Officials are determined to get more Yemenis surfing and chatting over improved telecommunications lines and waves by developing relationships with foreign investors and operators. The underdeveloped sector will be crucial to Yemen’s future economic development.
Recent estimates suggest that a mere one percent of the Yemeni population uses the internet, and only nine percent of the population has a cell phone.

The Yemen Telecom Group is seeking to increase the limited number of subscribers by working together with the Yemeni government on policy issues, pursuing joint agreements with foreign providers, and implementing new technologies that will extend the range of services.
“We are looking for a strategic international partner for the mobile division,” said Ali Nosary, Director General of Yemen’s Public Telecommunication Corporation (PTC), adding that increased collaboration, and even competition, will benefit all parties. “Having more operators will contribute to reducing costs for the end users, the variation of services, and provide support and accessibility everywhere,” he states.

Eng. Omer Ahmed Bin Shihab, deputy CEO of Teleyemen, the country’s international telecommunication gateway, says the company is also working to upgrade services. He comments, “In 2004 we started a new management contract with France Telecom, which is limited to the management side. The main purpose behind giving this responsibility to a well known, international operator is to raise the standards of TeleYemen to a global level.”