Ookla Commends the Communications Regulatory Authority of Qatar for Efforts to Help Improve User Experience During FIFA World Cup™

SEATTLE — Ookla®, an internationally recognized leader in network measurement and connectivity intelligence, commends the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) for the State of Qatar and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) for their important roles in driving network performance gains in the country. Ookla CEO and founder Doug Suttles recognized the MCIT and His Excellency Mohammed bin Ali Al-Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology in person for their efforts and achievements. These include this year’s FIFA World Cup™, which is both the first in the Middle East region and to be supported by commercial 5G networks. CRA is leveraging Ookla’s consumer network insights to actively monitor network performance and service quality – not only for FIFA World Cup™ fans now, but also for future visitors, other large-scale event attendees, and consumers in the region.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ has seen over 2.45 million stadium attendees during its first two weeks. According to Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence®, median download performance in November rose to 263.37 Mbps on modern chipsets across all mobile technologies combined in Qatar, with median 5G download performance hitting 472.13 Mbps. It’s clear that the network enhancements made in the market, along with live monitoring and optimization of network performance using Ookla crowdsourced data, has helped boost overall network performance at the event. These astounding efforts have also assisted in propelling Qatar to first place on Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index for overall median mobile download speeds in November, with Ar-Rayyan and Doha ranking first and second in overall median mobile download speeds for some of the world’s largest cities, respectively.

“CRA and MCIT have been instrumental in creating a competitive pro-investment telecommunications market and have devoted much of their time and resources to help drive 5G advancements in Qatar,” said Ookla founder and CEO Doug Suttles. “This investment is paying off, and it was my honor to recognize these achievements in person. Ookla looks forward to further collaboration with CRA and MCIT, utilizing our consumer network experience insights and enterprise solutions to further enable the development of Qatar’s ICT infrastructure, in support of Qatar National Vision 2030.”

“To ensure the development of the highest standard telecom networks and infrastructures in Qatar, CRA develops proper regulatory instruments and grants the telecom Service Providers the necessary licenses. In December 2021, CRA released an additional spectrum which totals 1,000 MHz to each telecom Service Provider to develop their 5G network and ensure that mobile telecom consumers have an enhanced experience during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. The high-level telecom infrastructure in Qatar has allowed the provision of high-quality mobile telecom services during the tournament and contributed to its success. I would like to express my gratitude to Ookla for their efforts and recognition,” said Ali Al-Suwaidi, Technical Affairs Department Director, CRA.

Over the course of their collaboration, Ookla, CRA, and MCIT will work together to help optimize network performance in Qatar. This in turn will deliver significant new value to local mobile operators who build the networks and create a better experience for the consumers who rely on them.