JEDDAH: The total number of 3G subscribers in the Middle East region is expected to cross the four million mark by the end of 2010, which represents a 60 percent compound annual growth rate, RNCOS, a market research and information analysis company, said in its latest study. Given that recent global Internet penetration reports have also shown that key Middle East countries like Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE have posted high household broadband penetration, and Saudi Arabia, the region's largest country, is also starting to post growth in broadband penetration, the demand for the latest services is set to continue. In a related development, the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said Internet Service Providers, both in the UAE and the rest of the region, have already started to implement new technologies and services in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoiP), faster broadband, and the opening up of the telecommunications market. Widely accepted that high-quality and widespread broadband access enhances a country's economy and boosts both the public and private sector, it said UAE's broadband traffic and smartphone usage is currently the highest in the region. TRA also said that the liberalization of data centers and cloud computing will be the next big trends in the industry.
