ESCWA

UNITED NATIONS Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

Distr. GENERAL E/ESCWA/ICTD/2003/11/Add.3 29 October 2003 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

PROFILE OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY IN THE

REPUBLIC OF LEBANON

2003

Note: This document has been prepared by Mr. Tony Feghali, Professor at the American University of Beirut, an ESCWA consultant, and reproduced without formal editing. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ESCWA.

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CONTENTS Page Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 I. POLICIES AND STRATEGIES................................................................................. 1 A. National Information Society Policy and Strategies................................................ 1

B. Sectoral Plans for Building the Information Society ....................................... 1

II. LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS.................................................... 2 A. Intellectual Property Rights and Privacy Status ...................................................... 2

B. Telecom Regulatory Framework in the Country ..................................................... 2 C. Regulating the Internet ............................................................................................ 2 D. Privacy and Security Laws and Regulations for Applications ................................ 3 E. Other ICT-related Laws and Regulations ................................................................ 3

III. ICT INFRASTRUCTURE .......................................................................................... 3 A. Telephone Penetration ............................................................................................. 3

B. Internet Backbone..................................................................................................... 4 C. Internet Service Providers and Applications Service Providers ............................... 4 D. Access....................................................................................................................... 5 E. PC Dissemination .................................................................................................... 5

IV. ICT CAPACITY BUILDING ..................................................................................... 6 A. Awareness and Dissemination................................................................................. 6

B. Computers in Schools............................................................................................... 6 C. Vocational Training................................................................................................. 6 D. University Education ............................................................................................... 6 E. Research, Development and Innovation in ICTs..................................................... 7

V. BUILDING THE ICT SECTOR................................................................................. 7 A. ICT Firms ................................................................................................................ 7

B. Investments in ICT ................................................................................................... 7 C. Government Facilitation .......................................................................................... 8 D. Export of ICT Equipment/Software ........................................................................ 8

VI. APPLICATIONS IN GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHMENTS ................................ 9 A. Computerization of Public Administrations ............................................................ 9

B. Digitization of Information ...................................................................................... 9 C. E-Government Plans................................................................................................ 10 D. E-Procurement Applications.................................................................................... 11

VII. APPLICATIONS IN EDUCATION ........................................................................... 11 A. E-Learning............................................................................................................... 11

B. E-School Projects .................................................................................................... 11 C. Virtual Universities.................................................................................................. 12

VIII. APPLICATIONS IN COMMERCE AND BUSINESS............................................. 12 A. Extent and Maturity of E-Commerce and E-Business Applications ....................... 12

B. Availability and Quality of E-Banking.................................................................... 12

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CONTENTS Page IX. APPLICATIONS IN HEALTHCARE ....................................................................... 13 A. Databases for National Healthcare .......................................................................... 13

B. Telemedicine and Medical Use of Teleconferencing .............................................. 13 X. DIGITAL ARABIC CONTENT ................................................................................. 13 A. Arabic vs. English Content on the Web for National Use....................................... 13

B. Obstacles for its Development and Ways for removing them ................................. 14 References ..................................................................................................................................... 15

ANNEX

1. Information Society Indicators....................................................................................... 16

INTRODUCTION This document reports on Lebanon’s profile as a player in the global information society. It covers available policies and strategies, legal and regulatory frameworks, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and ICT human capacity building. It also presents the status of the national ICT sector as well as ICT applications in government, education, business and healthcare. And finally, it addresses the Arabic content aspect of Lebanon’s profile as an information society player.

I. POLICIES AND STRATEGIES

A. NATIONAL INFORMATION SOCIETY POLICIES AND STRATEGIES

The Government of Lebanon (GoL) through the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) developed a national Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy and strategy in 1999. This document identifies for the government three main roles:

(a) A facilitator, where it will work to put in place the proper framework for ICT development on

the national level and as a sector;

(b) A regulator, where it will aim to regulate to the least possible different functions of importance to sustainable ICT growth;

(c) A major user of ICT products and solutions, particularly as relates to Arabic-enabled software applications and solutions.

Directing the GoL’s involvement in ICT is a Ministerial ICT Committee headed by the Minister of State for Administrative Reform and with the Ministers of Telecommunications and Economy and Trade as members. This committee is supported by a secretariat at OMSAR and a private-public sector advisory/ supporting committee. Building upon the national ICT policy and strategy work, OMSAR recently initiated the development of a national E-strategy for Lebanon. This effort will produce by summer 2003 an e-readiness assessment report, a national e-strategy document, and an implementation action plan which would include the methodology, operation and phasing, in addition to identifying the involvement required by each private or public sector stakeholder.

B. SECTORAL PLANS FOR BUILDING THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

In 2000, the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL) launched a feasibility study for the creation of the Beirut Emerging Technology Zone (BETZ). This study was funded by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) [1]. BETZ is envisaged to provide vast real estate for local and international companies as well as for universities to setup research and development facilities for a number of technology sectors. In 2002, the University of Saint Joseph opened the first techno-pole facility, named Berytech, on its engineering school campus East of Beirut. The facility offers the services and the environment necessary to the development of the industrial activities or services for a range of products, equipment and complementary concepts. Two private sector initiatives have also been in the works, yet as of today no development progress can be reported. One is the Edde Global Village in Jbeil (a media zone type project) and the other is the Makse Industrial Park in the Bekaa valley. These technology or industrial zones will allow for the development of the ICT sector in general and the realization of innovative technology ideas in particular as a contribution to the national information society at large.

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On a more local or rural level, the establishment of Technology Access Centers (TACs) or Multipurpose Community Tele-Centers (MCTCs) would render a more ICT educated society and foster rural creativity and innovation, Specific sector development plans using ICT as a facilitator or enabler have been documented in the national ICT policy and strategy document were it is proposed that work groups of sectoral specialists will make recommendations to the government concerning their developed visions, objectives, and implementation plans for each sector. Sectors pertinent to the information society would include: communications service industry, construction industry, education, financial services, health sector, IT industry, manufacturing, media, municipal services, real estate, retail, wholesale and distribution industries, rural sector, small business, tourism, transportation and utilities [4]

II. LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS

A. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND PRIVACY STATUS

In 1999, the literary and artistic property rights law, which is equivalent to the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) law, was passed to protect the ownership of content in its various forms such as text, images, voice, video, and the ownership of software. Although Lebanon was the second Arab country after the United Arab Emirates to pass such legislation, it still needs to actively enforce the IPR law as piracy is still widespread [2]. This despite the fact that Government officials have received training at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on enforcement procedures for intellectual property rights [1]. By mid-2000, nonetheless, industry statistics indicated that software piracy had fallen slightly from 93% to 88%. Moreover, clause 25 of the IPR that allows teachers and students to make copies of software licenses. This clause was clearly defined by the ministerial decision 16/2002 limiting copying to educational and cultural software as well the permitted number of copies and the conditions of their use. It could be said however that the passage of the IPR law encouraged multinational corporations such as Microsoft, Computer Associates and Cisco to establish regional or Levant headquarters in Lebanon.

B. TELECOM REGULATORY FRAMEWORK IN THE COUNTRY

The Ministry of Telecommunications (MoT), previously known as the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), solely operates Lebanon’s fixed telecommunications network and is considered as the regulatory body for telecommunications in the country [7]. In 2000, the MoT announced its plan to privatize the Lebanese telecommunications sector [2]. The government approved the plan for privatizing MoT by creating an operator (Liban Telecom) and reducing the MoT to a small regulatory body [3]. This law is planned to reform the telecom sector by separating the regulatory body from the operator to make all government involvement transparent and well defined. At the writing of this document, a major project for setting up the institutional and operational structure and mandate of the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) is under execution with funding provided from the EU through its Assistance to the Rehabilitation of the Lebanese Administration (ARLA) grant program at OMSAR.

C. REGULATING THE INTERNET There are no national regulations governing the Internet sector to date. Some ISP collaborative initiatives have been realized however to reduce the delay time for internet users in accessing email and surfing the web. An important initiative was one through which the national ISPs created a national gateway that routed intra-national internet traffic (email or web access) internally without having to go to the global internet nodes in Cyprus and the US. This initiative has freed up the limited international internet access bandwidth for the international traffic only. Such an example proves the timely and technical viability for the ISP industry to self-regulate itself with the government providing the cost effective measures to do so.

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D. PRIVACY AND SECURITY LAWS AND REGULATIONS FOR APPLICATIONS There are no privacy and security laws currently in Lebanon. However, a recent project launched by the Ministry of Economy and Trade will put in place all required legal bills for any ICT or e-initiative. With a main focus on e-commerce development, this project will be effectively launched in September of 2003 and will be completed over a period of 2 years. As for regulations regarding applications, the GoL through OMSAR is currently working on the development of ICT standards and guidelines for all public sector projects. And with the government being the largest user of ICT, these standards and guidelines will have a spill over effect to the private sector and academia and hence will have a wider usage base. These ICT standards and guidelines should be completed by June 2003.

E. OTHER ICT-RELATED LAW AND REGULATIONS In 1999, the Central Bank was authorized by the parliament to reorganize the banking and finance sectors and prepare it for e-payment systems or e-transactions. The Central Bank and other public agencies are also drafting laws to prepare for e-banking, digital signatures and certification authentication. In 1999, a digital signature draft law was passed by government and sent to parliament for formal approval. Today, three other versions of this law are at parliament and are awaiting a final decision as to which one will be used at the end. In November 2000, the Act 4377 eliminated tariffs on information and communication technology products [1]. Yet in 2002 the introduction of the value-added tax of 10% to a variety of products including ICT products counterbalanced the customs tariff elimination. The investment protection laws and other services offered by specialized organizations in Lebanon have also granted foreign investors the advantage of guaranteed protection [7].

III. ICT INFRASTRUCTURE

A. TELEPHONE PENETRATION

The MoT in Lebanon, offers connectivity throughout most of the country, with south Lebanon recently added. The main fixed line-based network has a capacity of 1.4 millions telephone lines, of which 740,000 were subscribed in 2000, and a 21 teledensity (number of telephone fixed lines per 100 people) [1]. Payphones are gradually being installed in all Lebanese regions [1]. The ratio of mobile lines to fixed lines is one-to-one since 700,000 mobile lines were also in use in 2000 [1], with the expansion limitation here being due to the 6-digit numbering schema in use. The voice network is the most advanced throughout the country. Data connectivity, on the other hand, is offered by MoT and until recently required customers to install and maintain their network equipment (router, hubs etc.) in the national gateway premises of the MoT. This changed several months and now the MoT is offering end-to-end date services with the customer only having to pay for the service activation and recurring fees.

The mobile telephone services (GSM networks) have been offered until recently by two internationally connected private companies - LibanCell and Cellis - through separate 10 year BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) contracts with the government. These contracts were cancelled by the government last year after determining that the two contracts were violated by the operating companies. This cancellation took place 2 years before the ending date of the BOT contracts and now the Lebanese government owns these networks with the two companies still running operations through management contracts [7]. With the proper ending of the BOT contracts, a third GSM operator could have been launched at the discretion of the government in 2003. The long GSM crisis in Lebanon crippled growth in the GSM market since June 2001. The transfer of ownership of both operators: LibanCell and Cellis; to the government after its unilateral decision to cancel

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the 2 signed BOT agreements with international operators diminished the confidence of potential entrants into the Lebanese communication markets. [7]

International companies KPMG and HSBC were hired to decide on the compensation and also to provide advice regarding the sale of two 20-year cellular licenses [7]. In November 2002, the Lebanese cabinet suspended its US$ 600 million claim against LibanCell and Cellis for alleged contractual violations and submitted the dispute to international arbitration [7].

Despite plans to privatize and liberalize the fixed lines sector, it is projected that growth in this segment between 2002 and 2007 is expected at 1.9% while maintaining a penetration rate of 21%. Competition on the International Long Distance service is projected to cause Lebanon's total telecom revenues to decline annually by 3.9% to reach around US$ 415.8 million in 2007, compared to around US$ 507.8 million in 2002. [7]

Lebanon's GSM market is expected to grow substantially during the 2002-2007 period and the market will remain a predominantly prepay market. It is projected that the GSM market will grow by 16.7% to reach a penetration level of 42% in 2007. The number of cellular subscribers is projected to exceed the number of fixed lines in 2003 if a new numbering schema is introduced. Lebanon's total GSM revenues are projected to reach more than US$ 884.7 million in 2007. [7]

Some private companies in Lebanon offer wireless data services to customers through microwave networks. These networks have filled in the gap in regions where land-line and mobile connectivity does not exist.

As far as linking to the international network, there is one main international satellite gateway where a couple of earth stations are located and two sea line-based connections through Cyprus and the United States [3]. MoT and the future Liban Telecom should work on offering a hybrid array of services (line, microwave, satellite, etc.), pro-rated as per the Level of Quality desired, to suit different market needs [3]. The government currently sets all tariffs for basic, GSM and leased line services. [7]

B. INTERNET BACKBONE

For the development of ICT, government plans include the establishment of a Telecommunications Management Unit that involves integrating the network control equipment of the international suppliers and implementation of an Intelligent Network (IN) platform for the provision of various services, such as pre-paid calling cards and free phones [1].

The backbone of the network is constituted of 303 switching centers linked by high-speed fiber connections. Lebanon is moving ahead with plans to establish an internet node or hub that will offer ISPs bandwidth at a lower cost than they have today; consequently giving the end users better and cheaper service. This internet node is planned to have a total bandwidth capacity of 90 Mbps catering to all the ISPs in Lebanon and interconnect them locally [6]. In past times, the traffic between the ISPs was routed outside Lebanon since each one had its own international link and no local interconnection. In addition, a 20 Mbps supplementary node via satellite is planned for backup and redundancy purposes.

The mobile operators are providing GPRS services for mobile telephone users to access the Internet in addition to the basic WAP services.

C. INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS AND APPLICATION SERVICE PROVIDERS

When the Internet was first introduced to Lebanon in 1996, the government licensed thirty private Internet Service Providers (ISPs), providing service mainly to Beirut [1]. However, due to the rules of supply and demand, the number had decreased to 16 in 2000. In March 2000, the number of Internet subscribers for Lebanon was 65,000 while the number of users was 227,500 or 3.5 users per subscription. [1] Also at the end of 2002, the average monthly cost of Internet subscription was found to be US$ 18 but can reach up to

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US$20, depending on the quality. In mid 2003, there are only 5 dominant ISPs; those being Cyberia, Destination, IDM, Fiberlink Networks (Lynx) and Terranet.

Other local internet service distributors were offering households 24/7 internet connection through aerial cable networks. These services were considered illegal since it bypassed the fixed line public network and quite recently were closed by a decree issued by the MoT. This same decree provided reductions in Internet dial-up fees for the consumer and international internet gateway connections for the ISPs. As a solution to the previously-mentioned problem, legal aerial cable has been introduced and charges an average of $44 per month on top of installation fees.

There is one Application Service Provider (ASP) in Lebanon - Trinec. They opened for business in 2000 being the first ASP in Middle East and the Gulf, and are still operating. They have expanded to offering similar services in the region.

D. ACCESS

When internet services were starting to develop in 1996, they were offered mainly to Beirut, and had some points of presence in other main cities [1]. In 2000, Land-based telephone dial-up fees were US$ 1.60 per hour regardless of the area code dialing as national dial-up rates were flattened regardless of area code. At this rate, Internet access for 30 hours per month cost US$ 53 and adding to it the Internet dial-up rates (between US$ 10 and US$ 20), the total bill amounts to US$ 63 to US$ 73 per month [1]. This figure is relatively high and constitutes for a good group of society a cost of 10% of the individual monthly salary.

OMSAR proposed the establishment of Multipurpose Community Tele-Centers (MCTC) in the 6 governorates of the country [5]. Such centers would serve as gateways to the Global Information Highway, providing access to ICT, such as the Internet, and to borderless learning possibilities and accessibility to essential national government services. Beyond these facilities, other solutions using innovative technologies are being explored such as the roll out of a mobile SmartBus and an IT Caravan for training of communities and schools on ICT products and their usage.

By the introduction of the 4-digit fixed step-rate tariff, the Ministry of Telecommunications (MoT) had succeeded in lowering the cost of using Internet dial-up connections. A 4-digit number was authorized to each ISP and OGERO bills Internet users who dial these 4-digit numbers as per a usage matrix [6]. Total cost depending on usage could add up to a maximum of 396,000 LL ($ 264) for a usage time of over 300 hours. Assuming that the average usage time of households is less than 25 hours per month costing only 19,000 LL (~ US$ 13), this provides internet users with better savings than previous plans.

E. PC DISSEMINATION

Besides the branded personal computers such as Dell, IBM, and HP/Compaq, most personal computers in the Lebanese market are locally assembled from computer parts acquired from East Asia, like Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. With the relatively higher price of branded PCs, 85% of the people tend to buy locally assembled PCs.

Based on recent studies, it is estimated that by 2002 there were some 225,000 PCs in Lebanon. This number, which is mainly based on customs records and local company sales estimates, represents a 6% population penetration rate. Also, in the government a recent survey conducted by OMSAR indicates that some 8500 PCs exist throughout the various ministries, agencies and municipalities. With a civil service head count of some 32,000 (excluding security and military personnel which have some 1000 estimated PCs), the PC penetration rate in government is around 23%. Better PC dissemination records are needed and should be constantly updated.

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IV. ICT CAPACITY-BUILDING

A. AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION

The government, private sector, academia and civil society have all conducted or participated in national or local ICT awareness campaigns. Whether for concerned employee training or continuous education or for society awareness these stakeholders have invested time and money to broaden ICT know-how at different levels (beginners, intermediate and advanced).

The national media whether in print or through television stations (that also have regional and global reach through satellite networks) has invested in reporting on ICT events. Weekly articles in leading newspaper focus on ICT and its impact. Also, television stations have aired ICT related interviews and discussions in their morning and prime time evening programs for larger audience base in Lebanon and abroad.

National media have also used the Internet as a dissemination means whereby articles and interviews on ICT matters get published for the benefit of the internet users’ community.

B. COMPUTERS IN SCHOOLS

Due to the importance of ICT in education, the government has taken a number of initiatives. In 2000, the first project called the SchoolNet Pilot was launched. This project involved interconnected 24 PCs at 24 public schools in the six governorates via a central server located at the Ministry of National Education. The goal of this project is to increase the availability of low-cost and appropriate connectivity options for schools, support the technical infrastructure nationally and coordinate connectivity initiatives for schools. That same year the Student Information System (SIS) at the Lebanese University and a Wide Area Network (WAN) that links the many branches of the University and its central office together were implemented [1].

In 2000 also, the Ministry of Higher Education with technical assistance from OMSAR issued a tender for 2000 PCs for public schools to be paid out of the special school fund. Then, earlier this year, the same Ministry issued a tender for the purchase of 5000 PCs to be distributed to 400 public schools throughout the country. This purchase was made possible by a loan from the Islamic Development Bank.

International NGOs have also donated to Lebanese schools computer labs with connectivity to the internet. Schools Online is one such NGO that has donated to date 10 PC computer labs to some 12 schools spread throughout Lebanon and more labs are being planned.

A plan to donate superceded PCs from industry and government to schools (like similar systems operating successfully in Canada and Australia) is also supported and is being implemented [2]

C. VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Since most technical staff working in ICT companies comes from graduate schools, the Professional Computer Association (PCA) is considering ways to develop stronger relationships with the graduate schools and private IT training institutes to ensure that the trainees have the skills that ICT firms need.

D. UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

Synergy between the public and private sectors and the universities needs to develop with a view to supporting the progress of the ICT sector. [1] Within this context, the government Ministerial ICT Committee encourages increased use of ICT in the public sector. A good example of collaborative action among private business, the state and the education sector, to be promoted on a national scale, is the UNESCO program to channel and recycle ICT products from users such as the private and public sectors to others such as schools. [1]

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Another example is the collaboration of universities with industry and the public sector to create opportunities for young people and students through internship programs and cooperative work experience. [1] This activity encourages job creation, reduce brain drain, and better match education and training programs to the actual needs of the local job market. An Entrepreneurship Network for capacity development was launched at AUB in December 2000, aimed at promotion of entrepreneurial competencies of students. [1]

E. RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION IN ICTS

ICT research and development in Lebanon is somewhat limited, yet initiatives to encourage such a direction are being implemented. The establishment of Berytech and the feasibility study for the larger BETZ project represent a solid push towards encouraging R&D and innovation in technologies in Lebanon. Moreover, an annual joint program between the Association of Industrialists, the Center for National Scientific Research and national universities has been very effective since its start 3 years ago in bringing creative ideas of students and professors forward to a national audience through a rewarding competition. Top winners in this competition receive seed funding and a free year of incubation facilities at Berytech.

The private sector and universities are also working towards a more innovative higher education process whereby through internships or COOP programs, senior students can work in the private sector and try to generate novel practical ideas that can be piloted and implemented. The co-location of private companies and universities at technology zones or techno-poles enhances this cooperation and makes research and development and innovation in ICT more probable.

Lebanon is also promoting research through the National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR). The NCSR is responsible to promote and oversee research and related activities in Lebanon. As such, the NCSR maintains research centers, funds individual research projects, sponsors various task forces, and is engaged in continuous scientific programs. In 2001, the NCSR funded 40 projects in its own Research Centers and some hundred projects implemented by Lebanese academic and research institutions for an amount of LBP 2 billion (~ $ 1.3 million). These grants are usually offered to universities. The American University of Beirut and the Lebanese University were the major recipients for that year with 33% and 27%, respectively.

V. BUILDING THE ICT SECTOR

A. ICT FIRMS

The Lebanese ICT Industry consists of about 500 computer-related companies with activities ranging from personal computer distribution and computer programming to training centers and turnkey integrated system solution providers. Around 150 large enterprises (mainly banks) have developed their own software systems for internal use. Today, ISO-certified software companies are developing packages and customized systems for the national and international markets. [1]

Development and sales of software are rather well spread, although quality varies and services are not always regularly provided. The 200 Lebanese professional software suppliers specialize in specific sectors such as health, banking, insurance, and general industry. Since the domestic market is limited, many enterprises have turned to exporting their products and knowledge regionally and globally. [1]

B. INVESTMENT IN ICTS

Several investment houses such as Middle East Capital Group and Lebanon Invest began showing interest in backing ICT ventures in 1999. [1] The Central Bank started to encourage banks to provide loans to technology Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). ICT incubators were launched in late 2000. [1] For example, Netakeoff established the first one dedicated to the development of Internet and technology firms through the provision of seed capital, office space and know-how, in return for an equity stake. [1]

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E-commerce has unleashed a revolution in entrepreneurship and innovation, providing a range of new services and products. Annual trade and telecom fairs that gather in Lebanon are giving more room to e-commerce, and organizers of E-Commerce Middle East 2001 expected e-commerce spending in the region to increase steeply from $ 250 million in 2001. [1]

With the growth in the ICT sector and to carry down the government incentives as offered in the new investment law no. 360 to the employee level, there is a need to increase compensation and offer diverse employment packages to retain national ICT expertise. [3]

The floating of ICT stocks (IPOs) in the local market is an objective to be realized to encourage involvement in the ICT sector on all levels and by all classes of professionals such as investors, bankers and business consultants. [3]

Following a Professional Computer Association (PCA) Survey conducted in June 2002, it was found that most investments into ICT companies (54.5%) come from individual investors. Other major funding comes from bank loans (36.4%) and joint venture funding (27.3%) [9].

C. GOVERNMENT FACILITATION

To encourage creation of technology zones and parks, the government introduced in tax incentives as part of new investment law no. 360, which aims at supporting, expanding and promoting investments in various sectors with a particular emphasis on ICT. Such incentives aim to attract international ICT companies and investment houses, and Lebanese expatriates who have become senior ICT experts and executives in leading global firms [1].

The existence of free zones in Lebanon such as that in the Beirut port, the Tripoli port and Selaata free zone (north Lebanon), and a duty free shop at the Beirut international airport, allows the import of goods, transform, package, and re-export them without paying any custom duties [7].

In 2000, the government eliminated customs tariffs on all ICT products. However, in 2002, introducing the value-added tax of 10% on products counter-balanced tariff elimination.

D. EXPORT OF ICT EQUIPMENT/SOFTWARE

Based on a survey given to the 50 members of the Professional Computing Association of Lebanon (PCA) in early 2002, the number of firms reporting hardware sales was too small to report valid results and still ensure confidentiality of the respondents. However, 19 firms reported annual sales of $126.5 million with 9.3% for export. Companies also reported an impressive annual growth rate over the last 5 years of 32.5%. [9]

The decrease of hardware prices and the simplification of software use have facilitated the spread of ICT and made it accessible to smaller firms. Development of quality Arabic software and Arabization of available software packages could be one of the main opportunities for Lebanon in this field. Delivering information and knowledge in Arabic helps the economy to grow and contribute to bridging the digital divide. [1]

Since the domestic market is limited, many enterprises have turned to exporting their products and knowledge regionally and globally. A dozen enterprises have become main players in this field, offering a wide variety of specialized software, computer graphics, audiovisual animations and content development. [1]

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VI. APPLICATIONS IN GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHMENTS

A. COMPUTERIZATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONS

The Ministerial ICT committee has encouraged increased use of ICT in the public sector. The committee promotes cooperation between the public and private sectors, including peer-to-peer contacts or communities of practice. [1] Supported by the previously-mentioned factors, the ministerial ICT committee aims to: establish a master plan for the use of ICT in line ministries and public agencies designed to be gradually implemented during a 7-year period. The committee aims to set up integrated technical standards, determine procedures and means required for the different governmental bodies to share information and build remote handling capacity of administrative transactions. It also aims to adopt the appropriate mechanism to avoid information overload and reduce costs through technical solutions and common technical standards and specifications, identify issues in managing information resources in government and recommend solutions that help modernize administration and enable it to keep pace with technological development and to draft the necessary decrees, laws and regulations.

ICT is seen as playing a key role in implementing administrative reform in Lebanon by exploiting its potential to the maximum in the streamlining of administration, financial management, inventory management and insertion of anti-corruption devices in a considerable simplified system of public administration. [2]

Since the mid 1990s, a wide array of ICT projects has been implemented in the public administration. Starting with required infrastructure projects, most ministries and agencies have been supplied with state-of-art digital data and telephony networks. Most have deployed local or premises networks (LAN setups) and some have wider intra-premises networks (WAN setup). Currently, OGERO and MoT are working with OMSAR on a pilot project to test a national digital secure network or intranet for the whole government (GovNet).

Beyond infrastructure work, numerous information system applications have been developed in the public administration. These applications include customs systems (NAJM, NOOR and NAR), budget and payroll systems and taxation systems at the Ministry of Finance, a medical and social compensation systems for the government employee Cooperative, a commercial register system at the Ministry of Justice, a legal decision support system at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, national ID and passport processing systems at the Ministry of Interior, billing systems at several utilities agencies, several document management and archiving systems at key ministries and agencies as well as a number of workflow systems.

And finally, supporting the day-to-day operations of the public administration, a large number of ministries and agencies have received productivity tools such as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and project management software.

Relevant training has been completed to all players for the various customized and general system applications.

B. DIGITIZATION OF INFORMATION

All Ministries and most agencies in the GoL have web sites that contain pertinent government information. Some sites also have digital forms that can be downloaded and submitted manually.

In 2002, and for the first time in any Arab country, all GoL application forms and relevant information were digitized in to one central portal called INFORMS (http://www.informs.gov.lb). Designed and developed by OMSAR, this portal contains over 2000 forms and relevant information for citizens and establishments to access and download from. All forms and relevant explanatory/instructional information were compiled by OMSAR staff from all government ministries, agencies and municipalities and converted into digital format before being uploaded to the portal. In addition, a hotline call center facility accessible by

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dialing 1700 has been setup to address phone inquiries by citizens that do not have internet access and when required the needed forms and relevant information can be faxed back to the inquiring party.

Currently, OMSAR is working on gradually converting the INFORMS information portal to a true online services portal taking as priority those forms that are required most by the citizens in their dealings with the government.

The basic component of an e-government legal and regulatory framework is that of legalizing electronic information and services. All applicable laws in Lebanon need to be amended or modified through the implementation decrees of a general law that legalizes information and services. [5]

The digital or electronic signatures draft law currently in parliament covers to a good extent the requirements of legalizing electronic information and services and hence should be used as a reference for future laws of relevance. [5] The draft electronic signature law was supposed to be finally reviewed and approved 2 months ago, yet with the government changes in April 2003 this was delayed and will most likely be finalized in the fall of this year.

C. E-GOVERNMENT PLANS

In 2002, the GoL through OMSAR prepared an e-Government Strategy for the Lebanese administration. [5] This document was reviewed and approved by the Ministerial ICT Committee and is currently awaiting council of ministers approval. The council of Ministers was supposed to review this document and endorse it 2 months ago. Yet, again with the government change in April 2003, this has been deferred and will most likely be put on the agenda for the council of Ministers in July 2003. Once reviewed by the council, and pending any request for clarifications by Ministers, this strategy should be endorsed no later than September 2003. It is targeted for full implementation in a span of 7 years.

The e-Government vision for Lebanon has the following strategic objectives based on citizen and business-centric approaches:

(a) Dissemination of all public sector information to which a citizen is entitled through various communication channels such as the Internet, hotlines, or through government service centers.

(b) Fulfillment of all public sector services for citizens online, whether for their individual use or on behalf of an establishment, through any government office or through the internet regardless of the geographical location of this office or the residence of the citizen.

(c) Reduction to a minimum the information and supporting documents required of a citizen to fill out a public sector formality not considering the means by which this formality is being submitted. Once entered in the government information systems, no re-entry of the same information would be required.

(d) Provision of a single point of notification for a citizen to use in informing the government of any change in personal or business information. From this point, all concerned government information systems will be updated accordingly.

(e) Realization of all government procurement processes online based on a harmonized commercial coding schema. This is to serve as the leading example for electronic commerce on the national level; and hence is intended to foster its growth.

(f) Attainment of all intra-government information exchanges and communiqués online, reducing in the process the dependency on courier services and/or the diplomatic pouch.

For any government-wide initiative to succeed, society at large needs to be aware of the resulting tangible benefits. To this end, national awareness on the various achievements to date towards an e-

11

government status in Lebanon has been a key undertaking. Many interviews and reports in the local and regional media (TV, radio and newspaper) have focused on GoL ICT projects as part of the evolution towards e-government. A number of web sites of the government and of international organizations sponsoring e-government work are also being frequently accessed by the general public. [5]

D. E-PROCUREMENT APPLICATIONS

Automating procurement in the Government through the creation of an e-procurement portal is a very comprehensive exercise with many benefits for the government at large. [5] These benefits cover issues such as better information to identify spending trends and negotiate better contracts, realize volume discounts, minimize maverick buying, pre-qualify a great number of vendors or suppliers to fulfill government orders. More benefits include enforcing purchasing policies and control spending, reducing purchase orders costs as much as 80%, speeding up approvals and order-to-delivery cycles and government procurement procedures through an e-procurement portal.

On legalizing e-procurement services by the government, the new draft law for Public Tenders prepared by OMSAR needs to include new articles confirming explicitly the principle of making purchases electronically by the Lebanese government, and organizing the conditions of performing public transactions electronically with the business sector. [5]

VII. APPLICATIONS IN EDUCATION

A. E-LEARNING

One of the visions for Lebanon in terms of Learning and Education is that of e-learning. One of the proposals is an internet-based system available to all schools which provides online education facilities, low cost access to reference material, guides to national and international educational sources that enables pupils and teachers to communicate nationally and globally. [4] ICT education programs provided in all schools and colleges should be in accord with national standards. This will ensure that all students graduating from Lebanese schools will be better equipped to join the ICT enables workforce and increase the attractiveness of Lebanon to international investment. [4]

In line with these efforts, the government has also introduced computer literacy courses in its new K-12 curriculum. In addition, the private sector has been active in playing its part of creating awareness in our society for business reasons as well as for philanthropic goals [10].

Several universities have launched ICT Masters Degrees and are starting to offer cooperative and Internship programs to insure proper transfer and application of educational know-how in the practical world. [3]

B. E-SCHOOL PROJECTS

The SchoolNet project, launched in June 2000, is a further step in the national information technology strategy promoted by the government. The project aims to enhance cooperation among sectors of the education system as well as among schools, teachers and students. SchoolNet’s objectives are to: provide students with educational information in an easy manner, disseminate educational and academic dialogue through provision of electronic for a to students and teachers, disseminate information knowledge among students, across geographical regions, bridge the gap between schools having access to adequate educational information and those that do not, encourage scientific competition among student by posting their output and achievements on the internet and promote the participation of parents in the education of their children. [1]

The SmartBus which was launched in September 2001, is a retrofitted school bus designed to reach rural communities and give ICT training. The SmartBus is designed to accommodate eight trainees inside

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and another twenty outside. It is equipped with internet access, and uses the latest hardware and software technologies. When well-scheduled, the Smartbus can train up to 4,800 individuals per year. [1] Moreover, Fondation Saradar also introduced in 2001 an IT program for schools facilitated by a mobile caravan that is fully equipped with a training lab. Fondation Saradar has been delivering summer training ever since.

C. VIRTUAL UNIVERSITIES

There are no virtual universities in Lebanon. In other words, there are degrees given through online learning without being present at a university campus. On the other hand, numerous universities have engaged in technology-supported learning through the use of learning management systems. Learning management systems allow students to access course material and their own class progress through a web interface. Some university courses are supplemented by online learning packages where students sit for interactive tutorials teaching them subject matter and assessing their knowledge of what they have learned.

VIII. APPLICATIONS IN COMMERCE AND BUSINESS

A. EXTENT AND MATURITY OF E-COMMERCE AND E-BUSINESS APPLICATIONS

There are increasingly large numbers of credit and debit cards of residents in Lebanon. E-commerce in Lebanon includes many businesses that operate under various categories. E-commerce solutions and applications are offered to most of the Business-to-Consumer companies through Net Commerce SAL, which is managed, by IDM, Credit Libanais Bank and FransaBank [6]. Other companies such as Moscanet also provide e-commerce solutions.

Due to the relatively small number of internet users in Lebanon, the Lebanese e-commerce market is very limited. In 2003, it was reported that there were 30 e-commerce sites in Lebanon, all of which are hosted outside the country [6]. E-commerce projects are focusing on exporting goods and services from Lebanon rather than becoming pure consumer projects catering for local markets. The business-to-business sector of e-commerce in Lebanon is more active than business-to-consumer. Some companies have established themselves as infrastructure providers for electronic ordering and electronic transaction processing in the business-to-business domain. Some of them electronically link a number of large wholesalers to retailers. Manufacturers also engage in business-to-business e-commerce, especially those with product exports to the United States and Canada, France, Brazil, and the Arab world [10].

However, e-commerce projects in Lebanon face numerous barriers to progress: lack of efficient infrastructure, lack of venture capital and funding, and lack of laws and regulations that create an attractive environment for e-commerce in the country [10]

Despite these problems, e-business startups in Lebanon can be regarded as pioneers. Due to its highly skilled workforce, Lebanon has always played a leading role in media and technology markets in the Middle East. Most of the Middle Eastern countries use Lebanon as a reservoir of professionals for their businesses and industries. The skills and entrepreneurship of Lebanese may enable the country to reach great heights in the e-commerce domain [10]. One of the success stories can be found on www.aldoukan.com. This storefront sells Lebanese products online. It started by selling to individual consumers and then expanded to selling goods to other businesses. Their virtual storefront has expanded into opening physical point of sales in several countries namely Germany and India.

B. AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY OF E-BANKING

Banks have begun to promote integration of ICT into their business, notably in retail banking and through electronic banking. Banks have started to introduce and develop electronic technology to build networks and to link headquarters to branches and branches to one another, with plans to establish online operations. [3]

13

There are currently 52 commercial banks operating in Lebanon. These banks are developing new banking technologies starting with enhancing their electronic payment systems and passing through newer delivery channels, namely phone banking, WAP banking, SMS banking, TV banking and transactional internet banking. The ATM network of the commercial banks currently comprises more than 740 ATMs and growing with 700,000 average monthly transactions. 13 banks do not offer ATM services. Lebanese banks offer a range of plastic cards such as debit cards, credit cards, charge cards, chip cards and Internet cards. 15 banks offer dedicated Internet cards with low limits to ensure low damages in case of online fraud. [8]

15 banks offer phone-banking services that include balance inquiry, last 5 or 10 transactions inquiry, checkbook request, general information on the bank’s products and other financial information. One bank has a call center with full computer telephony integration to serve customers. 30 banks have established a web presence and have an informational website thus reaching a larger customer base through the internet. [8]

Transactional Internet banking is offered by 10 banks while 4 have a similar service under trial and expect to release it in few months. 11 banks are still developing this service. Services on this channel vary from bank to bank and they mainly include account summary inquiry, account statement inquiry, inquiry on Visa cards, checkbook request, intra account transfers with foreign exchange and other basic functions. [8]

Innovation is a concern for some banks as they try to be pioneers in offering banking through different channels. In this context, there is 1 bank offering SMS banking, 3 providing a WAP banking service and 1 bank providing TV banking. [8]

The Central Bank of Lebanon is undertaking an initiative named Secure Electronic Banking and Information for Lebanon (SeBIL), in order to provide a secure platform for electronic banking and e-services for Lebanon's financial sector. SeBIL is the mechanism to meet the existing and future financial and banking sector's requirements in Lebanon and will enable these sectors to rise and meet growing demands and challenges on a regional basis.

IX. APPLICATIONS IN HEALTHCARE

A. DATABASES FOR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE

Following the visions of Lebanon concerning healthcare, an information network that links with international health initiatives and enables the following is required: linking of medical professionals, interconnection of hospitals to medical staff, drug companies, information available online on drugs with direct connection to manufacturers and specialists, patient medical records being captured electronically and held on databases for access in emergency by professional medical staff, best practice diagnostic information available to assist in training staff and in diagnosis, multimedia connection online internationally to enable remote specialists to assist in diagnosis, treatment and operations, sources of excellence available online and services developed in accord with international standards for this sector. [2]

B. TELEMEDICINE AND MEDICAL USE OF TELECONFERENCING

Several technology initiatives related to the health sector are established in Lebanon. One facility at the American University of Beirut’s Medical Center uses teleconferencing and telemedicine. Another initiative is the portal toubibonline.com, which brings together professionals from the healthcare industry to offer customized healthcare solutions to individuals at home. It offers services in French, English and Arabic and about 40,000 visitors access it per week, 60% of which have Lebanese IP addresses. [1]

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X. DIGITAL ARABIC CONTENT

A. ARABIC VS. ENGLISH CONTENT ON THE WEB FOR NATIONAL USE

If “Content is King,” then local content creation must become a major asset. There is a strong and urgent need to develop and promote original Lebanese web content in Arabic. Arabization availability and the quality of the content would allow Lebanon to promote its culture in the region and worldwide, and to encourage exchanges and cultural tourism. Use of Arabic would not only encourage internet use by the different social classes, but would also help create networks among Lebanese and Arab communities all over the world that want to maintain their cultural identify. Local content can also enhance community participation and institutional transparency. Attempts have been made to instantly Arabize or translate into Arabic original English content on the internet; yet this remains an isolated and limited venture. [1]

There are 23 online portals in Lebanon and of these only three offer the option of the Arabic language. [6]

B. OBSTACLES FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT AND WAYS FOR REMOVING THEM

The obstacles in the development of Arabic content mainly stem from the complexity of the language itself and consequently, the technological limitations that prevent mass production of such content that is already paper-based. For example, if effective Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tools were available to handle the processing of Arabic text, then volumes of Arabic literature and history could be easily converted to digital format. Furthermore, technology-driven national language processing solutions for the Arabic language are still lacking. With the volume of Arabic content increasing on the web, there needs to be an efficient means for searching this content and extracting the needed content. Such technological limitations need to be worked on through concerted R&D initiatives.

Another somewhat indirect obstacle is the limited number of Arabic speaking internet users. Assuming that there exists some 2 million internet users in the Arab world and assuming that there are 350 million Arabs in the Arab world, this internet user number translates to a mere 0.6% of the population, which is a figure that does not encourage nor economically justifies the production of Arabic content. With the increase of Arab internet users, the production of more Arabic content will certainly follow.

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References [1] United Nations Development Program (UNDP) “National Human Development Report for Lebanon,” Chapter 5. July 2002.

[2] Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) “Report on the Arab ICT Strategy, Lebanon” prepared for Arab League Economic, Culture and Social Organization (ALECSO), September 2002. www.omsar.gov.lb

[3] Raymond Khoury, “Resources for IT and Telecommunications Development: Current Situation in Lebanon and Prospects for the Future within a Regional Framework” a paper presented at the Expert Panel on IT and Development Priorities: Competing in a KB Global Economy, ESCWA, Beirut, 15-16 May 2000. www.omsar.gov.lb

[4] Allan Maclean, “Lebanon in the Information Age. Nationwide Information Technology Policy and Strategy” The Republic of Lebanon Ministerial Information Technology Committee and the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform, 9 November 1998. (Confidential)

[5] Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) “E-Government Strategy for Lebanon”, December 2002. www.omsar.gov.lb

[6] “Lebanon Internet and Datacomm Landscape” Arab Advisors Group (Amman: Arab Advisors Group Strategic Research Service, May 2003).

[7] “Lebanon Communications Projections Report” Arab Advisors Group (Amman: Arab Advisors Group Strategic Research Service, March 2003).

[8] T. Feghali, G. Abiad “Lebanon’s eReadiness: The Role of the Banking Sector” Thesis Report at the American University of Beirut, 2003. (In progress)

[9] Professional Computer Association survey prepared as part of a collaborative effort including PriceWaterhouseCoopers and SRI International. 2002.

[10] T. Feghali “Trade Facilitation and Electronic Commerce: Lebanon Case Study” for ESCWA, 2001.

[11] Saradar Weekly Monitor, Issue 23, May 26-31, 2003

[12] www.wto.org

[13] World Fact Book. www.cia.gov

[14] www.ogero.gov.lb

[15] www.wipo.org

[16] www.itu.int Basic Indicators Report (2003).

[17] www.itu.int Basic Indicators Report (2001).

[18] www.itu.int PC & Internet Report (2001).

[19] www.worldbank.org World Bank Group (2000, 2001)

[20] www.mpt.gov.lb Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications

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Annex 1

INFORMATION SOCIETY INDICATORS

Indicator Year Value Reference

1. Basic Background indicators

1.1 Population 2002 3.42 million [16] 2001 4.4 million [19] 2000 4.3 million [19] 1.1.1 Population aged 0-14 2002 27.3% [13] 1.1.2 Population aged 16-64 2002 65.9% [13] 1.1.3 Population aged 65 and over 2002 6.8% [13] 1.2 Area 10,452 km² [19] 1.3 Density 2001 342/km² [16] 2000 328/ km² [17] 1.4 Urban Population 2001 90% [19] 2000 89.7 [19] 1.5 Adult Literacy 2001 86.50% [19] 2000 86% [19] 1.5.1 Male Literacy Rate 2001 92% [19] 2000 92.1% [19] 1.5.2 Female Literacy Rate 2001 81% [19] 2000 80.3% [19] 1.5.3 Youth Literacy Rate (age 15-24) n/a 1.6 GNI 2001 17.6 billion [19] 2000 17.4 billion [19] 1.7 GDP 2001 16.7 billion [17] 2000 16.5 billion [19] 1.7 Poverty 1999 28% [13] 1.8 GNI per capita 2001 $ 4,010 [19] 2000 $ 4,010 [19] 1.9 GDP Growth 2001 1.30% [19] 2000 0.0% [19] 1.10 GDP per capita 2001 $ 4,440 [6] 2000 $ 4,449 [6] 1.11 Human Development Index (HDI) value 1.11.1 Human Poverty Index (HPI1) value n/a 1.11.2 Human Poverty Index (HPI2) value n/a 1.12 Technology Achievement Index (TAI) n/a

2. Telecom Infrastructure

2.1 Fixed lines (total) 2003 635,000 [14] 2.2 Domestic (lines per household) 2003 286,400 [14] 2.3 Urban (%) 2003 81,600 [14] 2.4 Waiting list (total number) 0 2.5 Waiting time (average) 2003 1-30 days [14] 2.6 Revenue per line ($) 57 [7] 2.7 Cost of local call ($ per 3 min) 0.073 [7] 2.8 Cost of call within region ($ per 3 min) 2.8 [20]

17

Annex 1 (continued)

Indicator Year Value Reference 2.9 Cost of call to US ($ per 3 min) 3 [20] 2.10 Number of fixed lines operators 1 2.11 ISDN lines 920 [7] 2.11.1 Initial cost ($) 551 [7] 2.11.2 Monthly charge ($) 37-42 [7] 2.12 DSL lines n/a 2.12.1 Initial cost ($) n/a 2.12.2 Monthly charge ($) n/a 2.13 Leased Lines 2003 7,600 [14] 2.13.1 Initial cost ($) 667 [7] 2.13.2 Monthly charge ($) 200 [7] 2.14 Cable 2.14.1 Initial cost ($) 100 2.14.2 Monthly charge ($) 44 2.15 Outgoing traffic (min. per subscriber) 2003 90.9 [14] 2.16 Incoming traffic (min. per subscriber) 2003 86 [14] 2.17 Mobile lines 950,000 [7] 2.18 Number of mobile operators 2 [7]

3. Media Infrastructure

3.1 Radios 18 3.2 Television 7 3.3 Satellites n/a 3.4 Daily newspapers 18

4. Computers and the internet

4.1 PCs 2001 56.2 per

1000 inhabitants [19]

2000 50.1 per 1000

inhabitants [19] 4.2 PCs in education n/a 4.3 Percentage of networked computers n/a 4.3.1 Percentage of networked computers n/a 4.4 Internet subscribers 2003 175,000 [6] 2002 150,000 [6] 2001 120,000 [6] 2000 100,000 [6] 4.5 Internet users 2003 525,000 [6] 2002 450,000 [6] 2001 420,000 [6] 2000 350,000 [6] 4.6 Dial-up Internet tariff 2003 $ 4801 2002 $ 11402 4.7 Dial-up Internet traffic n/a 4.8 Access to the Internet n/a 4.10 Internet hosts 2001 7,101 [18]

1 Up to 55 hours per month 2 Up to 55 hours per month

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Annex 1 (continued)

Indicator Year Value Reference 4.11 ISPs 2002 6 [6] 2001 12 [6] 4.12 ISP monthly charges ($) 2002 18 [6] 4.13 Telephone usage charges ($) 13 4.14 Available national bandwidth 2003 90 [6] 4.15 Hosting availability 2003 8,567 [6] 2002 7,667 [6] 2001 6,725 [6] 2000 5,611 [6] 4.16 Secure servers 2001 19 [19]

5. ICT expenditure

5.1 Telecom expenditure (million $) n/a 5.2 IT expenditure (million $) n/a 5.3 ICT expenditure n/a 5.4 Percentage of GDP (%) n/a 5.5 ICT per capita n/a

6. Capacity building

6.1 Scientists and engineers in R&D n/a 6.2 R&D expenditure in ICTs n/a 6.3 R&D expenditure (% of GNI) n/a 6.4 ICT related university graduates per year 400

7. ICT Government & Business Environment

7.1 e-readiness index n/a 7.2 e-government index n/a 7.3 IPR enforcement Weak 7.4 Compliance with WTO Yes 7.5 Basic telecom agreement n/a 7.6 Reference paper n/a

8. Laws and regulations

8.1 Patent law Yes 8.2 Trademark law Yes 8.3 Copyright law Yes 8.4 IT agreement Yes 8.5 e-Commerce law No 8.6 e-Signature law In Process 8.7 Piracy rate 2002 74% [11]

9. ICT policy

9.1 ICT strategy Well defined 9.2 ICT plan of direction Yes 9.3 National initiatives Yes 9.4 Existence of Technology Incubators Yes 9.5 Planned Technology Incubator Yes 9.6 Operational Technopole Initiative Yes 9.7 Plan of Technopole Initiative Yes

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Annex 1 (continued)

Indicator Year Value Reference

10. WIPO Treaties

10.1 WTO member No [12] 10.2 Paris Convention Yes [15] 10.3 Madrid Agreement Yes [15] 10.4 Hague Agreement No [15] 10.5 WCT No [15] 10.6 PCT No [15] 10.7 TLT No [15] 10.8 PLT Yes [15] 10.9 Nairobi Treaty No [15] 10.10 TRIPS Yes [15]

11. Connectivity Status

11.1 Leased Lines Yes 11.2 ISDN Lines Yes 11.3 DSL Lines Yes 11.4 Cable Yes 11.5 Regional Satellite n/a 11.6 Regional Fiber Optic Connectivity n/a 11.7 International direct Fiber connectivity Yes