Mobile voice prices in Qatar have fallen 57 percent since 2008, in line with the rest of the region, says a study by the Arab Regulators Group (AREGNET). The survey compares the prices of telecoms services in the GCC in 2016. Comparison with relevant Arab and Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) averages is also included.
The study found that the prices of telecoms services in Qatar are broadly lower than the rest of the GCC and Arab region. For mobile voice services that included data bundles, prices in Qatar are below the GCC and Arab average for low and medium usage, and on par with the OECD average.
For mobile voice services without data bundles, Qatar’s prices are on a par with the GCC and Arab averages, but above the OECD average. In both cases Vodafone Qatar was cheaper than Ooredoo.
For Mobile Broadband services, there have been significant changes in Qatar over the last five years, mainly due to the upgrade from 3G services to faster and cheaper 4G services. Overall, prices for mobile broadband in Qatar are amongst the lowest in the GCC for both residential and business. In addition, residential mobile broadband services are cheaper than the OECD average but for business mobile broadband services, they are higher.
For residential fixed voice services prices, Qatar is well below both the GCC and the Arab averages (and for low usage the OECD average). However, for both fixed calls to a mobile and for business voice services, Qatar has some of the highest prices in the region. Residential fixed charges have not changed since 2008 while the price of business fixed services have continued to rise.
For business fixed broadband internet services, prices in Qatar for faster services (10 Mbps and above) are below the GCC and Arab averages but still significantly above the OECD average. For packages below 10 Mbps, prices are dearer than GCC and Arab averages and significantly above the OECD average.
In Qatar, leased line charges are below the GCC and Arab averages. One of the most commonly taken least line speeds is 2 Mbps. Prices for this are 11 percent lower than the Arab Average, 20 percent lower than the GCC average but 50 percent above the OECD average. The prices for leased lines have not changed in Qatar since 2013.
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