Overview July 1999: Jordan

1. Introduction

The IT usage in Jordan is rapidly increasing, especially in Amman and the surrounding areas. The Jordanian schools and universities have already started to include IS introductory topics in their curricula. Thus, it takes place an augmentation of the percentage of the Jordanian society that is exposed to IT and realizes the importance of its use.

The major IT user in the country is the Jordanian government which utilizes IT to all of its ministries and most of its organizations. The Jordanian government along with local computer companies host two computer shows per year to attract foreign companies to the Jordanian market as well as to offer Jordanian customers good quality products at relatively low prices.

Because of the increased demand and interest among Jordanians to discover the World Wide Web, some companies and individuals have started to see opportunities for businesses to serve this market. As an example, it could be mentioned the Internet/Bookshop Cafes in Amman. In that framework, a joint venture project has been launched in early-1996 resulting to the first commercial full Internet Service Provider, offered to Jordanians interconnection with networks and hosting of organizations. Users started to glean the first fruits of IS, such as on-line access to shopping from malls and stores in Amman.

The National Information Centre is one of the centres of the Higher Council of Science and Technology. Established in 1993, it manages a national information system, standardizes information coding systems and information processing procedures, creates databases and spreads IS awareness through publishing booklets and organizing workshops. It acts also as an IT-consulting body. NIC is the main national node for Internet services in Jordan. The National Information Center formed an emergency plan of JD 30 million to make Jordan meet the Y2K computer crisis. According to NIC, all computers in the public and private sectors are compliant.

Jordan participates also to GITEX (Gulf Information Technology Exhibition), on of the major IT events in the Middle East. In GITEX' 98, Cisco Systems and Firstnet, announced the operation of a new high speed network in Jordan. Banks and large organisations in Jordan can rely on the latest in secure data communications technology thanks to the introduction of a high speed 'frame relay' data communications network service by Firstnet. The network, based on cutting edge internetworking technology from Cisco Systems brings the potential for a wide range of new user friendly and fast services to business and finance users. The introduction of the new service was made possible through of the Jordanian government and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission's (TRC) vision to implement an established modern framework for the regulation of the telecommunication sector in Jordan.

2. Promotional activities

1. November 1998. The 9^th METS (Middle East Technology Show) Exhibition for Information and Communications Technologies was held in Amman in mid-November '98 and organized by The Jordan Computer Society. METS is the country's biggest IT event a full spectrum of IT technologies and markets is presented by IT experts, professionals and business people. More than 50 companies participated in this show that was held in Amman International Exhibition Hall under the slogan "have you seen the world tomorrow?" providing a stimulus for the IS world to the attendees.

2. March 99was initiated The Royal Scientific Society Center for Computer Technology, Training and Industrial Studies in March 1999 to provide a four-month regional training workshop on information systems engineering. The objective of the course is to train participants on analyzing, designing, programming, documenting and experimenting with information systems and assessing their performance. This regional training workshop is the result of a contractual agreement between the RSS and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In December 1998 it was decided that this training series will be extended for three years. The Center for Computer Technology, Training and Industrial Studies has held these workshops in cooperation with JICA, since 1993.

3. April 99 On April 10-11, 1999, the University of Jordan and the Association of Arab Universities, co-organized and sponsored a workshop on Information Technology in Higher Education in the University of Jordan, Amman. Some of the themes discussed were: the information access and exchange, web pages design, on-line access of digital libraries, university networks and intranets and IT s/w and h/w infrastructure.

4. May 99 The Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and UNESCO Cairo Office, co-sponsored by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the OPEC Fund for International Development, and the Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation organized a five-day multimedia workshop (16-20/5/1999) in JUST, which focused on "building interactive media for technical education and training using multimedia software tools"

5. May 99 The Jubilee School was linked in late May 1999 with schools in Denmark, Greece, New York and North Carolina states and with experts from the Massachussetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Brown University and the Greek Department of Maritime Antiquities through a two-hour live broadcast. State-of-the-art technology in distance learning is offered to Jubilee students by the One Planet Education / Entertainment Network (OPEN). The OPEN, set up in Massachusetts, operates in Jordan by the Queen Noor Al Hussein Foundation.

6. May 99 DGIII, the National Information Center and the Royal Scientific Society, co-organized a four-day workshop (29/5/99 – 1/6/99) in Taybet Zaman, Petra where presentations on IT applied in natural resources management were provided.

7. May 1999 The ESIS II-European Survey on Information Society Initiative was presented in Amman on May the 7^th, to all major Jordanian, Palestinian and international press and media agencies. The Press Conference has been organised by Trans Jordan for Telecommunications Services Co. – alo, which is the national contractor in Jordan and responsible for the promotional activities in Palestine.

The American Computer Show is also hosted in Amman once a year to promote American computer companies and their products to the Jordanian market.