In 2025, performance rankings across the Middle East and Africa showed more stability than disruption, according to data from the Ookla Speedtest Global Index. Most countries in the region saw only marginal movement in their fixed and mobile positions. The notable exceptions came from North Africa, where the late but concentrated rollout of 5G, combined with fiber expansion, produced measurable gains. Against that backdrop, the UAE remained firmly positioned among the region’s strongest performers, reinforcing its status as a benchmark market within MEA rather than a country in transition.
Across the Gulf Cooperation Council, network performance continued to be defined by sustained investment and early technology adoption. The UAE, along with Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman, consistently led MEA in both mobile and fixed broadband throughout 2025. Mobile performance in particular remained globally competitive, with most Gulf countries maintaining top-10 global rankings for much of the year. The UAE stood out at the upper end of that range, posting some of the highest median mobile download speeds globally by the fourth quarter of 2025, driven by mature 5G deployments, spectrum availability, and advanced features such as carrier aggregation and early 5G standalone upgrades.
Fixed broadband performance followed a similar pattern. The UAE ranked second globally by the end of 2025, underpinned by extensive fiber-to-the-home coverage and high uptake of premium-speed plans. Unlike markets where speed gains are driven primarily by regulatory intervention, the UAE’s position reflects long-term infrastructure buildout paired with strong consumer demand for high-capacity connections across residential and enterprise use.
While Gulf rankings remained largely unchanged, the most dramatic shifts in MEA came from North Africa. Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia recorded the largest upward movements on the mobile index after launching 5G services in 2025. Morocco’s jump of more than 20 places highlighted how pent-up demand and an influx of new 5G test samples can temporarily lift national rankings. Algeria also recorded strong gains on both mobile and fixed indices, supported by recent fiber deployment. These improvements, however, are still early indicators, and sustained performance will depend on continued spectrum allocation and capacity investment as usage grows.
Elsewhere, performance across the Levant and Sub-Saharan Africa remained uneven. Structural constraints such as delayed spectrum auctions, political instability, and power infrastructure limitations continued to outweigh demographic factors like urbanization. The data reinforces a recurring conclusion from the Index: dense cities alone do not guarantee strong mobile performance without parallel network modernization.
From a UAE perspective, the 2025 results underscore a different narrative from much of the region. While North Africa’s gains reflect catch-up dynamics, the UAE’s rankings illustrate what steady policy alignment, capital investment, and early technology adoption deliver over time. As other MEA markets begin scaling 5G and fiber, the UAE’s challenge will be less about climbing the rankings and more about maintaining its lead as network demands increase.
