Saudi Telecommunicaitons Industry

This is now dated as it was writen in 2008.

Executive Summary

Saudi Arabia is one of the most insular countries in the world, which among other dynamics in the business environment makes the Saudi telecommunications industry an interesting case study. The Saudi telecommunications industry has gone from a 100% government owned monopoly, to one of the highly contested markets in the Middle East. Despite the dominance of the incumbent, competition in the telecommunications industry has allowed an evolution of innovative services. Operators have managed to expand network coverage, offer the latest technology (and customer centered packages), all with a competitive price structure to retain customers. With two million pilgrims from around the world every year, Saudi telecommunications operators view success in Saudi as the biggest media campaign for expansion into the Muslim world and then globally.

The focus of this report is on revealing key issues and levels of risks associated with the business environment that affect profitability of Saudi Operators. In this report, the Saudi telecommunications service industry is examined with PEST Analysis and Porter’s 5-force analysis. The competitive intensity between leading Operators in the industry is also analysed through a look at competitive advantage and reviewing financial data. Finally, the report proposes plausible futures, and mentions the six promise pillars on which the Saudi telecommunication industry will base their future strategies.

|ABBREVIATIONS |

|No. |Abbreviation |Full name |

| |ARABSAT |Arab Satellite...