Mobile revenue continued to provide the “greatest proportion” of revenue and growth in the market.
The total market revenue registered in Qatar in 2014 was QR9.45bn, the report said.
“Both Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar invested in their networks with the launch of LTE/LTE+ networks in 2014–15,” CRA said.
“Competition in mobile has developed, although competition in fixed has yet to fully emerge, which will impact the future growth of that sector. Fibre broadband connection speeds reach up to 100 Mbps. Qatar has one of the highest mobile SIM penetration rates in the world, and competition has brought significant uptake in mobile data services,” it said.
According to CRA, consumers are benefiting from wide-ranging protection efforts, including a dispute resolution mechanism, a new advertising code of conduct, the Consumer Protection Policy (CPP), and a mobile app - Arsel - that allows dissatisfied consumers to send instant comments and feedback to CRA directly.
While a great deal of work has been done in the area of consumer rights, CRA is continuing to strengthen the codes and frameworks that will protect consumers in the future.
A robust regulatory and legal framework that supports the development of the sector continues to be put in place. A recently-developed competition policy framework is aimed at creating a certain and stable environment in which market participants understand under what circumstances CRA will undertake investigations into anti-competitive behaviour - targeted at segments that pose challenges in the delivery of effective competition and good outcomes for consumers.
A quality of service (QoS) framework is being developed so that the performance obligations of networks and service providers are clear. Terms and conditions for access to and/or sharing of civil infrastructure have been put in place.
In addition, CRA is focusing on regulation in wholesale markets to decrease retail regulation, which is expected to benefit fixed in particular, and to reproduce some of the steady growth in mobile. The intent is to gradually remove, where possible, intrusive regulation at the retail level to encourage service providers to develop better services and innovative products, it said.
“I am pleased to inform all stakeholders about CRA’s achievements and progress since it was established in 2014," said CRA president Mohamed Ali al-Mannai while releasing the report.
"I would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for his strong leadership. CRA is also grateful for the support and co-operation it receives from all ministries and government bodies as it carries out its mandate,” said al-Mannai.
“As the report outlines, the hallmarks of Qatar’s regulatory framework will remain predictability and clarity, ensuring that Qatar continually enhances its rich landscape of services. We will continue to analyse the state of competition in the telecommunications market and determine where further measures are needed to develop communications services, including in the fixed market,” he added.
CRA, established by virtue of Emiri Decree (42) in 2014, regulates the communications and information technology and postal sectors, and access to digital media. CRA uses its regulatory powers mandated by the Emiri decree to protect consumer rights, ensure competition, manage the resolution of disputes and manage the electromagnetic spectrum.