Telecom Blooms in the Middle East

Need a broadband hookup in Bahrain? How 'bout a leased line in Lebanon?

Yes, the Middle East is a land of opportunity for many equipment vendors and that's not about to change in the next few years. Heck, we already know that the region's wireless operators boast some of the highest revenues per user on Earth, making the expansion of coverage and services all the more likely. (See Top Ten: Emerging Markets Carriers.)

To put a big figure on it, one researcher predicts that the six oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are likely to pour as much as $375 billion into the expansion of telecom and related infrastructure in the next 10 years. And a lot of that investment will be put to work in areas outside each nation's traditional territory.

Example: In November, fixed line operator Omantel made its first investment outside Oman by taking a 60 percent stake in WorldCall Communications Pakistan for the princely sum of $185.6 million.

Such details on the money, majesty, and momentum of the Middle East carriers are available now, for free, in Light Reading's spanking new report, Who Does What: Middle East Carriers. The report takes readers on a 15-country tour of the Middle East, detailing the spending, services, and ownership stakes in nearly 60 of the region's biggest telecom operators -- all without first requiring that you become a partner at The Carlyle Group.

There's even a handy chart -- right here -- that brings together a good deal of information on each region.

Enjoy!

— Phil Harvey, Managing Editor, Light Reading