According to a report from Delta Partners, the number of mobile broadband users will reach 40 million by the end of 2011 in the Middle East and Africa regions. These regions are said to be the world’s fastest growing regions in terms of mobile penetration growth in recent past.

In Africa, mobile telecommunication costs are relatively high as most parts of the continent have coverage restrictions and lack of bandwidth and witness connectivity delivered via satellites. However, the arrival of improved international connectivity via new submarine cables will offer more bandwidth and lower prices. Mobile operators developing their 3G networks will result in enhanced availability of high speed networks.

"We believe that nearly 70% of the broadband subscribers in MEA will in fact be delivered over wireless networks by 2011 up from about 38% today," says Joao Sousa, Partner at Delta Partners.

"This will translate into a significant growth potential for mobile broadband in MEA, with subscribers expected to grow from 2.5m today to about 40m in 2011. At a strong ARPU of $10-15 this will represent a market worth around $6 billion in 2011 vs. $1 billion today," he adds, according to Cellular News.