Bahrain Leads GCC in 5G Availability, UAE Tops in Download Speed

Bahrain leads the GCC countries in terms of 5G availability, while the UAE users get the highest download speed, a study showed Wednesday.

5G internet speed

The study on Benchmarking the GCC 5G Experience conducted by Open Signal compared the 5G experiences of users in all GCC countries based on the quality of mobile video streaming, mobile multiplayer gaming, voice application connectivity, availability, and speed. The study found that the UAE has the fastest download speed among all GCC states, averaging 316.8 Mbps. Qatar came second with an average of 278.5 Mbps, while Kuwait took the third position with 263.4 Mbps speed. Saudi Arabia followed with 234.4 Mbps, Bahrain with 187 Mbps, and Oman came last with an average speed of 185.8 Mbps. The countries were ranked almost the same for 5G peak download speed. However, the study found that the 5G peak download speed was over twice as fast as the average 5G download speed in all six GCC markets. The 5G upload speed, on the other hand, was approximately one-tenth the speed of users’ average 5G download speeds in GCC markets. The study attributed this to designers of these initial versions of 5G technologies that have focused on the download connection.

Different experience

Kuwait came first in terms of 5G video experience, scoring 75 on a 100-point scale. The UAE came second with 72.4 points, while Bahrain followed with 71.5 points. The study highlighted that all GCC countries generally have fast loading times and only occasional stalling. The UAE led the score regarding the 5G gaming experience, with 74 points on a 100-point scale. Qatar and Bahrain followed with a score of 69.6 points each. While Kuwait followed with a score of 67.4 points. All GCC countries had excellent 5G voice app experience scores, with Qatar leading the way with 80.6 points.

5G availability

Bahrain led GCC countries regarding 5G availability, which was tested with the time users spend in an active connection with 5G. It scored 34.9%, while Kuwait came second with a 33.6% score. The study highlighted that while Saudi Arabia came third with 28.2%, its score is considered "outstanding" due to its large size geographically and in terms of its population. Other GCC countries had much lower availability time, with Qatar scoring 16.9%, the UAE getting 15.3%, and Omar scoring 13.9%.