London, 27 Sep 2004— Broadband benchmark Middle East- Africa Q2 2004.

The Second quarter 2004 has seen a steady expansion of ADSL service provider in the region. This mainly due to the slow volume growth in data services for Israel but on the other hand , South Africa, Iran and UAE seen a fast growth market. The regional Internet growth is one of the fastest in the world. After a sluggish start, the broadband market is taking a concrete shape in the region. According to statistics released by incumbents and operators, the number of broadband subscribers has reached 750,000 at the end of June.

Israel with more than 550,000 subscribers is the biggest broadband market in the region.