The Indian mobile handset market closed 2011 with an annual growth rate of 14.1%, achieving a total volume of 182 million handsets...

A number of factors had been slowing the development of Nepal's telecom network. The country's topography has made it extremely difficult to develop its telecommunications infrastructure. Furthermore, Nepal had been struggling under an adverse economic situation caused largely by political instability. Over the years, acts of terrorism and the activity of the Maoist rebels operating throughout the country had also taken their toll on the telecom network...

 Data published by Chile’s major telecoms operators and the national regulator, Subtel, show that after a surge in net additions in late 2010, mobile subscriber numbers continue to be buoyant...

In the first nine months of 2011, Belarus’ mobile market grew by 4.5%, with the number of mobile customers surpassing 11mn in September. By the end of 2011, it is estimated there were 11.18mn mobile subscribers in Belarus, growth of 5.9% over the year and a mobile penetration rate of almost 117%...

 There was a significant surge in mobile subscriptions in Kuwait during Q211...

Uncertainty pervades all four North African states – and, by extension, their telecom sectors...

Ghana's mobile sector will have 27.281mn mobile subscribers by 2016, up from 21.518mn at the end of 2011...

The highly-developed UAE telecom sector was rocked this year by the arrival of LTE, introduced by number one operator Etisalat – but competition is already snapping at its heels...

As one of the largest growth markets in the world, it is unsurprising that forecasts for China’s telecoms sector are being revised upwards...

 Iran’s increasing mobile penetration is somewhat tempered by a probable base of inactive subscribers, as well as a looming decline in ARPU levels...

Israel boasts one of the few markets in the Middle East with strong competition across all market sectors...

With Bahrain’s mobile market approaching saturation, the growth in the second quarter of 2011 was unexpected but is unlikely to stop...

Growth has been steady in Pakistan although there have been setbacks to the country’s 3G licensing process which is due to take place this year...

Home to one of the world’s most isolated cities, the fabled Timbuctu, and with a generally challenging geography for the provision of telecommunication services, Mali has market penetration rates below African averages in all market sectors except mobile where it is now racing towards the 100% mark..

 As a result of heavy investments in the telecom sector since the mid-1990s, Tunisia has one of the most developed telecommunications infrastructures in Northern Africa and sports some of the continent’s highest market penetration rates...

Low penetration in Tanzania leaves plenty of room for growth over the next five years, but operators need to capitalise on the rural market potential...

Throughout 2011 the societal and political unrest in many Arab countries, termed the Arab Spring, fundamentally changed the progress and pace at which telecommunications infrastructure has, and will continue to be, developed in these countries...

Kenya's mobile market during H111 has seen a significant slowdown in overall subscriber growth...

 An intensifying battle between mobile and fixed-line services is increasing price-based competition in Indonesia, with the result that although subscriber numbers continue to rise, customers are spending less...

Although the Philippines has seen strong mobile subscriber growth this year, saturation looms and competition could soon be damaged by a major acquisition...

In light of new data published by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, the island nation’s mobile subscriber growth over the next five years will likely be lower than expected...

One of the last countries in the Middle East to liberalise, the telecom market of the United Arab Emirates has benefited from competition, evident from falling tariff prices...

Since the onset of competition Oman's telecoms market has developed in leaps and bounds...

With many markets in Central Asia acting as test-beds of sorts for new technologies, BMI has catalogued the more recent developments in the mobile and internet sectors of the region...