The plan includes guidelines for the implementation of high-speed broadband for business and consumers, a higher quality of international connectivity at better rates and more protection for critical infrastructure.
The chairman of the TRA, Dr Mohammed Al Amer, said the plan emphasised the importance of the telecoms sector in “enabling social and economic development in the Kingdom of Bahrain”.
He said: “The government believes that in order to achieve this ambitious plan, infrastructure investments must be made. (We need to) work to remove the remaining barriers that hinder competition in the telecoms market, and implement updates to the legal and regulatory environment.”
As part of the project, the government will make investment in a new fibre-optic cable in the country, with connectivity speeds of up to 1Gbps for businesses, and 100Mbps for residential premises. There will also be a licensing auction for the delivery of high-speed mobile broadband.
Regulators said there will be a bigger drive to ensure a more competitive market for international capacity in the country.
