First on fixed-line penetration

ESCWA ranks Lebanon last in region in mobile market competitiveness

Lebanon was ranked in last place, of 14 ESCWA countries, in terms of mobile market competitiveness, according to an ESCWA report. The report, titled Regional Profile of the Information Society in Western Asia, stated that Lebanon’s information sector is characterized by the existence of vision and national strategy, albeit with limited or no implementation plan.

Lebanon had a ten percent growth in the mobile sector, according to the report. It came in second place, behind Iraq. The report indicated that the mobile sector in Lebanon showed remarkable development. Lebanon’s mobile penetration rate stood at 68 percent in 2011.

The report ranked Lebanon in first place in terms of fixed line penetration rate (21 percent in 2010), due to an increase in asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) subscriptions. In 2011 there were 887,795 fixed line subscriptions.

According to the report, Lebanon has an average Internet penetration rate, reasonable Internet costs, and availability of digital public domain information. Lebanon had an Internet penetration rate of 31 percent, higher than Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, but lower than Jordan and Kuwait.

The report ranked Lebanon in 11th place in the region in terms of the growth rate of international Internet bandwidth, which had grown from 930 Mbps in 2007 to 2,500 Mbps in 2010.

The ICT price basket in Lebanon was significantly higher than in the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, and much lower than in Syria and Yemen.

The report indicated that a high software piracy rate is common in Lebanon. It said that investment in ICT applications and services is attractive in the country. The report indicated, however, that Lebanon has a lack of international or regional cooperation in financing mechanisms and implementation of ICT development projects.

Reported by Hanadi Chami