Mobile phone call prices across the Arab world
Kuwait has the 4th highest average price per minute for voice calls in the Arab world and the highest among GCC countries. Lebanon on the other hand is in 1st place with the highest average price per minute while Egypt has the lowest prices. Check out the full graph [Here]
via BlogBaladi
Jan 20, 2013
Why is Lebanon so high! Usually these things tie in more or less to average income but average income in Lebanon isn’t the highest in the arab world by far…
Because of corruption.
Not really, it’s just that calls are heavily taxed in Lebanon, they’re the government’s biggest source of income together with fuel tax
I think title needs to be amended to Mobile Phone CALL Prices across the Arab World.
you’re right
I find Kuwait prices pretty high to be honest. Also if you leave your line for more than 3 month it gets locked out. and 6 month they give your number to another person. Which is weird when you leave the country for an extended time. My line in Egypt I left the country for a year and came back and my line was working with working credit.
I cannot comprehend that stupid rule either.
I think the size of the market must play a role as well. The cost of setting up a network and operating is more or less constant from country to country – it probably varies marginally with the size of the country. With more populous countries, there is a larger customer base over which to spread costs. This explains why Egypt has the lowest per minute rates.
Obviously corruption is also a major factor, in my opinion.
It also matters how free and open the market is. If your market is not open to demand pricing (as is the case in Kuwait), then prices do not reflect demand; its basically a case of take it or leave it.
You’ll notice in other countries the market is quite open (anyone can come and compete), which naturally drives prices down.
Lebanon – the reason could be that the cost of doing business is higher, physical infrastructure costs are higher (such as utilities/taxes, etc.)
It has more to do with the market factors. If it were up to population size, then Qatar would be more expensive than Kuwait (there are less people in Qatar than Kuwait).
I’m sure that Lebanese Nostradamus dude predicted it this way :)
Mobile internet + Phone calls minutes both are getting a reduction in price soon, MOC indicated last week in the news papers.
Landline internet got cheaper, Mobile internet getting cheaper, WIMD prices will still say the same :/
When I told about the oligopoly market in Kuwait, some from 248am forum told the prices are regulated by the ministries not the telecom companies in Kuwait.
Just a bad business practice…
The basic business model everywhere is this : “Charge your customers the most they’re willing to pay ”
In kuwait, because of the monopolies , the business structure is the same as above plus one more step ” Rape your customers whenever possible “
Saudi Arabia much cheaper than kuwait .. how they almost the same here
I always thought Kuwait and Saudi had pretty good deals from their network providers! But turned out Qatar is much better! Poor lebanese!
P.S I really think its weird that you get banned from taveling cause of a phone bill on Kuwait!!