Overview July 1999: Jordan

1. Ministries & Regulatory Bodies

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC, www.trc.gov.jo ) regulates telecommunications in Jordan through the application of a declared policy by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications for the provision of effective telecommunications services to the beneficiaries in line with the development of telecommunications technology, in such a way as to meet the requirements of those wishing to make use of such services on non-monopoly bases, and to encourage investment and competition in the telecommunications sector. The Minister of Post and Telecommunications is Mr. Jamal Saraireh and the General Director of TRC is Mr. Yousef Mansour. TRC seeks to maintain a successful work relationship between the government, subscribers, service providers and suppliers in order to achieve an effective growth of telecommunication services in Jordan.

2. Telecomunications Operators

The public telephone operator in Jordan, is the Jordan Telecommunications Company (JTC, www.jtc.com.jo ). The General Director for JTC is Mr. Mamoun Balquar.

The governmental sector in Jordan places a strong emphasis to the development of IS. The endeavors are continuous for profit for a variety of IT aspects, such as teleconferencing, wireless data access for remote and mobile government entities, e-commerce, e-messaging, EDI, etc.

The Middle East Communications Corporation (MEC, www.mec.com.jo ) is a private company that provides and serves Jordan and the Middle East region with integrated communications solutions and aims to introduce the benefits of Information Society to the IT, education, health, and tourism sectors and to private bodies. Mr. Rifat El Farhan is MEC's General Manager.

Jordan Mobile Telecommunication Services (JMTS-Fastlink, www.jmts-fastlink.com) is a cellular service provider in Jordan located in Amman, in Aqaba and in Irbid. Mr. David Bosworth is the CEO of JMTS.

Paging services are provided by Jordan Radio Paging (also known as Mirsal, www.mirsal.com.jo ), and by National Group for Communications Jordan Ltd. (also known as Zajel). The General Manager of Mirsal is Mr. Bashar Arafeh whereas Mr. Mahmoud Farid is the General Manager for Zajel.

Trans Jordan for Communications Services (also known as ALO, www.alo.com.jo), is the leading public payphone supplier since May 1997 when it was granted the license to establish a new network by providing Jordanians with public pay phone service. Mr. Shadi 'Ramzi' Al Majali is the General Manager of Trans Jordan of Communication Services Co. Ltd.. The other public payphone supplier is the Jordan Public Pay Phones Services Co. (JPP, www.jpp.com.jo) where the Head is Mr Abdel - Haleem Al Humood.

3. Internet Providers and Networks

There are six commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Jordan serving about 30000 people. The ISPs are: Computer Networking Services (CNS/PRIMUS, www.cns.com.jo ), Global One ( www.go.com.jo ), National Equipment and Technical Services (NETS, www.nets.com.jo ), Firstnet ( www.firstnet.com.jo ), International Data EXchange (INDEX, www.index.com.jo) and the National Information Center (NIC, www.amra.nic.gov.jo ). . These providers are fully licensed by the TRC.

Mr. Nidal Nasereddin is Executive Manager for CNS, the General Manager of Global One is Mr. Imad Ayoub, Mr. Marwan Juma is NETS' General Manager, Mr. Maen A. Suheimat is the General Manager of Firstnet, and NIC's general director is Dr. Yousef A. Nusseir. NIC is the main national node for Internet services in Jordan. It is also the top level domain administrator for the .jo.It administers the second level domains gov.jo, edu.jo, org.jo, net.jo and gives full Internet connectivity only to the govermental sector. It was established in 1993 to take the responsibility of developing and managing a national information system. INDEX was formed in August 1997 in order to establish a nationwide data network in a close collaboration with the Jordan Telecommunications Company .

4. Universities and Research Institutes

The Higher Council for Science and Technology aims (www.hcst.gov.jo) to build and evolve a national scientific and technological base in support of economic, social and cultural development in Jordan. The prime objective of the HCST is to make science and technology a major element in the overall development of the country.The HCST forms the base for science and technology research, development and implementation in Jordan. It is a policy-making body that coordinates strategy and funds scientific and technological research, services and activities. In addition, the council represents the country, coordinates policies and concludes agreements with regional and international institutions involved in the field of science and technological research, aid, planning and development. Its members are: The Minister of Planning Dr. Rima Khalaf Hunaidi, the Minister of Industry and Trade Mr. Mohammed Asfour, the Minister of Finance Mr. Michael Marto, the Minister of Higher Education Mr. Izzat Jaradat, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Mr. Suleiman Abu Alam, the Minister of Agriculture Mr. Hashem Shboul, the Chairman of the Jordanian Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff, the President of the Royal Scientific Society Mr. Said Alloush, the President of the Amman Chamber of Industry Mr. Khaldun A. Abuhassan and the Secretary General of the HCST.

One of its affiliated institutions is RSS (Royal Scientific Society, www.rss.gov.jo) that has as a primary goal to disseminate the awareness to the field of S&T. Its President is Mr. Saeid Aloush. Computer Technology, Training and Industrial Studies Center is one of the eight centers that comprise the RSS. One of its major projects is requirement analysis studies for the establishment of management information systems and determining the needs for hardware, system software, application software and communication devices for several Jordanian institutions namely, the Prime Ministry, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Income Tax Department, Housing and Urban Corporation, Civil Registration and Passport Department and Aqaba Railway Corporation.

Several universities focus on Information Society issues, these are: the Jordan University (www.ju.edu.jo), the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST, www.just.edu.jo), Mu'tah University (www.mutah.edu.jo) and Al-Balqa' Applied University (www.bau.edu.jo). Dr. Waleed S. Almaani is the President of JU. Prof. Eid Dahiyat is the President of JUST. Progress in Information Technology development has been achieved by the Faculty of Applied Sciences in Al-Balqa' and Applied University in Al-Salt. The President of Al-Balqa' Applied University is Prof. Khaled Toukan whereas Prof. Isa Khubeis is the Dean of Applied Sciences Faculty.