More than 700 participants representating nearly 72 countries are taking part in a major telecom summit in Bahrain.

The Global Symposium for Regulators 2014 (GSR14) is being held for the first time in the kingdom under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. The three-day event starts today (June 3) at the Gulf Hotel.

GSR14 is being organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) of the United Nations and is themed "Capitalising on the potential of the digital world," reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"Based on The Global Information Technology Report 2014 published recently by the World Economic Forum, the telecommunication sector in Bahrain continues to depict a robust performance," remarked Minister of State for Telecommunications Affairs Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa in a statement yesterday.

"This comes as evidence and acknowledgment of the effort put forth by the government and the regulatory strategy enforced by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) for the benefit of the country and all of its residents," he added.

"Currently, about 20 telecommunications operators are competing with each other in the provision of services," Shaikh Fawaz said, sharing the latest telecom market indicators.

Telecoms revenues saw a 3.5 per cent increase last year, to nearly BD423 million, compared with BD409 million in 2012.

The telecommunications workforce is close to 3,000 strong as of last year, with a high degree of Bahrainisation, he added.

The minster said there were 2.25m mobile subscriptions in Bahrain at the end of the first quarter, representing a penetration rate of 176 per cent.

"As on the same date, 1.7 million broadband subscriptions were active, representing 134 per cent broadband penetration," he added.

Telecoms prices in Bahrain have been decreasing in the last five years, remaining among the lowest in the Gulf region and Arab countries, Shaikh Fawaz said.

"This was based on the Retail Price Benchmarking Study of telecommunications services in Arab countries, which was commissioned by the TRA on behalf of Aregnet (the Arab Regulators Group) and was undertaken by Teligen (an independent consulting firm specialised in tariff comparisons).

"Mobile tariffs in Bahrain compare well with GCC and Arab averages, as mobile prices in Bahrain have fallen by up to 25 per cent from 2012 to last year, and up to 40 per cent during the last five years," stated the minister.

"Residential fixed broadband prices in Bahrain have also dropped by up to 38 per cent between 2012 and last year, and dropped close to 60 per cent in the last five years," he pointed out.

Business fixed broadband prices, on the other hand, have fallen by about 32 per cent during the same period and 80 per cent in the last five years, the minister said.

"Mobile broadband prices in Bahrain typically compare favourably against the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average for all broadband speeds.

"Mobile broadband prices fallen by around 65 per cent between 2012 and last year.

"The level of prices is among the lowest in the world, ranking 25th out of 148 economies, while service uptake is one of the highest, ranked 14th, with a very high number of Internet users, ranked 10th," he added.

Meanwhile, Zain Bahrain has also announced its sponsorship of GSR-14.

"It is an excellent platform for key players from the telecom industry to come together and exchange experiences and ideas," said Zain Bahrain general manager Mohammed Zainalabedin.

"We are proud to sponsor the GSR 14 which is a great example of how Zain Bahrain is adding value to both the industry and end-users.

"It is also in line with our overall strategy and vision which aims to position Zain as a company that partakes in the development of the telecom industry in Bahrain," he added.-TradeArabia News Service