Yemen, a country located in the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula, has a diverse and rugged topography consisting of mountain ranges, plateaus and desert plains. It has a population of approximately 33 million, with a high concentration of its populace in the western regions and a relatively low density in the eastern desert areas. The country includes the island of Socotra, a remote territory in the Arabian Sea with a unique ecosystem. Yemen's technology and telecommunications sectors are in their infancies due to political unrest, underinvestment and infrastructure damage caused by ongoing conflict. Infrastructure solutions have been inventive, with microgrid solar power systems being deployed in some regions to bypass the damaged central power grid. However, these solutions are by necessity rather than design, and the overall state of Yemen's telecommunications and technology sectors is underdeveloped.
Mobile Network Operators
The are 3 companies operating mobile networks in this region.
Sabafon, a telecommunications company, was established as the first GSM Network operator in Yemen. The company commenced operations in February 2001. The ownership of Sabafon is shared among multiple entities, with the major stakeholders being the Hayel Saeed Anam Group and Batelco Bahrain.
The network's operation is complex, with split services being available between the north and south of the country.
Yemen Mobile is a telecommunications network provider operating in Yemen. Established in 2004 by the Yemen Ministry of Telecommunication, it was the first CDMA network operator in the Middle East. The company's CDMA system is based on HUAWEI Technologies and is fully compatible with IS-95 cellular phones. In 2012, Yemen Mobile expanded its network to incorporate ZTE and LG-Nortel technologies. As the first 3G company in Yemen, Yemen Mobile offers CDMA 20001x and EVDO services to its customers, providing data services and internet access.
By 2007, Yemen Mobile had transitioned into a...
The company was established in September 2000 as a local and international sharing company, to later become the community's first choice as a GSM company under the brand name Spacetel Yemen, which was part of Investcom group. The company became known as MTN Yemen in April 2007.
MTN sold the company to Emerald International Investment (held by Omani Zubair Investment Center) in November 2021, after which the company was rebranded to You.