BY SACHIN KUMAR
DOHA: When it comes to owning smartphones, laptops and tablet devices, Qatar beats many mature Information and Communication technology countries, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.
About 96 percent of households in Qatar have laptops which is higher than that in United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, according to a recent report by the Ministry. These economies are considered benchmark countries for ICT device penetration.
About 85 percent households in Singapore have laptops while for Germany and UAE this figure is 74 percent. In UK and Saudi Arabia, 69pc households have laptops while it is 66pc in Sweden and 62pc in South Korea. “There is growing need for connectivity because of professional and personal reasons. People want to remain connected most of the time and smartphones, laptops and tablets help them fulfill this desire,” a senior Ministry official told this newspaper.
“Qatar enjoys higher penetration rates for laptops, smartphones, and tablets compared with more mature ICT economies, which trail Qatar,” said the report titled ‘Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2014: Households and Individuals’.
Ninety-two percent of households in Qatar have a smartphone. Only South Korea has the same level of penetration while Sweden (81 percent), Singapore (83), the UK (67) and Germany (61) stand much behind. In the UAE, about 77 percent and in Saudi Arabia 74 percent households have smartphones.
Falling prices have also increased popularity of smartphones, laptops and tablets. “A large section of the population in Qatar comprises expats. They are price-sensitive with regard to smartphones, tablets and laptops. Prices have been falling consistently for the past few years, which has increased sales,” said the owner of an electronics goods store in the Old Airport area.
Use of tablets is gaining momentum as 69 percent of households have them, leaving other countries far behind. In Singapore, 42 percent of households have such devices while in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE and Saudi Arabia the figure is below 30 percent.
Qatar’s mobile subscription penetration is above 100 percent, and Internet and broadband services are rapidly growing. It is one of the most networked-ready nations, according to the Global Information and Technology Report 2014. In its Networked Readiness Index, Qatar ranks 23rd and first among the Arab nations out of 148 countries.
The Peninsula
