15 The rise of Facebook means operators


across the world, especially mobile op- erators, are looking to collaborate with the network to provide its services on their plat- forms. Although this has not yet caught on in MENA, it is a likely prospect as the region’s mobile operators seek to boost mobile Web traffic on their networks via the Facebook brand. However, Informa believes this boost will only really materialize when Facebook reaches critical mass in the middle class and blue-collar sectors of the region’s population – as it has already in the West.


Trends and data The ASMR also surveyed Facebook users in Tunisia and Egypt and found that six out of 10 respondents in both countries indicated that blocking access actually provided a boost to the movements, spurring protest- ers to more decisive and creative action. The report noted that, whereas the UAE,


Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Lebanon are the leading five countries in the region for Fa- cebook in terms of penetration, growth was the fastest in those countries experiencing social unrest. Egypt saw the highest increase in the number of users during the 1Q11 with almost 2 million net additions. Syria lifted its ban on Facebook in February, resulting in an upsurge of new users in the country. Other countries enjoying strong growth are Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan. In contrast, some countries have expe-


rienced losses in Facebook users. Most notably, Libya banned the social network in February, which is resulting in losses. Other countries like Qatar have experienced volatility


Egypt


Saudi Arabia Morocco Algeria Tunisia Iraq


Jordan UAE Syria Kuwait Yemen Palestine Lebanon Oman


Afghanistan Bahrain Maurtania Iran


Qatar Libya


0 2.0 4.0 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 Net additions (mil.) Note: Figures refer to quarter-end Source: Informa Telecoms & Media, Arab Social Media Report, ITU , Inside Facebook Figure 2: Facebook net additions by country 1Q11 Middle East Market Review | November 2011 Note: Figures refer to quarter-end Source: Informa Telecoms & Media, Arab Social Media Report, ITU , Inside Facebook Figure 3: MENA Facebook population penetration by country 1Q11 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 UAE


Bahrain Qatar Kuwait Lebanon Tunisia Jordan


Saudi Arabia Palestine Morocco Oman Egypt Algeria Iraq


Maurtania Syria


Yemen Libya


Afghanistan


0102030405060 Population penetration (%)


in growth, where gov- ernment censorship and privacy concerns have put off a group of subscribers. Egypt continues


Egypt


Saudi Arabia Morocco UAE


to dominate regional subscription figures, followed by Saudi Arabia, Morocco and the UAE (see fig. 1). The countries with the lowest number of Facebook users are Iran and Libya, due to censorship, and Mauritania, due to cultural conservatism, although this trend is reversing. Net additions in Iraq and Afghanistan


Tunisia Algeria Jordan Lebanon Kuwait Iraq


Palestine Qatar Syria


Yemen Bahrain Oman


Afghanistan Libya


Maurtania Iran


0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 Subscriptions (mil.) Note: Figures refer to quarter-end Source: Informa Telecoms & Media, Arab Social Media Report, ITU , Inside Facebook Figure 1: MENA Facebook subscriptions by country 1Q11


have grown rapidly as online connectivity continues to improve in these countries. Syria has seen massive growth in 1Q11 following on from the lifting of the Facebook ban. How- ever, the catalyst of political uprising ensured that Egypt was the strongest market for net additions in the quarter (see fig. 2). The UAE is racing ahead in terms of pen-


etration, although it is the exception to the regional rule, mainly due to the combination of the high number of the expatriate popula- tion that is connected to social media, and its digital-media-savvy native population. At the lower end of the penetration rankings, Iraq spearheads growth as its population rapidly connects itself to the online world (see fig. 3). The Arabic version of Facebook is prov-


ing to be popular with segments within the Arab MENA population, especially Saudi Arabia. Some analysts have exaggerated its potential, however, by claiming it will trump other languages like English and French by the end of this year. Language interface usage varies from


country to country. Whereas English and French dominate in most markets, Arabic is a slowly-growing platform in all Arab countries (see fig. 4); the Persian interface is mostly used in Iran by those who circumvent the state-imposed Facebook ban. What is certain is that it will open up new


marketing opportunities for regional advertis- ers – Carol Bartz estimates that the online ad market in the region will have a 7 per cent global market share. Furthermore, Arabic Facebook has the ability to spur growth »


5.0 6.0 7.0


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