February
2001
Cyprus
Summary Report (1999 - 2000)
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Cyprus Summary Report (1999 - 2000) |
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1. Overview
In the years 1999-2000, several promotional activities have been undertaken in Cyprus on Information Society issues.
The Cyprus Planning Bureau is the central coordination agency for the promotion of the information society and for the formulation of strategies and action plans.
A considerable bulk of the activities identified have in fact been public initiatives undertaken by the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, while there have also been some private initiatives.
In addition, certain semi-government organizations have promoted Information Society Issues within the boundaries of their own organization, usually in the form of casual presentations.
It should also be noted that a large share of the promotional activities have been in the form of seminars, press conferences and presentations.
The following document summarizes the National IS strategy and its promotion, as well as the other main promotional activities identified in the course of the period 1999-2000.
2. National and regional IS Strategies and Action Plans:
In the framework of the "Government’s Information Systems Strategy", originally conceptualized in 1987, a master project called the "Governments Data Network" has been designed aimed at providing a Wide Area Network capability to link all Government buildings in Cyprus for the uninterrupted and efficient exchange of information. A technical strategy study defining the requirements of the GDN was completed in September 1995. The Cyprus Telecommunications Authority submitted a proposal for the provision of GDN which was approved in June 1998. The contract for hardware and services was awarded by the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority in April 1999.
The said Information Systems Strategy, which was revised and approved by the Computerization Executive Board in 1997, aimed at ensuring that the full potential of Information Technology is utilized in an effort to support the policies and objectives of the state. More specifically, the strategy aims to provide the tools with which ministries and departments may develop and operate information systems to support their own business needs. A very important aspect of the Strategy (and a pre-requisite for the accession of Cyprus to the European Union) is the harmonization of information systems with the relevant EU standards.
The Information Systems Strategy defines a policy framework in three areas: management policies; technical policies; and strategic information systems. The latter are the mechanisms for providing core information to the public service. They can be distinguished into: strategic application systems to support key areas for the operation of government services; and information technology infrastructure systems to provide a common IT framework across all state organizations.
Within the overall government Computerization Plan, ministries and departments have created their own Information Systems Strategies, and Implementation Programs. At the lowest level, individual development projects have created their own project plans and system documentation.
A total of 29 million Euros was spent between 1989 and 1997 on the Government’s Information Systems Strategy, while it is estimated that between 1998 and the end of 2001 the total expenditure will rise to 64 million Euros.
In line with the above national IS strategy undertaken on a government level in Cyprus, the Government’s Information Systems Strategy commonly referred to as the "Government Computerization Plan" is paid particular attention and is sufficiently promoted within state organizations.
The documents describing the developments in the "Information Systems Strategy" i.e., the government’s master plan for the computerization of all ministries, departments and independent offices of the government comprise the "information Systems Strategy Statement", the "Information Systems Business Plan", the "Detailed Management and Technical Policies Report", the "Project Catalogue Report", the "Implementation Program Report", the "Development Manual", and the "Government Data Model Report".
3. Description of Promotional Activities
. Towards this end, many secondary schools have acquired personal computers and now have access to the Internet. Furthermore, there is an increasing tend to boost the significance of the said class by offering it in the 4th and the 5th years as well.3.1. Main Programmes related to IS stimulation
In addition to the Government’s IS strategy, several specific programs related to IS stimulation have been implemented or initiated in the past 2 years (1999-2000), as follows.
The Institute of Agriculture Research has created electronic libraries for use by the employees of the Ministry of Agriculture during a first stage, and ultimately by all interest parties.
The introduction of the concept of information technology in the secondary education of Cyprus was also highly significant. It is indicative to mention that towards this end, the state encourages the funds training sessions especially designed for teachers and educators
At a government level, an on-going national campaign was also undertaken in relation to the issue of compliance with the Year 2000. This was realised in the form of TV advertisements, while all enterprises were invited to seek and were offered technical assistance (in the form of advice) from a committee composed of representatives from the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, the Information Services Department of the ministry of Finance, the Institute of Technology, commercial banks, Cyprus Airways and the Chamber of Commerce.
3.2 Other Interesting public and private initiatives
In addition to the above long-term programmes, a number of interesting public and private initiatives have been undertaken with a view towards IS promotion, either directly or indirectly.
3.2.1 Public Initiatives
In terms of public initiatives, these have mainly been undertaken by the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority and the Ministry of Communications and Works.
The Cyprus Telecommunication Authority (CY.T.A) has established an Internet service provider subsidiary company (CYTANET) which currently enjoys the biggest market share, and which provides its services to all the government departments and the semi-government organizations.
In the last few months of the year 1999, CYTANET, achieved a faster connection to the Internet through their connection with the American telecommunications organization Teleglobe, which is now offered entirely through fiber optics, and with an increased total capacity of the company’s international leased circuits.
In addition, in the last few months of 1999, the Research Promotion Foundation launched a scheme for financing research programs on an annual basis. It covers a wide range of topics, one of which is information technology. The topics are re-defined every year, according to the needs of the economy. The submitted research proposals are evaluated and the best are funded.
In addition to the above, in the last few months of 1999, the Government of Cyprus through the Ministry of Communications and Works invited the submission of tenders from companies, firms and individuals for the engagement as consultants to execute work appertaining to the harmonization of Cyprus to the acquis communitaire in the telecommunications and postal services sectors.
3.2.2 Private Initiatives
The private organizations which are involved in the development of information society programs (commercial banks) have advertised heavily in all media (TV mainly, and press secondly) those programs aimed at enhancing the banking services offered to the public.
The Cyprus company NetU Consultants participated at the International Conference "Global Internet Business" which took place in Dubai in February 2000, presenting a range of technologies and tools related to eBusiness in view of its leading role in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region. Products presented included the SunSystems financial tool and the Pivotal tool for relationship Management which enables an automated, interactive relationship between clients, suppliers and employees of a company or organisation.
In the latest development, in a press conference held on September 2000 spidertrade.com Ltd has announced its on line trading service. The company is part of SpiderNet services one of the five ISPs currently operating in Cyprus. The new service will enable on-line trading exchanges on the Cyprus Stock-Exchange during the time of trading.
3.3 Seminars and Conferences for IS Development
An extensive range and number of promotional activities in the form of seminars and conferences have also taken place in Cyprus in the years 1999-2000. Most of these identified were either in the form of Informative seminars or conferences organized by one or more of the major players in Cyprus (CY.T.A., Research Promotion Foundation, University of Cyprus, Institute of Technology, etc.), or in the form of articles in the daily press. In addition, there has been substantial promotion of Information Society in the Mediterranean region in the context of co-operation with Europe.
Specifically, several key events have been held relating to the Mediterranean Information Society.
Initially, the organization of the EURO-MED NET’98 Conference was held in Nicosia, Cyprus during March 1998. This conference attracted an unusually large number of participants from most countries in the region including official delegations. During the conference, the formation of a Mediterranean Information Society was decided, which in turn yielded the launching of the EUMEDIS program and the extension of ESIS to the Mediterranean countries.
Subsequently a 3-day general information-providing seminar regarding "The Stability and Prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean" was held in Nicosia, and was organized and co-sponsored by CY.T.A.,. During this, the issue of harmonization of Cyprus with the EU acquis was presented and discussed.
An EUMEDIS information day was organized by the Research Promotion Foundation in July 1999 at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Nicosia. At the event, "expressions of interest" were presented from other countries for Cypriot participation in proposals which are currently being prepared in the context of the EUMEDIS program. The application date for such proposals has been extended through to January 2001.
Finally, within the framework of a seminar called "The Promotion of Telecommunications in the Euro- Mediterranean region" which was carried out in Israel, the Cypriot Minister of Communications and Works Mr. Averof Neofytou re-iterated that the Cyprus government is in the process of preparing a new legislation aiming at terminating the monopoly and at harmonizing the telecommunications sector to the European acquis.
The Cyprus Telecommunications Authority has further been largely responsible for many of the promotional seminars and conferences. A number of these were related to the regulation and liberalization process of the Telecommunications sectors :
A general information-providing seminar was held in Nicosia under the title "Regulation & Liberalization of Telecoms". Organized and sponsored by CY.T.A., it aimed at explaining the regulatory environment and the forthcoming liberalization on the telecommunications sector in Cyprus. The audience included CY.T.A employees, academics, and other interested individuals and organizations.
Another seminar organized and sponsored by CY.T.A., focused on "Liberalization and regulation of Telecommunications and the need for preparation" (November 1999) where the focus was more generally on "Harmonization of the European Acquis".
"The European Union’s Competition Law and Telecommunications". Realized in the form of a series of seminars held in Nicosia during the first 6 months of 1999, this program aimed at providing interested parties with information on the legislation of the European Union on competition issues in the context of the influence it bears on the telecommunications environment in Cyprus.
The Cyprus Telecommunications Authority also hosted a CTO seminar on the "Development of National and Information Regulations" in November 1999.
Two further conferences organized by CY.T.A focused on technological and infrastructural developments :
The "Fifth Framework Program for Research and Technological developments and Demonstration Activities" organised and co-sponsored by CY.T.A., was a two-day seminar held in Nicosia on the Fifth Framework, and the Cyprus relevant involvement .
A one-day seminar on the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority’s future plans with regards to the Cyprus telecommunication facilities and infrastructure. The seminar was held in Nicosia. CYTA’s managing director was the principal speaker in the seminar.
The Research Promotion Foundation is the other organization that has undertaken several promotional activities.
The Foundation is responsible for the promotion of the 5th Framework Program for research. In this context, the RPF organised a 2-day seminar in September 1999 to inform interested parties about the terms and conditions of the program. The seminar aimed at increasing awareness for both the entire program and the Thematic Program user-friendly Information Technology. Officials from the EC and EU advisors from Germany and Greece were among the speakers.
Further, The University of Cyprus and the Research Promotion Foundation organized a one-day event titled "The Role of Research in Cyprus of the 21st Century : Strategy and Priorities".
A major three-day seminar called "Re-engineering Cyprus for the Digital Age : New Businesses and New Jobs" was held in the last quarter of 1999. It was organized by the Planning Bureau; the Department of Information Technology Services (Ministry of Finance), the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, the University of Cyprus ; the Cyprus Bureau of Shipping ; and the Cyprus Computer Society. The ESIS project was presented during the course of the seminar in the form of a leaflet, which was distributed, to the audience.
A 2-day Seminar on the fifth program frame for Research and technological developments of the European Union has also been held. During the first day, the objectives of the program were presented and analyzed; during the second day, the issues concerning a research program were addressed.
A further milestone, reached in the year 1999, related to telemedicine with its promotion via a formal presentation. Specifically the Greek Telecommunications Organization, the Cyprus Telecommunications organization, the University of Patres in Greece, and the hospitals of Ayia Sofia in Athens and Royal Brompton and Harefield of London participated in a presentation during which a
heart surgery was performed and simultaneously transmitted through the ISDN network The event was duly covered by the local press in the last quarter of 1999.
Other events in 1999 included the Computer and Internet Show 1999. This was a three day show on computers and the Internet, in which most of the commercial IT suppliers participated. Finally, the political party DISY organized a conference on June 1999. The conference was broadcasted via the web.
In the second half of the Year 2000 a number of further significant events have been carried out as follows:
An educational seminar was held on Wednesday September 20th, 2000 at the Forum Hotel in Nicosia. The seminar was addressed by a number of distinguished speakers, namely Mr. Tony Gilbert, International Business Expert, (IBM, Silicon Valley), Dr.Marios Dikaiakos (Professor, University of Cyprus), Dr.Soulla Louka, (Professor, Intercollege), Dr.Alexandros Michaelides (General Manager, Cyber-Group). The seminar focused on key areas such as:
As part of a series of seminars which focus on modern research in Macroeconomics and Finance, a seminar was organized by the University of Cyprus in February, 2000. The main speaker was Dr. Alberto Micalizzi from the Bocconi University, Italy. The seminar touched upon issues of economic valuation of e-commerce companies and aimed at providing local academics with the opportunity of generating discussion and drawing valuable experiences from international experts.
In the context of "The Economist" Conference held in Nicosia on the subject of "The Road of Cyprus to the European Union" a number of lectures were given on February 2000, by selected high ranking officials in the Telecommunications Sector. The focus was on the role of Cyprus as a Telecommunications hub in the Middle East region, with emphasis placed on the need for modernization in the telecom sector.
The speeches touched upon regulatory, legal and institutional reform, autonomy and privatization of CYTA, rate changes, business re-planning, e-commerce and the opportunities for job creation.
The main speakers included the Managing Director of CYTA Mr.Nicos Timotheou, OECD Manager in Telecoms and IT Mr Demetris Ipsilantis, and other officials from the legal and private sector.
The latest major conference has been held in Nicosia, and was presented by AMER Research together with the University of Cyprus. The event, held at the Cyprus Hilton on October 10th,2000, covered a historical overview of the ESIS project, the main results of the ESIS II project in Cyprus, an overview of the status of the Information Society in Cyprus (presented by the CY.T.A Managing Director, Mr. Nicos Timotheou) and a presentation on the Euro-Mediterranean Information Society and the Implications for Cyprus (presented by the EUMEDIS focal point Dr. Soulla Louka).
3.4 Other main or important tools used for promoting the IS society development or raising awareness
The local web site for the ESIS II project has been established by the University of Cyprus. The address is http:/www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/~esis
In addition, fliers describing the ESIS II project have been distributed with the bi-monthly magazine published by the Cyprus Computer Society.
3.5 Training for promoting the IS society development and raising awareness
The Cyprus Productivity Centre has organised a series of lessons and workshops during September 2000 in Limassol, Cyprus. The main aim was the introduction and informing of participants regarding the technology of telemetry and telecontrol for automation purposes. The programme has been approved by the Authority for the Development of Human Capital (formerly known as the Industrial Training Authority).
A training programme regarding the SCADA system has been organised by the Cyprus Productivity Centre, commencing in April 2000, and was approved by the Authority for the Development of Human Capital. It focused on the capabilities of Systems for telemetry and telecontrol. The was targeted primarily at professional engineers.
A 5-day workshop has been held between January - February, 2000, in Nicosia, organized by the Cyprus Cultural Services, the University of Cyprus and the Greek Cultural Institution "Fournos". The chief aim was to familiarize participants on areas such as digital photography, video art, the internet and web pages related to the arts.
Finally, The Cyprus Productivity Center has organized a series of lectures in April 2000 in order to raise awareness and study methods for the development of an Information System as a means of raising productivity in companies and organizations.
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