Business | Technology
Broadband Wireless, broadband segments in Middle East buck global fall
The Middle East has witnessed an increase in wireless and broadband subscribers despite the global market showing a decline in 2009.
- By Naushad K. Cherrayil, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:04 July 4, 2009
Dubai: The Middle East has witnessed an increase in wireless and broadband subscribers despite the global market showing a decline in 2009.
The Gulf markets across all verticals are continuing to show growth, with an anticipated spurt in activity in the last quarter of this year, said an industry expert.
"Wireless connectivity is becoming the norm as download speeds continue to increase as internet users download more and more data-rich content on a regular basis," Leo Psara, Chairman, Minerva, said.
He said several computers sharing the same connection and accessing the internet simultaneously may create a situation in which connections are slow or interrupted. In the past, internet connectivity was mainly delivered through cables, but recently, users both at work and home are turning to wireless broadband for more mobile and reliable connectivity.
He said wireless technology is already an adopted norm for many industries in the UAE. In fact UAE universities adopted wireless technology on their campuses around 10 years ago.
"Fibre to the home (FTTH) has been around within the industry for over 10 years. With the adoption of internet protocol as the delivery medium, FTTH will transform delivery of voice, video and data to the home offering consumers an excellent service - more bandwidth is clearly the goal. Of course FTTH is expensive to install and where there isn't the option to have it, wireless to the home is a clear alternative and customers will pay for additional service and quality," he said.
He said FTTH technology will bring about a paradigm shift in the communication sector, taking it to unprecedented levels. With its high-speed internet offering speeds up to 100 mbps, this technology will boost adoption of services like IPTV, video on demand and others.
"IT spending by consumers and businesses is expected to continue growing this year, and pick up further towards the beginning of next year. The Middle East is expected to see spending of $50 billion (Dh183.6 billion) in 2009 with the Gulf spending about $12 billion," he said.
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