— Phone connections up 23% in the UAE
BenQ Siemens is gearing up to tap the fast growing cellular phone user base in the UAE with its recently launched range of mobile phones. A recent Madar Research study shows that as at the end of 2005 there were 4.5 mln phone connections in the UAE, marking a 23% increase over 2004. The study revealed that the growth in fixed-line connections, which reached about 1.2 mln lines as at end of last year, was significantly lower, at 4%.
“The UAE already has the highest mobile penetration in the Middle East, and the imminent launch of the second telecom operator in the country means that this trend is likely to continue for a few years,” said Kazi Najib Ashraf, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, BenQ Siemens.
Madar Research points out that the saturation level for mobile subscription in the UAE is expected to be as high as 150% in the near future mainly due to the trend among users to subscribe to more than one mobile line, and also due to the fact that at any given time, the UAE has more visitors in relation to its population than any other country in the region. Many of those visitors subscribe to prepaid mobile services and often keep the SIM cards for future visits.
BenQ Siemens recently launched five new models from its premium range of mobile phones in the UAE – S88, S68, EF81, E61 and EL71.
“Our latest range of mobile phones have been designed in line with changing consumer requirements and expectations, and we hope to gradually extend our market share in the UAE with the quality and uniqueness of our phones,” added Najib.
BenQ Siemens also launched the world’s first mobile that can support the revolutionary High Speed Download Packet Access (HSDPA) technology that will allow users easy access to high fidelity movies and sound on their mobile devices.
“Another factor that has been driving growth in the mobile phone business in the UAE is the high percentage of young mobile phone users that make up the subscriber base. Youngsters keep changing their handsets often in accordance with the latest fashion trends and to explore new features that are added to mobile handsets from time to time,” concluded Najib.
