Bahrain is one of the Arab world's most competitive mobile phone market, it has emerged.

The kingdom features among the top 10 countries in the region, the Arab Advisors Group said in the results of its Cellular Competition Intensity Index 2010 on the sidelines of the 7th annual Media and Telecoms Convergence Conference in Amman.

Jordan is the Arab world's most competitive cellular market.

The Cellular Competition Intensity Index results for June 2010 revealed that Jordan tops the score - as the most competitive Arab market - with an 80.7 per cent mark followed by Saudi Arabia (75.3 per cent), Palestine (69.3 per cent), Oman (67.1 per cent), Egypt (65.7 per cent), Morocco (64.9 per cent), Iraq (63.4 per cent), Tunisia (62.7 per cent), Yemen (61.1 per cent), Bahrain (59.9 per cent), Algeria (59.5 per cent), Sudan (59.4 per cent), Mauritania (56.8 per cent), Kuwait (49.8 per cent), Qatar (46.4 per cent), UAE (45.4 per cent), Syria (38 per cent), Libya (34.3 per cent), and Lebanon (31.2 per cent).

The 2010 index results revealed that eight countries ranked higher than their June 2009 index ranks. The countries are: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Oman, Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrain and Qatar.

Meanwhile, eight countries ranked lower compared to June 2009 index. They are, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Mauritania, Kuwait, UAE, Libya and Lebanon. Egypt, Morocco and Syria maintained their June 2009 ranks.

The Arab Advisors Group had devised the Cellular Competition Intensity Index to rate and properly assess the intensity level of competition in the Arab World's cellular markets.

The index takes into account the number of operators, packages, and services available in each of the 19 countries covered by the group.

Each category was assigned a certain weight according to its importance as an indicator of competition.

The categories include the following: Number of licensed and expected operators in 2010; number of working operators; market share of largest operator; number of prepaid plans; number of postpaid plans; availability of corporate offers; availability of 3G services and the availability of international long distance competition.-TradeArabia News Service