Mobile technology share MENA 2019-2025

In 2025, it was expected that eight percent of the total internet connections in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region would use a 5G connection. By 2025, almost half of the connections were expected to use 4G technology in the region.

5G overview

  The fifth-generation technological standard for broadband cellular networks is recognized as 5G. It is defined by a wider bandwidth and lower frequencies. Its defining aspects include extremely low latency, or the delay between transmitting and receiving information, and higher download speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, which is comparable to 10 to 100 times the speed of 4G technology. The Middle East and North Africa region's share of worldwide 5G subscribers was predicted to be over 19 percent in 2019, with around 80 million subscriptions by 2025. Nonetheless, there were certain reservations about the adoption of a new technology that had just been released, including compatibility with existing phones, increasing membership rates, and unequal coverage.

GCC technology adoption

  Investments in technological advancement, particularly in 5G technology, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, have surged into Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. 5G solutions were released in the region in 2019 and were the focus of smartphone users and gaming businesses in 2020. In 2019, the bulk of the public in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia expressed a readiness to use 5G connections as soon as they became available in the market, while just approximately a fifth anticipated favorable feedback after implementation. When it comes to the speed at which new technologies are adopted in the Middle East, the region outperforms the rest of the globe. Local governments' strong top-down approach support this.