Range of quality services

While mobile services and fixed broadband performance continue to improve, Bahrain is benefiting from additional internet transit options, according to the latest reports on key services by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of Bahrain.

It has recently released three reports related to mobile quality of service, fixed broadband performance and internet ecosystem evolution.

TRA general director Mohamed Bubashait, pictured right, said: “The result of the 2011 audit clearly indicates that mobile operators are putting in a lot of effort to provide consumers with state-of-the-art mobile technology and to satisfy their increasing demand for higher speed and bandwidth over the popular smartphones and mobile tablets.
“We are satisfied that today consumers are enjoying a wide range of mobile services with good levels of coverage and quality.”

Measurements performed during November and December 2011 show that the three mobile operators – Batelco, Viva and Zain – have maintained or increased mobile service performances compared to the previous year and the combined industry results are benchmarked with the best mobile operators’ performances in other markets in Europe and the Middle East.

The audit’s key highlight is the unprecedented increase in industry average data download speeds, for example over smart phones reaching 3,065Kbps compared to 1,070Kbps just a year ago. This dramatic increase was made possible due to network upgrades with the latest HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) technology, which is now available at percentages ranging from 80 per cent to 96 per cent across all networks.

The fixed broadband analysis report shows improvements in several aspects of broadband services’ performance. The observed TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) download speed average across the industry increased from 1.50Mbps to 1.58Mbps, close to 80 per cent of the advertised speed by the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) for a 2Mbps residential service. The TCP upload speed increased significantly for ADS-based services, resulting in the industry’s TCP upload average reaching 0.69Mbps from 0.58Mbps observed over the previous quarter.

The report covers performance analysis of 2Mbps residential packages delivered over different technologies (ADSL, Fiber and WiMax) from the following ISPs: 2Connect, Batelco, Etisalcom, Kalaam, Lightspeed, Menatelecom, NueTel, and Zain.

Mr Bubashait said: “The result of this study reaffirms Bahrain’s position as a leading telecommunications centre in the region. The competitiveness of the internet transit connecting Bahrain will directly support the efficiency of all internet service providers in providing competitive internet services to end users.”

The study performed by Renesys provides an overview of the Ecosystem’s evolution for the first six months of the year, and indicates that ISPs are dynamically using an increasing number of options to reach the global internet and optimise international transit arrangements, giving rise to a healthy internet transit market and the emergence of new alternatives.

Bahrain has a strong route diversity, based on the latest submarine cable system technologies and alternate terrestrial routes, that provide robust and high quality links to the largest internet transit providers in the world, reducing the risk of a single cable incident significantly affecting internet services in the kingdom.