At the annual "GSMA Mobile 360 – MENA" event on Wednesday in Dubai, it released two reports highlighting the positive economic impact of the mobile ecosystem on markets across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as the transformative impact of IoT technologies on regional governments' strategic national visions. The two reports from GSMA Intelligence – ‘The Mobile Economy: Middle East and North Africa 2019' and ‘Realizing the potential of IoT in MENA' reveal that mobile technologies and services added $191 billion to the region's economy in 2018 – equivalent to about 4.5 per cent of regional GDP. By 2023, mobile's economic contribution is forecast to reach more than $220 billion as countries increasingly benefit from the improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by the increased uptake of mobile services, and 5G and IoT networks are widely deployed. To date 12 operators have launched commercial 5G services in five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Arab States. Mobile operators in these countries are aiming to be global leaders in 5G deployments, supporting the digital transformation ambitions outlined in strategic national visions such as UAE Vision 2021 and Saudi Vision 2030. By 2023, mobile's contribution in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will reach just over $220 billion as countries increasingly benefit from the improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by the increased take-up of mobile services. In 2018, mobile technologies and services generated 4.5% of GDP – a contribution that amounted to $191 billion of economic value added. 5G services have now become a reality in the region. As of October 2019, 10 operators had launched commercial 5G services in five GCC Arab States and mobile operators in these countries are aiming to be global leaders in 5G deployments, while certain governments view the technology as a potential enabler for their digital transformation ambitions. The MENA region also has some of the most penetrated mobile markets in the world. By the end of 2018, nearly half of the 25 countries in the region had unique subscriber penetration rates of 70% or more. For context, the global average at the end of the same period was 66%. Meanwhile, IoT connections in the MENA region are growing at a rate second only to Asia-Pacific. There are forecast to be 470 million IoT connections in MENA by the end of 2019, rising to 1.1 billion by 2025. The deployment of IoT across MENA is expected to add $18 billion to regional GDP by 2025. "Backed by proactive government support, mobile operators, particularly in the GCC Arab States, have speedily deployed 5G technology," said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA. "Beyond the GCC, the wider MENA region has an opportunity to benefit from the technological developments delivered by 5G and IoT. To fully embrace those benefits the region's governments must support regulatory frameworks and policies that ensure 5G flourishes, including making sufficient spectrum available." — SG/Business Wire
