Speaking to a packed auditorium Mark Newman, Chief Research Officer, Informa Telecoms & Media opened the 13th annual GSM>3G Middle East – Towards a Broadband World congress and exhibition. Newman spoke about how the Middle East, as a whole, is booming, with mobile penetration set to grow by nearly 20 per cent to 77 per cent over the next 5 years.
The general mood at the event was bullish, with largest UAE operator and official event endorser Etisalat,commenting in their keynote on their immediate expansionist plans for the future.
Ross Cormack, CEO of Nawras, too talked of the latest growth enjoyed by his company in Oman and explained to delegates how his firm has benefited from being first to market with 3.5G services: “We had to make sure we had customers that wanted the service and services that they would want. So we listened to customers and responded to customers. The result has been pleasing growth and it’s not as though we’re going up against an unpopular competitor.”
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