Ooredoo announced its data revenues grew 40 per cent year-on-year and that income from the source now represents at least 30 per cent of its total revenues; a new company record.
The Qatar-based operator has been driving monetisation efforts to increase revenue growth and capitalise on its major CAPEX investments across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. These initiatives have included releasing a range of data and voice products, such as ultra-low-cost 3G smartphones and buyback programs, device financing and attractive data packages.
The operator's entry into Myanmar alone helped drive up mobile subscriptions by 87.4 per cent year-on-year by the beginning of Q4 last year according to the research firm Ovum.
Ooredoo's 4G customer base now represents 25 per cent of its data customers in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and the Maldives. The operator has also invested heavily in infrastructure and network upgrades to expand fibre, data backhaul and traffic management capabilities. Last December, Ooredoo launched its 4G+ network in Qatar serving 225,000 customers, becoming the only operator in the country to combine 20 MHz plus 10 MHz bands, and giving users "faster on-average" internet speeds of 225 Mbps.
"In all our markets, we continue to innovate and launch new services that enhance the data experience of our customers and support their digital lifestyle," according to Nasser Marafih, group CEO. "That is why we have been able to grow our leadership position, and why we will continue to deliver a better digital lifestyle for everyone."
A new report by Akamai names Qatar as a developing economy with one of the fastest fixed line internet speeds in the world offering average peak connection speeds of 62.8 Mbps last year--a 72 per cent increase year-on-year.
In Kuwait, Ooredoo also saw strong growth in 4G customers, driven by bundles that include handsets and tablets.
The company also reported strong growth in its Algerian and Tunisian businesses of more than 100% led by 3G rollouts and data offerings.
For more:
- view this Ooredoo announcement
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