countries except in Oman where it was surprisingly lower at 11.55 ms – both Ooredoo and Omantel recorded lower jitter on their 4G network than on 5G during the first half of 2023. 

Chart of Gaming Jitter over 4G and 5G, per Country

The localization of gaming servers, the rollout of 5G Standalone (SA), and edge computing can push mobile gaming performance to new heights

Mobile operators can explore different approaches to improve connectivity consistency, speeds, and latency compared to current 5G in order to support more data-intensive games, enhance the multi-player gaming experience on smartphones, and cater to competitive gamers. 

  • Shorten the distance between the users and the game servers. According to data published by the Saudi’s telecoms regulator, users can save, on average, 60 ms in latency when playing popular games with servers located in the GCC compared to servers in Europe. We expect more Gulf-based operators will host game servers in their data centers as more publishers strive to offer the best experience to local gamers.
  • Deploy 5G Standalone (SA) to increase bandwidth and speed and enable ultra-low latency. Most of the 5G networks deployed in the Gulf region use the Non-Standalone (NSA) model, where the radio antennas (part of the radio access network) are based on 5G but the core uses a 4G infrastructure. As of July 2023, the GSA reported that seven operators in the Gulf region were evaluating 5G SA, while six have either deployed or launched the service. The migration to 5G SA is expected to reduce latency to sub-5 ms, which should help the multiplayer and cloud gaming experience.
  • Deploy edge computing infrastructure to make gaming experiences more immersive. Edge computing enables new use cases with stringent bandwidth, latency, and availability requirements. Some local operators, such as Etisalat by e& and stc, have partnered with vendors and hyperscalers to develop edge computing capabilities to target enterprise customers. Operators should explore how to exploit these resources to support their own gaming and entertainment initiatives and support those of their partners.

The GCC region has a vibrant and untapped gaming market poised for tremendous growth. This potential hinges on the robustness of the telecoms infrastructure. Gulf operators’ investments in 5G infrastructure helped them climb Ookla’s Game Score leaderboard and demonstrated their commitment to putting their countries on the gaming map. Operators can continue to improve the gaming experience and further minimize latency by deploying local gaming servers, edge computing infrastructure, and 5G SA to make games more responsive and smooth. These improvements will put the region in an even better position to lead game development and foster the local gaming ecosystem.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

5G
Tech Insights

About the Author

Karim Yaici

Ookla Research™ Articles
| January 12, 2024

Bahrain’s 5G Gaming Performance and Investments are Aligned with its Aspirations to Become a Regional Hub

5G

Bahrain took the lead in 5G gaming performance across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Middle East during the first half of 2023, based on Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data. This article examines the gaming performance on Bahrain’s 5G networks, evaluates their suitability for multi-player on-device and cloud gaming services, and discusses local initiatives to position Bahrain as the regional gaming hub.

Key takeaways

  • Bahrain’s 5G Game Score™ was the highest in the Middle East at 87.64 out of 100 during Q1-Q2 2023. This exceptional network performance helps to deliver a good gaming experience. With ultra-fast 5G speeds (413.69 Mbps) and low latency (72 ms), most casual gamers can expect a top-notch multi-player gaming experience.
  • Bahrain’s pro-gaming policies and initiatives helped to attract international companies and foster a burgeoning local gaming ecosystem. The vibrant start-up landscape, bolstered by supportive business-friendly policies, funding, and access to tech-savvy talent, helped to attract international gaming studios and emerge local ones.
  • Bahrain faces competition from its neighbors to become a regional gaming hub. However, it can leverage its advanced networking infrastructure and reputation as a technology incubator to attract companies and entrepreneurs who want to trial new ideas and technologies for gaming and transform them into ventures that serve the region.

Bahrain leads the Middle East in terms of 5G Game Score and latency

The cellular infrastructure is critical for the growth of mobile gaming. Advanced network systems that offer speed, reliability, and low latency are pivotal to seamless gaming experiences and thus, the gaming industry. The growing popularity of mobile devices and portable gaming also pushes the boundaries of what mobile games can do. 

Recognizing this, Ookla has devised a new metric, Game Score, to measure the gaming experience. This score considers various network parameters that impact gaming, including download and upload speeds, latency, and jitter. Game Score is based on Ookla’s consumer-initiated Speedtest Intelligence results for download and upload speeds, as well as Consumer QoE’s™ latency and jitter measurements taken on actual game servers. 

Each component is scored on a scale of 0-100 and then combined in a weighted average to produce a Game Score. A higher score signifies a better gaming experience for the user. You can find more details about the Game Score methodology here.

In a recent article, we presented the Game Scores for the six GCC countries. Bahrain led the Middle East region during the first half of 2023 with the highest 5G Game Score at 87.64. The U.A.E. and Qatar trailed closely with scores of 85.59 and 85.23, respectively, reflecting the high-quality mobile network performance in these markets that provides excellent gaming experiences. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman received lower Game Scores.

Chart of 5G Game Score, Gulf Countries

Gamers in Bahrain can enjoy a great multi-player gaming experience over 5G

Looking more closely at two main components of the Game Score – download speed and game latency – we can assess how well Bahrain’s 5G network supports multi-player gaming services.

  • Download speed is crucial for ensuring uninterrupted gameplay and maintaining high-quality streaming. High download speeds are also important for downloading digitally distributed games and updates. Download speed requirements for online mobile gaming vary depending on the game type (for example, cloud gaming needs higher bandwidth than a game played on a smartphone) and the gamer profile (for example, competitive gamers will require higher bandwidth than casual players)
  • Game latency is a measure of latency to popular gaming server locations. It impacts the speed at which a gamer’s response is reflected in gameplay and is particularly important for games where quick reactions are crucial. Low latency also means smoother and lag-free gaming.

For this analysis, we consider two types of multi-player games to account for variations in network requirements and user expectations. The table below outlines the minimum requirements for casual gamers (who make up the majority of gamers) for download speed and latency for on-device and cloud games.

List of Network Requirements for Mobile Games

Ookla’s data shows that Bahrain significantly exceeds the speed requirement for both game types, with a median download speed of 413.69 Mbps during Q1-Q2 2023. This implies that gamers should not face delays in downloading games, loading games, or applying patches.

Bahrain has also the lowest latency in the Gulf region at 72 ms and should provide smooth gameplay for most casual games. Yet, some multiplayer shooters, racing, fighting, and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games might experience some lag, particularly if streamed from a cloud server outside the country. There’s room for operators to enhance conditions for multiplayer games, especially for competitive gamers.

It should be noted that the gaming experience can be affected by other factors besides 5G network quality. The location of the game server, for example, can influence latency. If the game server is outside the country or region then the quality of international connectivity matters more. Since Bahrain has a small land mass and a high population density, game servers, and international gateways are likely to be close to gamers. This partially explains why its game-related metrics are better than those of other countries in the region.

Chart of Median Download Speed and Latency in Bahrain vs. Minimum Requirements for Games

Bahrain made the digital sector, including gaming, central to its economic expansion. The government and various regulatory authorities have fostered a favorable business environment to attract investments from global technology companies. Operators have also supported the country’s ambition to become the regional ICT hub by developing advanced digital infrastructure and nurturing local talent.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Bahrain prioritized ICT as a key sector for economic growth and diversification, setting targets to achieve 100% broadband coverage and increase the number of start-ups by 20% by the end of 2026. According to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), mobile broadband penetration of the population reached 146.0%, and fixed broadband penetration of households reached 69% in Q3 2023. 

Bahrain was among the first countries in the Middle East to launch 5G in 2019. The three mobile operators, Batelco, stc, and Zain, have invested in its expansion, achieving 100% 5G commercial network coverage. Operators are also upgrading their 5G infrastructure to improve throughput and reduce latency by deploying 5G Standalone (SA) and 5G Advanced (5.5G). For example, stc tested 5G SA in May 2022 and 5G network slicing in October 2023. Batelco deployed a cloud-native 5G core and tested 5G SA in April 2022. Zain trialed 5G SA in 2022 and implemented 5G carrier aggregation using a mid-band frequency.

Furthermore, Batelco’s parent company, Beyon, announced an investment of over $250 million to support the country’s digital transformation. This includes the development of the country’s biggest data center. In 2022, stc announced that it plans the region’s largest technology park, which includes a new data center. These new facilities will supplement existing data centers and strengthen the country’s position as a regional digital infrastructure center.

The country’s extensive and high-quality network infrastructure underpinned its ‘Cloud First Policy’ which encouraged public and private organizations to migrate to the cloud. This strategy has proven successful in attracting major hyperscalers like AWS which established three ‘regional availability zones’ in 2019 in Bahrain.

Pro-graming policies and initiatives helped attract international companies and develop a local gaming ecosystem

This influx of international cloud service providers has caught the attention of game publishers eager to cater to their fans in the region. Take Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, as an example. They set up a local server over AWS infrastructure to boost game response times and stimulate interest in e-sports. They expected latency to improve between 20% and 50% for players in the Gulf region and India. Similarly, Riot Games set up a local server in Bahrain for its game Valorant.

Bahrain has a vibrant start-up landscape in the Middle East region bolstered by supportive government policies, funding schemes, and a pool of young, tech-savvy talent. As part of the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, the government established Tamkeen, an agency designed to promote private sector development and digital services adoption. Tamkeen has been involved in initiatives such as setting up a training program for video game development and the creation of the ‘D11 Gaming Hub’, designed to strengthen the e-sports ecosystem in Bahrain.

Thanks to these efforts, Bahrain attracted foreign gaming studios, like The Stories Studio, to establish a local office. It has also nurtured a burgeoning local game production industry, with award-winning gaming studios, such as Juego Studios and Regnum Studio, and a host of start-ups offering a range of products, solutions, and services for the gaming industry. Bahrain also aspires to be a leading e-sports competition destination in the Middle East, having already hosted global events like the BLAST Pro Series Global Final, NVTC Tournament, and GIRLGAMER Festival.

Operators have also taken proactive steps to capitalize on the growing demand for gaming in recognition of its potential to diversify revenue, increase customer engagement, and differentiate their services. For example:

  • Batelco introduced a mobile gaming portal in 2022.
  • stc launched the ‘stc play’ app, hosted multiple e-sport tournaments, and bundled gaming packages with its mobile data and home services.
  • Zain introduced a mobile game pass with a dedicated data allowance for popular games. It also partnered with the Bahraini Esports Federation and gaming platform provider Playhera to organize e-sports tournaments. Most recently, it launched the ‘Zain Esports Lab’ in collaboration with Tamkeen to host e-sports leagues, provide training to gamers, and offer professional opportunities for e-sports enthusiasts.

Bahrain harbors grand ambitions to strengthen its standing as a regional gaming hub

As part of the Telecommunications, ICT, and Digital Economy Sector Strategy 2022-2026, the Bahraini government aims to consolidate its reputation as a regional innovation center while continuing to lure large technology companies. Part of this strategy revolves around making the country an even more attractive destination for gaming companies to cater to the rapidly expanding base of casual gamers, e-sports enthusiasts, and professional players across the Middle East.

In November 2023, the TRA also unveiled the Sixth National Telecommunication Plan (NTP6). The plan outlines the government’s strategic three-year approach and general policies for the telecommunications sector. Bahrain’s objective is to continue to lead the way in ICT and telecommunications infrastructure development within the GCC region and aspire to be among the global top 10 in this sector.

BCG reported that the Middle East boasts the highest gaming penetration in the world, with over 60% of the population identifying as gaming enthusiasts. The audience for live-streaming games is projected to surpass 200 million in 2025, making the Middle East one of the fastest-growing regions for gaming, outpacing even China.

The GCC region is particularly ripe for growth in terms of active gamers and e-sports participants, thanks to its youthful demographic, substantial disposable income, access to affordable high-speed connectivity, and the ongoing development of gaming infrastructure. The market is bound to expand as gaming becomes more mainstream and as more female users and older demographics engage in gaming.

Statista predicts that the gaming industry in Bahrain (including in-game ads and live streaming) will generate over $38 million in 2023 and grow to over $53 million by 2027. Mobile games constitute the largest segment, with a market value nearing $12 million in 2023, expected to grow to more than $18 million by 2027. This is driven by the increasing number of players, expected to reach nearly 400,000 users by 2027. 

These figures show that the domestic gaming market in Bahrain is relatively small because of the limited population. That is why the opportunity lies in serving the larger and growing gaming audience in the Middle East and fostering a local gaming ecosystem that can scale up to serve the region.

However, Bahrain faces stiff competition from its neighbors seeking to diversify their economies through digital services. For example, Saudi Arabia invested in major gaming studios such as Capcom and Activision Blizzard via the Public Investment Fund (PIF), its sovereign fund, and has a national gaming and e-sports strategy. U.A.E. encourages global gaming producers to establish a local presence and hosts major game tournaments and events.

Bahrain should leverage its unique advantages, such as its advanced connectivity infrastructure, skilled workforce, and favorable business environment. Its track record as a technology incubator can also position it as an ideal place to test new ideas, technologies, monetization models, and regulations to support innovative gaming services.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

5G

About the Author

Karim Yaici

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 19, 2023

How Zain Bahrain Improved Speed and Customer Experience with Crowdsourced Network Intelligence [Case Study]

Global Speeds

Zain Bahrain recently became the first operator in the Middle East and North Africa to sunset its 3G network. The process of sunsetting 3G started with a partial shutdown in February 2022, and was completed 10 months later in December 2022. Zain saw significant improvement in median downlink and uplink throughput following its 3G sunset, leading to improved customer experience according to Ookla Consumer Sentiment Ratings.

LTE and 5G technologies are significantly more spectrum-efficient than 3G. By sunsetting 3G and freeing up spectrum for new technologies, operators can deliver faster, more resilient networks. Operators can benefit from lower operational costs, better energy efficiency, and improved customer experience — which is why Zain Bahrain set out to be the first operator in the Middle East and North Africa to sunset 3G. Zain used Ookla Cell AnalyticsTM to identify areas with dense 3G traffic, areas where consumers were still using older devices, and locations in need of improved 4G coverage.

Situation 

Zain’s plan to sunset 3G would require careful planning and communication to ensure a seamless experience for users and businesses as they transitioned to 4G and 5G networks. Zain knew that while shutting down 3G, there was a risk of customers becoming dissatisfied if it impacted their quality of service. When sunsetting 3G in markets where many consumers don’t have 4G- or 5G-capable devices, it’s important to understand where these customers are located and how much of their time is spent on legacy technology. Before shutting down 3G, Zain needed to ensure that their 4G and 5G networks would be prepared to handle previous 3G traffic.

Read the full case study here.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

Global Speeds

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Ookla

Ookla Research™ Articles
| October 22, 2023

How Bahrain Network (BNET) Accelerates Innovation in the Kingdom of Bahrain by Providing Faster Fiber [Case Study]

The widespread availability of high-speed broadband services and healthy competition among internet service providers (ISPs) are crucial drivers of national digital transformation. The Kingdom of Bahrain’s Fifth National Telecommunication Plan (NTP5) was developed to accelerate the growth and economic diversification of the telecommunications sector, including rolling out a fiber optic network to 100% of all businesses and 95% of all households across the Kingdom. Bahrain Network (BNET), the sole provider of wholesale fibre services and operator of the national fiber-optic broadband network in the Kingdom of Bahrain, aims to provide ISPs with the infrastructure required to enable them to meet the demand of both consumers and businesses for world-class telecoms services at fair and reasonable prices.

As the provider of the national broadband network, BNET has developed a single infrastructure to deliver ultra-fast broadband services to thirteen licensees, encouraging healthy competition. As a result of BNET’s efforts and services, fixed internet speeds have increased by 3.75x between 2020 and 2023. As one of the first countries in the Middle East to have a fully liberalized broadband market, the Kingdom of Bahrain has seen connectivity drive broad economic development, as well as improved consumer access to ultra-fast fiber.

Read the full case study here to learn more about BNET’s impact on broadband in Bahrain.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

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Ookla

Ookla Research™ Articles
| October 8, 2023

Gulf ISPs should help fiber customers upgrade and configure their Wi-Fi routers to deliver faster speeds

UAE

Gulf countries improved fiber coverage and adoption by investing in fixed infrastructure, raising entry-level speeds, and making fiber services more affordable. Their efforts paid off, as evidenced by their improved position in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index™. However, the persistent use of legacy and underperforming Wi-Fi standards in home networks can hamper efforts to provide the best network experience to customers.

Key messages

  • Wi-Fi 4 is still prevalent in the region which limits fiber’s potential. Many customers cannot get close to headline fixed broadband speeds because of the widespread use of Wi-Fi 4. Indeed, more than one-third of Speedtest® samples during Q2 2023 were using this old Wi-Fi standard. That means that a sizable proportion of users are not utilizing broadband services to their full potential.
  • Migrating to modern Wi-Fi standards can bring significant speed gains. On average, customers who used Wi-Fi 5 had a median download speed that was more than five times higher than those on Wi-Fi 4 in Q2 2023. Likewise, the speed over Wi-Fi 6 was 1.2 times faster on average than with Wi-Fi 5. Therefore, fixed broadband subscribers in the Gulf (most of whom use fiber services) with routers that only support Wi-Fi 4 would benefit the most from a CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) upgrade.
  • ISPs should do more to ensure their customers’ routers and smartphones are configured correctly. Even if consumers in the Gulf region own modern smartphones and Wi-Fi routers, they may still unknowingly use Wi-Fi 4 due to device misconfiguration and coverage constraints. ISPs can help educate consumers about how to correctly set up their home Wi-Fi routers and offer solutions to improve their indoor connectivity in order to use the more efficient 5 GHz spectrum band.

Most Gulf countries improved their global fixed broadband speed ranking since 2020

The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. leads the Middle East in fiber coverage and adoption. Local ISPs, backed by the government, accelerated fiber roll-outs to keep pace with the demand for data services and to ensure universal access to high-speed internet as part of national broadband development strategies. According to the FTTH Council industry body, the U.A.E. topped the global rankings for fiber household coverage, reaching 98.1% in September 2022, a position it has maintained since 2016. Qatar closely followed in the second position with 97.8% coverage.

These two GCC countries ranked ahead of Singapore (96.5%), Hong Kong (91.6%), and China (89.4%). In Bahrain, meanwhile, more than 88% of households were connected to the fiber infrastructure, whereas fiber coverage exceeded 60% in Saudi Arabia and reached 52% in Oman.

According to Speedtest Intelligence®, the U.A.E. leads the Gulf region in median download speeds at 236.67 Mbps in Q2 2023, a number that doubled since Q2 2022. Bahrain saw another story of improvement, with its median download speed reaching 70.17 Mbps, an increase of 46% year-on-year since Q2 2023. ISPs also saw significant improvements in upload speeds. Fixed upload speeds increased by 61% and 40% in Oman and Qatar, respectively, reaching 29.27 Mbps and 73.21 Mbps. Users in Bahrain experienced the biggest jump in median upload speed, which doubled between Q2 2022 and Q2 2023 to 20.37 Mbps.

As a result, most Gulf countries boosted their ranking in the Ookla Speedtest Global Index™. The U.A.E was ranked second in the Speedtest Global Index™ for median download speeds over fixed broadband in June 2023. Other GCC countries improved their rankings as well but trailed the U.A.E.

The telecom regulatory regimes and policies also helped, to different degrees, stimulate competition in the market, raise minimum broadband speeds, and reduce broadband tariffs. For example, in April 2023, Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) approved an offer from BNET, the wholesale fixed infrastructure provider, to double the speed of entry-level fiber packages while maintaining the same wholesale prices. In the U.A.E., Etisalat by e& and du increased minimum download speeds to 500 Mbps and offered discounts on higher-tier fiber plans in 2022. 

Wi-Fi 4 is still prevalent in the region which limits fiber’s potential

The choice of Wi-Fi standards and spectrum bands has a direct impact on connectivity quality, throughput, and network coverage. Indeed, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) significantly increases the maximum theoretical throughput speed of the access point to 3.5 Gbps, compared to 600 Mbps supported by the old Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) standard. 

Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax) supports even faster maximum data rates (up to 9.6 Gbps) and lower latency than earlier generations. It also combines 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz spectrum bands and wider channels for better throughput and less interference. Note that achievable speeds in real life will be much lower than these theoretical limits because of signal attenuation, interference, and the hardware and software variety of connected devices.

The rest of the analysis focuses on the most penetrated fiber markets in the region: Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. We used the percentage of samples that used a particular Wi-Fi standard and frequency band when connecting to the CPE as a proxy for their adoption by wired broadband customers in each country. We assume that most of the results reflect the performance of fiber services given that fiber represents the majority of fixed broadband connections in these four markets.

Our results show that more than one-third of test samples reported using Wi-Fi 4 to connect to the fixed CPE, but this varies considerably by country. Bahrain has the highest incidence of samples that use Wi-Fi 4 and the lowest proportion of Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 4 was more prevalent in the U.A.E. than Wi-Fi 6 (30.8% compared to 17.2% in Q2 2023). This suggests that the ISPs have an opportunity to improve the network experience for nearly a third of their customer base and extend their lead in the speed leaderboard if they can address that CPE speed bottleneck.

The distribution of samples by Wi-Fi standard is largely similar between the U.A.E and Saudi Arabia. The minimum broadband speed currently offered by ISPs in Saudi Arabia is 100 Mbps, while the median download speed on fixed broadband measured by Speedtest Intelligence data was 93.85 Mbps in Q2 2023. This suggests that many customers might still be on legacy, lower-speed plans, but the more likely case is that home Wi-Fi CPEs are limiting speeds in users’ homes. Indeed, 40.2% of Speedtest samples used Wi-Fi 4 in Saudi Arabia, limiting maximum achievable speeds.

Chart of Share of Wi-Fi Samples by Generation in Gulf Countries

Migrating to modern Wi-Fi standards can bring significant speed gains

Consumer-initiated speed tests confirm that users’ experience of network speed is significantly affected by how their devices connect to Wi-Fi access points. The chart below shows the median download speed distribution by Wi-Fi standard used.

Chart of Median Download Speed by Wi-Fi Generation in Gulf Countries

Median download speeds for devices that use Wi-Fi 4 topped out at 37.18 Mbps in Bahrain, and dropped to a low of 28.47 Mbps in Saudi Arabia. Contrary to what some might think, speed improvements were far more pronounced when looking at results on Wi-Fi 4 compared to those on Wi-Fi 5, rather than comparing speeds on Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6. Users who connected to Wi-Fi 5 had a median download speed that was more than five times higher on average than those on Wi-Fi 4. While download speeds over Wi-Fi 6 were 1.2 times faster than with Wi-Fi 5.

Wi-Fi 5 users in the UAE had the largest speed lead over Wi-Fi 4 users (6.5x). With Wi-Fi 6, median download speeds more than doubled to 251.68 Mbps for users in Qatar compared to those on Wi-Fi 5. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were outliers, with speeds largely similar regardless of whether test samples were with Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6. This is because these three countries have the lowest reported median download speeds (below 100 Mbps), and many users who consider upgrading from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 are unlikely to see a difference in their home network performance.

Looking at the performance of the fastest 10% samples in Q2 2023 reveals a more significant potential speed uplift for data-heavy users when using modern Wi-Fi standards. Users in the top 10% of our results experience the best performance, so it is possible to gauge from their results what speeds are achievable with each Wi-Fi standard. To that end, the median download speed of the 10th percentile results on Wi-Fi 4 users across Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. was 71.60 Mbps, compared to 330.91 Mbps on Wi-Fi 5 and 693.48 Mbps on Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 5 was 2.7x faster than Wi-Fi 4 in Bahrain and 5.9x faster in Qatar, while the speed ratios of Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 5 ranged from 1.2 in Saudi Arabia to 1.9 in the UAE.

Given the clear performance advantages of Wi-Fi 5, ISPs should encourage customers to migrate from Wi-Fi 4 to Wi-Fi 5 because it will significantly impact the end-user network experience. It’s also important to note that our data confirms that fiber broadband subscribers who continue using Wi-Fi 4 are the most penalized, especially if they subscribe to a service that is advertised as offering hundreds of megabits per second.

Chart of Performance of Top 10% of Speedtest Samples by Wi-Fi Generation in Gulf Countries

The persistent usage of legacy Wi-Fi is likely due to incorrectly configured routers

Huawei and TP-Link are the top router brands reported by Gulf users utilizing Wi-Fi 4. However, their popularity can vary vastly by market depending on the equipment bundled by ISPs with their broadband offerings, as well as the ability of consumers to use third-party routers (some ISPs allow only their own routers). Our data shows that Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have the highest proportion of samples connected to a Huawei CPE. TP-Link routers are most common in Qatar and the U.A.E.

The U.A.E. has the highest proportion of routers from D-Link, Cisco, and less popular brands used with Wi-Fi 4 (nearly 64% of samples reported using ‘other’ manufacturers). This high level of market fragmentation is likely due to users replacing routers provided by their ISP or installing refurbished routers to extend coverage indoors. Such fragmentation complicates the task of ISPs to ensure that their customers use more recent routers or that they configure them correctly to use more modern Wi-Fi standards.

Chart of Wi-Fi 4 Router Market Share by Manufacturer in Gulf Countries

Our research showed that most commercial CPEs in the region introduced since 2020 likely support Wi-Fi 5 (if not Wi-Fi 6). Further, tests also showed that most Android-based smartphones that used Wi-Fi 4 were equipped with Wi-Fi 5-capable chipsets. Therefore, many users in the region are capable of using Wi-Fi 5 but are still on Wi-Fi 4. We believe that misconfigured routers could be the primary cause of such a high prevalence of legacy Wi-Fi 4 technology among Gulf countries.

ISPs can address the factors that favor Wi-Fi 4 and 2.4 GHz spectrum usage, for example, by working more closely with device manufacturers, supporting customers to acquire newer Wi-Fi routers, and correctly configuring them, as shown in the table below. 

Factors that lead to Wi-Fi 4 usage and how ISPs can address them

Legacy equipment
  • Some fixed broadband customers are locked into long service contracts and are not eligible for router upgrades
  • ISPs may not offer newer routers to existing customers whose contracts are automatically renewed
Solutions
  • Encourage existing broadband customers to upgrade to faster fiber packages to benefit from modern Wi-Fi routers
  • Offer customers the option to replace their old Wi-Fi routers for free or for a small fee during their contract
Configuration issues
  • Routers may, by default, use older Wi-Fi standards or diactivate the 5 GHz band
  • Some routers are pre-configured to use the same network name for both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, and some devices may not handle this well
  • Some old mobile devices latch to 2.4 GHz (which is more likely used by Wi-Fi 4) on first-run but do not switch back to 5 GHz due to firmware limitations or a hardware/software setting in the router/end-user devices
Solutions
  • Work with OEMs to push firmware and software updates to prioritize newer Wi-Fi standards and the use of 5 Ghz over 2.4 GHz
  • Educate customers about the importance of updating the router’s firmware and smartphone software
  • Preconfigure the routers to have separate names for the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands
  • Offer routers that can automatically select the optimal Wi-Fi channel and band to improve performance
Coverage and performance issues
  • Distance from CPE, physical obstruction, and interference in the crowded 2.4 GHz band
Solutions
  • Offer Wi-Fi extenders to improve indoor coverage
  • Share best practices with customers on the configuration and placement of the router

Gulf-based IPSs have managed to rapidly grow their fiber footprint and migrate their customers to faster broadband services. However, a substantial portion of subscribers may not benefit from these speed increases due to the prevailing usage of Wi-Fi 4. As many ISPs in the region already offer a minimum fiber speed of 250 Mbps, they should, as a priority, migrate existing customers with legacy Wi-Fi routers to more modern models and educate customers with newer routers on how to correctly configure them. ISPs’ efforts to introduce newer CPEs will help improve the end-user experience, boost global speed rankings in the region, and ensure that their routers are more future-proof as gigabit speeds become more widespread.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

UAE
Wi-Fi
fiber

About the Author

Karim Yaici