The penetration rate of mobile phones in the Middle East will surpass the 250 million mark in the United States in 2012

According to statistics released by Informa Telecoms & Media, a global telecommunications and media market research company, the total number of mobile phone users in the Middle East will exceed the 250 million mark in 2012, and the mobile phone penetration rate will exceed 100%.

With the number of users reaching 2.7127 billion and 352 million at the end of 2012 and the end of 2016, the penetration rate of mobile phones will increase from 97.72% at the end of 2011 to 107.09% at the end of 2012, surpassing the penetration rate of mobile phones in North America for the first time.

This statistics shows that Iran will remain the largest mobile communications market in the Middle East. It is expected that by the end of 2011, the total number of its subscribers will reach 82.91 million, and it will increase to 122.1 million by the end of 2016.

Saudi Arabia is the second largest mobile phone market in the region. The total number of mobile phone users is expected to increase from 50.8 million at the end of 2011 to 71.32 million at the end of 2016.

Matthew Reed, head of Informa’s mobile research unit for the Middle East and Africa, said: “The impact of competition, the introduction of new data services, the increasing affordability of people and population growth all contribute to the number of mobile users in the Middle East. It will continue to rise in the coming years."

“However, the growth rate of mobile users in the Middle East will slow down in the coming years. The increasingly harsh market environment is mainly due to the more mature market and more competitive incentives. Operators are always trying to reduce costs and use various means to retain users. , while paying more attention to the main and clear areas of growth, namely data services."

Although the number of smartphones and mobile broadband subscribers in some Middle East regions is increasing, the proportion of data services revenue to total mobile revenue in the region is still relatively small. In the second quarter of 2011, data service revenue accounted for only 13% of total mobile revenue in the Middle East and was the lowest mobile market share in the world except Africa.

However, Reid pointed out that this statistical data also shows that there is a huge potential for data service growth in the region. For example, in the two major markets of Iraq and Iran, 3G networks have not yet been introduced.

In the United Arab Emirates, smartphone penetration is already high and will continue to grow: The smartphone penetration rate in the UAE is expected to increase from 47.23% at the end of 2011 to 70.35% at the end of 2016. The smartphone penetration rate in Saudi Arabia will also increase from 25.01% to 48.63% during this period.

Although some countries in the region have not yet launched 3G services, Saudi Arabia’s three mobile operators have launched LTE services. Etisalat also plans to launch LTE services in China. However, Reid believes that it will take a while before LTE is popular, but the total number of LTE users in the region will soar from 1.94 million at the end of 2013 to 15 million by the end of 2016.