Syria - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Syria - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Syria’s ongoing civil war discouraging telco investments Syria has suffered from years of civil war, and this has continued to negatively impact the ability of the few telcos operating in the country to undertake the much needed upgrades to infrastructure. The operating environment for Syriatel and MTN Syria has also been made difficult by disputed demands for back taxes, as well as a range of associated measures made against the operators, including the suspension of share trading and the imposition of judicial guardianships. Having considered its options for several years, MTN Group recently confirmed that it was no longer interested in continuing to operate in the country. This resignation also applies to the Group’s other business units in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Iran, which together contribute a negligible proportion of Group revenue. Although the low broadband and mobile penetration rates in Syria suggests that there is considerable room for growth, such growth is predicated on a return to political and economic stability, and thus on subscribers being able to pay for services, in turn contributing to telcos’ revenue and investment potential. Without a clear path to this stability, the telecom market faces years of stagnation rather than reconstruction.