Jordan - Telecoms, Moblie & Broadband

Jordan is a standout country in the region for its relatively well-developed telecoms sector when one considers its lower GDP per capita. Mobile penetration is at 93%. The government is also making strenuous efforts to encourage Internet penetration growth.

The market is the most liberalised in the region. Incumbent JTG, operating as Orange Jordan, has been privatised and France Telecom owns a controlling 51% share. Competition is allowed in all sectors of the market. In the fixed-line sector alternative operators have acquired licences but have yet to make much impact. Mostly they offer VoIP services and compete in the long-distance voice market, often the first market where an incumbent would lose market share upon market liberalisation.

Competition also exists in the broadband market at a retail level, although JTG's ISP has a 50% market share. JTG has reduced its wholesale prices considerably, with a 70% reduction from the beginning of 2007 to June 2009.

Competition in the mobile market is intense, with four operators, resulting in much reduced prices. This in turn led to very high subscriber numbers. 3G services are not yet available, with licences yet to be awarded. A tender for a single licence closed in June 2009 but attracted only a single bid, from incumbent JTG, which the regulator said did not meet the technical or financial criteria of the tender.

The regulator opened the market to MVNOs but the network operators resisted the concept and took legal action that forced a redraft of the MVNO regulation. Regulations stipulated that individual licences would be required and MVNOs would be required to pay 10% of operating revenues to the TRC annually. This has so far had the effect of discouraging any market entrants.

• 1. Executive summary
• 2. Key statistics
• 3. Telecommunications market
  • 3.1 Overview of Jordan's telecom market
• 4. Regulatory environment
  • 4.1 Background
    • 4.1.1 Telecommunications Law 1995
    • 4.1.2 Telecommunications Law 2002
  • 4.2 Regulatory authority
  • 4.3 Telecom sector liberalisation in Jordan
    • 4.3.1 WiMAX licences
  • 4.4 Privatisation
  • 4.5 Interconnect
  • 4.6 Carrier preselection
  • 4.7 Local Loop Unbundling (LLU)
• 5. Fixed network operators in Jordan
  • 5.1 Jordan Telecom Group / JTG / Orange Jordan
• 6. Telecommunications infrastructure
  • 6.1 National telecom network
    • 6.1.1 Next Generation Networks (NGNs)
    • 6.1.2 Telecom development of cable TV networks
    • 6.1.3 National Telecommunication Program 1995-1999
  • 6.2 International infrastructure
• 7. Wholesaling
  • 7.1 Access
  • 7.2 JTG's pricing structure
  • 7.3 Friction between JTG and other ISPs
• 8. Broadband and Internet market
  • 8.1 Internet market overview
    • 8.1.1 Internet statistics
    • 8.1.2 Government initiatives
  • 8.2 ISP market
    • 8.2.1 Orange Internet
    • 8.2.2 Umniah / Batelco Jordan
    • 8.2.3 Cyberia
    • 8.2.4 TE Data
  • 8.3 E-commerce
  • 8.4 Broadband market overview
    • 8.4.1 Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
    • 8.4.2 Wireless broadband
• 9. Convergence
  • 9.1 Overview of media convergence
  • 9.2 VoIP and Triple Play
• 10. Digital media
  • 10.1 Broadcasting market overview
    • 10.1.1 Jordan Media City (JMC)
    • 10.1.2 Jordan Television (JTV)
    • 10.1.3 Rubicon Group
  • 10.2 IPTV
• 11. Mobile communications
  • 11.1 Overview of Jordan's mobile market
    • 11.1.1 Mobile statistics
  • 11.2 Regulatory issues
    • 11.2.1 Third GSM licence
    • 11.2.2 MVNOs
    • 11.2.3 3G licences
  • 11.3 Mobile technologies
    • 11.3.1 GSM
    • 11.3.2 Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN)
  • 11.4 Major mobile operators
    • 11.4.1 Jordan Mobile Telephone Services / Zain Jordan
    • 11.4.2 Orange
    • 11.4.3 XPress Telecommunications
    • 11.4.4 Umniah
  • 11.5 Mobile voice services
    • 11.5.1 Prepaid
    • 11.5.2 Satellite mobile
  • 11.6 Mobile data services
    • 11.6.1 Short Message Service (SMS)
    • 11.6.2 Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
    • 11.6.3 General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
    • 11.6.4 Push-to-talk (PTT)
    • 11.6.5 Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE)
    • 11.6.6 BlackBerry
    • 11.6.7 iPhone
  • 11.7 Mobile content and applications
• 12. Related reports
• List of Tables
  • Table 1 - Country statistics Jordan - 2008
  • Table 2 - Telephone network statistics - 2008
  • Table 3 - Internet user statistics - 2008
  • Table 4 - Broadband statistics - 2008
  • Table 5 - Mobile statistics - 2008
  • Table 6 - National telecommunications authority
  • Table 7 - Jordan Telecom Group profit and revenue by sector - 2004 - 2008
  • Table 8 - Jordan Telecom Group divisional subscribers - 2005 - 2008
  • Table 9 - Fixed lines in service and teledensity - 1995 - 2008
  • Table 10 - Internet users and penetration rate - 1995 - 2008
  • Table 11 - Internet subscribers and penetration rate - 1999 - 2008
  • Table 12 - DSL subscribers - 2001 - 2008
  • Table 13 - JRTVC revenue - 2005 - 2007
  • Table 14 - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate - 1995 - 2008
  • Table 15 - Mobile operators, subscribers and annual change - 2008
  • Table 16 - Mobile operators' market share - 2004 - 2008
  • Table 17 - Zain Jordan ARPU, Revenue, EBITDA and CAPEX - 2005 - 2008
  • Table 18 - Orange prepaid and postpaid subscribers - 2002 - 2008
  • Table 19 - Zain Jordan prepaid and postpaid subscribers - 2005 - 2008