The mobile phone market in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow at 0.6 percent in terms of revenues from 2008 to 2014, a study said. Industry analysts expect the Saudi telecommunications market to record strong figures in 2010 as well, driven by the continued expansion of the sector and high consumer spending. The introduction of high-speed WiMax broadband network services has also boosted Internet penetration across the Kingdom, with sales of laptops, desktops, software and peripherals following suit. Saudi Arabia's mobile phone penetration rate surpassed 177 percent in 2009, reflecting the solid 7.5 percent rise in the Kingdom's telecom sector revenues to SAR (Segmentation And Reassembly) - the protocol that converts data to cells for transmission over an ATM network. It is the lower part of the ATM Adaption Layer (AAL), which is responsible for the entire operation. SAR posted 52.3 billion last year. The fixed-line and broadband sectors also posted penetration rate increases of 3.9 and 9.5 percent, respectively.
