Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi (left), Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo Qatar; and Dr Karim Taga, Managing Partner and Global Practice Leader, ADL TIME practice, at a press conference held yesterday at Ooredoo headquarters. Pic: Qassim Rahmatullah / The Penin
Qatar is the fastest in deploying fibre-to-the- home (FTTH) in the world as the country saw nationwide rollout within three years.
Qatar’s nationwide fibre network, built primarily upon Ooredoo’s Supernet infrastructure, leads the world in terms of rollout speed and customer take-up, according to a new report from global consulting group Arthur D Little. The report, ‘Race to Next Generation Fibre – Arthur D Little’s Global FTTH/B Study’ said that Qatar is now one of the world’s leading fibre nations, with 99 percent of households in areas covered by Ooredoo Fibre.
“Ooredoo has invested significantly in our nationwide fibre network as a gift to our country and to ensure we are a data experience leader for our customers. We are fiercely proud that Ooredoo’s investment has positioned Qatar as one of the world’s leading fibre nations and that the people of Qatar have access to fibre and 4K services before other nations in the region, delivered to a higher standard than most countries in the world,” said Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo Qatar addressing a press conference yesterday at Ooredoo headquarters at West Bay.
Ooredoo is also planning to conduct a lab test for 5G before the end of this year, Al Kubaisi told The Peninsula on the sidelines of the press conference.
According to the report, Qatar enjoys one of the highest levels of fibre connectivity in the world with 71 percent of households now connected to fibre, driven by migration of households from copper to fibre and the launch of a range of cutting-edge solutions. This in turn has stimulated rapid take-up of IPTV, 4K and other smart services in Qatar.
Qatar enjoys fastest fibre roll-out in history
Ooredoo — which was the first operator in the Middle East to launch 4K television services in February 2016 with Ooredoo tv — already enjoys the highest take-up of 4K television in the world, with approximately 52 percent of television connections in Qatar now 4K connections.
“We promised that we would help make Qatar one of the best-connected countries in the world and this research — as well as the high Networked Readiness score given to Qatar by the World Economic Forum — shows that we are delivering on this promise,” added Al Kubaisi.
Qatar enjoyed the fastest fibre roll-out in history, covering the nation within three years and recording faster progress than technological leaders such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, noted the report.
“Qatar should be congratulated for setting the global pace for fibre roll-out, made possible by Ooredoo’s ambition and significant investment. In addition, the speed with which people have adopted fibre and upgraded to 4K services through fibre demonstrates the hunger for technology and demand for quality that is driving the country’s growth on the world stage,” said Dr Karim Taga, Managing Partner and Global Practice Leader, ADL TIME practice.
Qatar’s nationwide roll-out of fibre, driven primarily by Ooredoo’s investment and by partnerships with some of the world’s leading technology companies, is in-line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, which positions the development of a knowledge-based economy built upon a strong infrastructure foundation as a major strategic priority.
