Source: CommsMEA - February 23 - 2010

Qtel has completed its first fibre optic pilot in Qatar with residents of the Mesaieed and West Bay Lagoon areas of the country now having access to internet speeds of up to 50 Mbps using the technology.

Qtel, which is working with Chinese vendor Huawei on the project, said it was finalising a plan to deploy FTTH services across the rest of the country.

Qtel is keen to gain a lead in Qatar’s fixed internet business before facing competition from Qatar’s second operator Vodafone Qatar, which won the country’s second fixed licence in 2008.

Although Qtel faces competition from Vodafone Qatar in the mobile broadband sector, the second operator’s plan to launch a fixed network has been hit with delays. The company expects to launch fixed line services in 2011 or 2012 following delays in gaining regulatory approval to deploy a fixed network, according to a recent report from Zawya Dow Jones.