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80% of Qatar Has Fiber Optic Broadband; Fastest Nationwide Rollout of Fiber in the World

Phillip Dampier January 13, 2014 Broadband Speed, Consumer News, Public Policy & Gov't No Comments
Ooredoo in Arabic means "I Want."

Ooredoo in Arabic means “I Want.”

More than 80 percent of homes in Qatar now receive fiber optic broadband at speeds up to 100Mbps and the country is on track to becoming one of the best-connected nations in the world.

According to the Fiber to the Home Council, Qatar is the world leader for fastest deployment of fiber-based Internet access, as the country moves away from copper-based ADSL broadband at record speed.

Ooredoo, formerly known as Qatar Telecom (Qtel), has been constructing the fiber network to help the country develop its knowledge-based economy and offer an infrastructure platform for high-tech business to launch new online products and services. The Emirate has the world’s fastest-growing economy, forecast to have grown by 6.5% in 2013. It also has the world’s highest GDP per capita at $106,000.

With that economic success, the government is accelerating its ambitious reform program designed to move Qatar away from dependence on its gas and oil economy into the digital age. In 2008, the government launched Qatar National Vision 2030, which includes major infrastructure projects including fiber broadband, new roads, railways, airports, bridges, hospitals, libraries and museums.

Fiber broadband is not cheap in Qatar, but neither is the cost of living there, something compensated for in the average Qatari salary. A 100Mbps account costs $178.50 a month, although adding television and telephone service only adds $13.75 a month to the bill.

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