Kuwait's parliament approved a bill to create an independent telecom regulator yesterday, which should end a conflict of interest as the Ministry of Communications currently regulates the industry and operates the fixed-line network.
It was not clear though what the new regulator's powers will be or what impact it might have on the country's four major Internet service providers or its three mobile operators, Zain, Saudi Telecom Company affiliate Viva and Wataniya, a subsidiary of Qatar's Ooredoo.
Kuwait is the only Gulf country without a telecom regulator and the creation of such a body may indicate the government will revive plans to privatise the fixed network, which has been under consideration for more than 20 years. As of July 2012, Kuwait's Internet connection speed was a little over a third of the UAE's, according to Business Monitor International.