The management consultancy Booz & Company said the success of breaking telecommunications monopolies in almost every country in the Middle East and North Africa needs to be followed through with a new phase of competition.iStockphoto

Arab world needs to liberalise phone market

Tom Gara

Telecom regulators in the Arab world have introduced a degree of competition to their markets but should do more to liberalise the region's mobile phone and internet services, according to a new study. The management consultancy Booz & Company said the success of breaking telecommunications monopolies in almost every country in the Middle East and North Africa needs to be followed through with a new phase of competition. "Market liberalisation has enabled operators to expand regionally and bring shareholders greater value from international operations," said Karim Sabbagh, a vice president with Booz & Company.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Iranians dance in the streets after qualifying for World Cup days after election

Iranian football fans wave their national flag and flash the sign for victory as they celebrate at Vanak square in northern Tehran on June 18, 2013 after Iran won their 2014 World Cup Asian zone group A qualifying football match against South Korea. Iran qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup after Reza Ghoochannejhad's second-half strike secured a 1-0 win in the South Korean city of Ulsan. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE *** Local Caption *** 372115-01-08.jpg

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Israel rejects Jewish extremist group's terrorist tag, despite hate crimes

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Djindo Armin, supervisor of the reconstruction of the Ferhadija mosque, explains the reconstruction efforts for the mosque in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 2013. Credit: Ferry Biedermann/The National

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Famous for its dramatic bridges, the eastern Algerian city of Constantine has been selected as the 'Arab Capital of Culture' for 2015. Photo: Lindsay Mackenzie for the National.

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America's hidden agenda in Syria's war

EDITORS NOTE: RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE -- MANDATORY CREDIT

Exclusive: Influential Syrian rebel commander claims US intelligence officers are trying to enlist rebels to fight their fellow insurgents, the Al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Al Nusra, instead of helping them overthrow Bashar Al Assad. Phil Sands reports America's hidden agenda in Syria's war