Yemen - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Yemen - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Yemen’s telecom sector sees flight of foreign investors Yemen’s telecom sector provides numerous difficulties for telcos. While there is relatively little fixed infrastructure outside the main towns, much of what there is remains subject to periodic attack by one or another of the opposing sides in the ongoing conflict, as the warring parties battle to control the flow of information and disrupt access to services to their respective foes. Rising poverty means that for a significant proportion of the population there is little chance of securing telecom services, and thus for telcos it is a challenge to generate revenue and secure sufficient surplus to invest in network maintenance or upgrades. As a result, mobile networks are largely based on GSM technology, which in turn has forestalled the creation of a mobile broadband sector. Faced with these various difficulties, MTN Group in November completed its exit from Yemen, on the basis that its efforts provided insufficient financial compensation.