Telecom sees strong growth in Bahrain
Bahrain’s telecommunications sector continued its upward trajectory in the first quarter of 2024, with key indicators demonstrating robust growth compared to the same period in 2023.
The quarterly market indicators report for Q1 2024 posted by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) on its website highlights that the mobile subscriber base expanded significantly, increasing from 2,152,591 in Q1 2023 to 2,449,728 in Q1 2024, representing a growth of 13.8 per cent. This surge in subscribers contributed to a rise in mobile penetration from 136pc to 155pc over the same period, indicating deeper market penetration.
The breakdown of mobile subscriptions reveals a steady increase in both prepaid and postpaid segments. Prepaid subscriptions grew by 7.8pc to reach 1,559,011 from 1,447,023 in Q1 2023, while postpaid subscriptions saw a more substantial growth of 26.3pc, culminating in 890,717 subscriptions by the end of Q1 2024 when compared with 705,172 subscriptions as of end-Q1 2023.
The broadband sector also witnessed notable progress. Mobile broadband subscriptions climbed from 2,304,132 in Q1 2023 to 2,375,854 in Q1 2024, reflecting a growth rate of 3.1pc. Correspondingly, mobile broadband penetration increased from 146.1pc to 151pc.
Fibre broadband subscriptions, a key driver of Internet speed and reliability, experienced steady growth, rising from 167,434 in Q1 2023 to 169,709 in Q1 2024. This expansion is crucial for supporting the increasing demand for dataintensive services.
Total data consumption surged by 10.2pc, from 431 Petabytes in Q1 2023 to 475 Petabytes in Q1 2024. This substantial increase underscores the growing reliance on data services for both personal and business use.
While the mobile and broadband sectors thrived, the traditional fixed telephony market exhibited a slight decline. The number of fixed telephony subscriptions dipped from 216,678 in Q1 2023 to 209,628 in Q1 2024, indicating a gradual shift towards mobile and wireless communication.
Analysing the data, an expert said the increasing demand for data and the steady progress in fibre broadband infrastructure bode well for the sector’s future development.