How Does The Competition Law Impact Bahraini Telecom Operators?

The fundamental purpose of competition law is twofold: it seeks to encourage a dynamic economy and to enhance consumer welfare by promoting competition and controlling practices that could restrict it. The telecommunications sector is no exception to the need for competition regulation, and the end consumer's interests is underscored by the fact we all rely on telecom services in daily life.

The telecommunications sector in Bahrain has witnessed significant developments in the past two decades, although it is necessary to provide a backdrop its history prior to that. In 1981, Bahrain's first telecommunications company was founded, Batelco, which enjoyed its monopoly in the sector until 2003, when the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) (established by Legislative Decree No. (48) of 2002 Promulgating the Telecommunications Law) granted MTC Vodafone (today operating as Zain) a license to operate in the Kingdom. Today, three major telecommunications operators