Research and Markets: Kuwait Telecommunications Report Q3 2011 - Zain's Superior Subscriber Mix Is Reflected In Its High ARPU, Which Was US$51 at the End of Q111

Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/0a6b57/kuwait_telecommuni) has announced the addition of the "Kuwait Telecommunications Report Q3 2011" report to their offering.

BMI's Q311 update on Kuwait's telecommunications market contains latest operational data from market leader Zain and second-ranked Wataniya, which resulted in a slight revision in forecasts for the mobile market. Our fixed-line and internet analysis and forecast remains largely unchanged as latest official data by the Ministry of Communications (MoC) still relates to 2009. Meanwhile, the author introduces mobile ARPU forecasts for the Kuwaiti mobile market based on the weighted average of available ARPUs in the mobile market.

After two consecutive quarterly losses in H210, market leader Zain recorded positive growth in Q111, albeit muted with net additions of just 17,000 subscribers. Second-ranked Wataniya recorded its first ever quarterly subscriber net loss during Q111. Wataniya lost 21,000 subscribers or 1.2% of its subscriber base. The slow growth of Kuwait's two biggest mobile operators since mid-2010 supports BMI's view of increasing saturation in the mobile market resulting in slower growth. In future, BMI expect mobile operators to focus on revenue growth using higher value services. This will largely depend on the roll-out of mobile data networks and the migration of subscribers onto postpaid contracts. Kuwait's three mobile operators are investing significantly in the roll-out of advanced data networks. However, only Zain seems to have succeeded in building a relatively large postpaid subscriber base. Wataniya's postpaid subscriber base contracted considerably between June 2010 and March 2011. Meanwhile, BMI believes third-ranked Viva's subscriber base is mainly prepaid, based on its value-led strategy.

In June 2011 Kuwait's Ministry of Communications (MoC) urged local internet service providers (ISPs) to reduce their tariffs to boost competition in the sector. Further, the ministry's undersecretary, Abdulmuhsen al-Mazidi, said the MoC intends to resolve internet tariff-related issues soon.

Companies Mentioned:

• Ericsson
• Zain
• Wataniya Telecom

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/0a6b57/kuwait_telecommuni