GSMA Intelligence surveyed nearly 900 businesses across 10 industry sectors in the Gulf Cooperation Council and wider Middle East and North Africa for a November report on digital investment. The survey examines which technologies companies plan to buy and what they consider when choosing suppliers or rolling out new services.
Businesses are weighing more than network speed
The survey covers technologies including 5G, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cybersecurity. It also asks about deployment challenges, supplier selection, technology sovereignty and regulation. The regional sample forms part of a wider survey of 6,342 enterprises in 50 countries.
GSMA Intelligence requires sign-in for the detailed results. The public overview identifies the questions the researchers asked, while the scale of any investment delays remains unclear from the published summary.
A question for East Africa
For telecom operators and business customers in East Africa, the research raises a question worth testing locally. When companies budget for a connected factory, a cloud migration or an AI rollout, which decisions actually determine when the project goes live? Local evidence on procurement, regulatory approvals and supplier availability would help distinguish a shortage of investment from delays in putting planned spending to work.
