MENA Internet Traffic To Grow 6X By 2019
$CSCO
The number of users in the MENA region is expected to reach 425-M by 2019, a new study by Cisco forecast
Internet traffic in the MENA (Middle East and Africa) region is estimated to grow 6-fold between Ys 2014 and 2019, according to a new study by Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO).
The company revealed that internet traffic in the region is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 47% by Y 2019 with the number of networked devices forecast to reach 2.1-B by that year, up from 1.4-B in Y 2014.
Factors expected to drive traffic growth include global increases in internet users, personal devices and M2M (machine-to-machine) connections, faster broadband speeds, and the adoption of advanced video services.
Cisco predicted that the number of internet users in the MENA region will reach 425-M by Y 2019 while the number of global internet users is forecast to reach 3.9-B.
Social networking will be the most highly penetrated residential internet service in the MENA region with 176-M users, or 81% of total residential internet users.
Mobile phones are also expected to play a large role in networking. Almost 78% of networked devices will be mobile connected by Y 2019, the study found.
Smartphones will account for 31% (652-M) of all networked devices in Y 2019, compared to 14% (196.6-M) in Y 2014, Cisco said. Non-smartphones will account for 38.3% (818.9-M) of all networked devices in Y 2019, compared to 68% (943.6-M) in Y 2014.
“We are entering into a very dynamic technological era and the rapid increase in connected devices will benefit a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, transportation, Oil and Gas, utilities, government, healthcare, sports and entertainment, education, in terms of increased efficiency, reduced costs, and, most important, improvement of the lives of citizens,” Cisco UAE head of service providers Fady Younes.
With internet traffic predicted to grow, the company also said that the businesses in the region are well-placed to advance their digital services.
Cisco’s findings follows other research that has indicated that the region’s readiness in the digital sphere.
A recent report by Boston Consulting Group rated Qatar and the UAE as the most productive and advanced internet economies in the MENA region. The report noted that both the countries faced few restrictions or constraints on digital activity, making them ideal to advance digital trade.
By Mary Sophia
Paul Ebeling, Editor
HeffX-LTN
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