The official policy of the Palestinian National Authority is to engage the private sector in all the operational aspects of the telecommunication market in Palestine while at the same time maintain the role of policy making and regulatory monitoring within the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication.

The Telecommunication Law in effect, decreed and signed by President Arafat on the 18^th of January 1996, vests ownership of the sector in the PNA and provided the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication the right to establish, operate and manage telecommunication networks in Palestine and connect these networks internationally. In addition, it allows the Palestinian Legislative Council to grant concessions to public network operators and entrusts the Ministry to issue permits to operate private networks.

Since the signing of the Oslo I agreement between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Israel resulting in the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority a number of parties and institutions have influenced the telecommunication sector in Palestine. The extent of the influence of each party has changed from time to time depending on the particulars of the policy or regulation matters in reference to the overall political, social and economic aspects involved. For example, while the technical details of the licensing agreement of the Palestine Telecommunication Company, PALTEL, was handled by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication, the corporate structure of the company and the limits of its monopolistic activities was decided by the office of the President, through his economic adviser, and influential private sector players.

External to national institutions and players, the Ministry of Communication of Israel continues to play a role in the Palestinian telecommunication sector by virtue of the interim agreement governing the relationships between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority. Its role is particularly prominent with matters that involve international connectivity and spectrum management as the membership of Palestine in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is less than that of a sovereign state.

2.1 Ministries in charge of the telecommunication issues

Established along with other ministries with the formation of the Palestinian National Authority in 1993, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication is the official owner of the sector. Its declared responsibilities and activities include deciding on fundamental policy issues, regulatory frameworks, as well as day-to-day monitoring of the sector. In addition, the Ministry decides on spectrum usage among services and operators subject to frequency ranges conveyed by the Israeli Ministry of Communication.

The role of the Economic Adviser of the President has been dominant in telecommunication projects involving major investments such as that of PALTEL.

A special division within the Ministry called the Government Computer Centre (GCC) is responsible for all governmental telecommunication needs in particular data communication requirements relating to the various information systems such as population registry. In addition, the GCC took upon itself the responsibility of monitoring the performance of the various governmental and public utility operators in relation to the Year 2000 problem including PALTEL.

The Ministry of Post and Telecommunication is responsible for the development of the regulatory frameworks, as well as day-to-day monitoring of the sector of telecommunication.

Israel continues to play a significant role in the Palestinian telecommunication sector by virtue of the various agreements governing the relationships between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The agreements of Oslo I and Oslo II include annexes on telecommunication. The role of the Ministry of Communication of Israel is to apply the terms and conditions of the Israeli-Palestinian agreements regarding the telecommunication sector. The most important role is to grant the Palestinian Authorities permission to use either pre-agreed frequency ranges or approve new ones in response to requests stemming from the Palestinian Ministry of Post and Communication.

Although the role of "The Telecommunication Office of the Former Israeli Civil Administration" is diminishing as the Palestinian telecommunication network is approaching independence from the Israeli network, it has played a role in the transfer of the network in the West Bank to the Palestinian control. In addition it still holds responsibility for microwave relay stations within the West Bank that are either still under Israeli security control or are located within Israeli settlements and military locations.

A residue of the past Israeli control of the telecommunication network in Palestine is its dependence on the Israeli network in terms of regional transport and international connectivity. This has resulted in an implied influence of Bezeq; nonetheless, PALTEL has taken significant steps towards eliminating this influence by means of deploying a backbone of fibber-optic/microwave transmission network. It is expected that PALTEL will shortly re-route its inter-regional transport through this network. Additional steps are underway in order to minimise the dependency in international connectivity. PALTEL is in the process of erecting satellite earth stations. It is important to note that the Israeli influence on the telecommunication sector is expected to diminish if the negotiations regarding the final political status of Palestine resume.

In May 1999, the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (PECDAR), in response to a direct request from the President and the Legislative Council, formed a special board, annotated "The Information and Communication Technologies Advisory Board (ICTAB)". This board aims to review the various regulations and legislation relating to Information Technologies including the telecommunication sector. ICTAB is made up of a broad representation of stakeholders including individuals from academia, the private sector, prominent economists, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, and PALTEL. Although the exact role of ICTAB is yet to be defined, it is expected that it will assume the role of an independent regulator pushing for a healthy development of Information Technology in terms of telecommunication regulations, educational policies and industry.

The Palestine Telecommunications Company (PALTEL)

On May 1995, the Palestine National Authority and a group of private investors agreed to establish The Palestine Telecommunications Company (PALTEL), the public telecommunications operator in Palestine. PALTEL assumed its operational responsibilities in January 1997 after a long process of negotiations for its license. PALTEL is a joint stock company - registered in Jericho- with an initial capital of 45 million Jordanian dinars (about $50 million) of which PADICO’s share is 22%. 66 institutional investors, including PADICO own three-quarters of the company’s shares, while the remainder is owned by the public sector. PALTEL has therefore become the first privately controlled public telecommunications operator in the Middle East-North Africa region. The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications regulates PALTEL through a licensing agreement.

Objectives include implementing the general development plan of the telecommunications sector, including expansion of the communications network by adding 600,000 new lines and upgrading the existing network. The required investment is estimated at US$550-600 million over 10 years.

Unique to any other country in the world, Palestine is directly influenced by its political agreements with Israel. The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Israel embarked upon peace negotiations in 1993. This lead to a number of agreements starting with a declaration of principles (DOP), which set the framework and agenda for a series of negotiations culminating in the Oslo I and Oslo II agreements. The gist of these agreements with reference to the telecommunication sector may be summarised as follows:

• That the Palestinians have the right to establish their own telecommunication networks and infrastructures.
• The Palestinians have the right to establish appropriate policies and regulatory frameworks.
• The Palestinians have the right to make their network independent from the Israeli networks.
• The Palestinian Authority is the only party responsible for granting licenses for operating telecommunication services in Palestine
• The Palestinians have the right to levy royalties for all calls originating or terminating in all Palestinian territories regardless of the security control zoning
• The Palestinians are allocated frequency ranges for their use while the overall frequency management is retained by Israel
• International and regional connectivity shall be inter-mediated by duly licensed Israeli operators.

Prior to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, the Telecommunication Office of the Israeli Civil Administrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip assumed the role of the policy maker, regulator and operator. No formal regulatory framework existed. The sole consideration in providing telecommunication services was based on maximum profit generation with minimal investment in accordance with an exploitation policy, typical of the occupation. This resulted in limited telecommunication services concentrated in the limited business sectors of the main cities. No value-added services of any nature existed. On the other hand, the general policy favoured Israeli companies in terms of equipment provision. The switching capacity was totally controlled by a single Israeli telecommunication equipment supplier.

With the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication assumed the role of the regulator. While the official policy of the Palestinian Authority is to engage the private sector in all operational aspects and thus establish a regulatory framework adequate for a liberalised market it is evident that the framework does not exhibit coherence or maturity for stimulating the required activities of the private sector.

The only sizeable regulatory activity was issuing the license agreement of the Palestine Telecommunication Company, PALTEL, as a provider of telecommunication services. Neither the scope nor the monopolistic characteristics of the license have been publicised. As a result, the regulatory framework does not provide the adequate transparency for the involvement of the private sector. In addition, the Ministry has been selective in exercising its regulatory duties. For example it has failed to cap the excessive tariffs levied by PALTEL for data-communication services such as point to point leased lines, whereas, it has imposed unprecedented licensing fees on the consumers of such services.

The telecommunication equipment market lacks any regulatory standardisation. Most of the equipment is channelled through Israel and is subject to compliance with Israeli standards. On the other hand, the Ministry has imposed licensing procedures marked by excessive fees for trading with wire-line and wire-less telecommunication equipment and is trying to expand this policy to the data-communication market. Spectrum management is limited to rationing the frequencies that were allocated by Israel for the use of the Palestinian Authority as provisioned by the Telecommunication annexes of the Oslo agreements. Excessive fees also mark issuing of licenses for local radio stations.

The present legislative system in Palestine is of mixed heritage. The system combines Islamic rules from the Ottoman era, English Common Law and French Civil Code principles, in addition to Jordanian legislation (particularly in the West Bank) and customary practices. The result is a complex set of legal principles layered atop each other without philosophical coherence. The courts in Palestine are two-tiered: First Instance and Appeals in the West Bank and similarly in Gaza, although in Gaza, the court of appeals is a Supreme Court. The trial system is adversarial. Palestine does not use juries.

In an attempt to rectify the judicial system in Palestine in a manner that encourages investment and development that is dreadfuly needed, the Palestinian National Authority has embarked on a set of legislative measures. Among these measures are:

• Protection for all investors and investments and grants specific incentives for projects creating or expanding economic activities in certain sectors as technology.
• Prohibition on discrimination against any investor on the basis of nationality.
• Prohibition of expropriation of investment; in the event of expropriation for a public purpose, enterprises will be compensated fair market value.
• Protection of confidential information unless the investor gives his written consent or a court order from a Palestinian court compels disclosure.
• Preferential treatment is permitted on a narrow basis arising from bilateral or multilateral agreements.

The Incentives include:

• Exemption from Income Taxation:
  • All investments will be exempt from income tax for the first 5 years.
  • Investments exceeding US$5 million are granted an additional 20-year period at the rate of 10%.
  • Any special investment in type and capital may be entitled to an additional 20-year period at the rate of 10%.
  • Exemptions between US$1million-5million are granted an additional 12-year period at the rate of 10%.
• Exemption from Customs Duties: 
  • Equipment and heavy machinery and their imported spare parts are exempt.
• Other exemptions:

• Furniture imported for hotels, electrical appliances and electronics imported for tourism enterprises, hotels and hospitals, are exempt from customs duties.
• A price increase in the value of fixed assets when the increase is a result of rising prices outside the investor's’ contract shall be exempt from customs duties.
• The exemption period may be extended for 2 years if local input in the equipment, machines and fixtures exceed 60%.
• The exemption period may be extended up to 5 years depending on the nature and location of the enterprise.
• Additional exemptions may be granted to enterprises engaged in export provided export percentage is not less than 30% of the total.
• Exemption from payment of purchase tax on specific items.
• VAT refunds.

Free transfers of foreign currency and freedom for repatriation of income generated from investment in Palestine.

• Investors may invest in any sector of the Palestine economy under the free admission principle.
• Confirmations are speedy and free involving a smooth process for acquiring official approval.
• Enterprises already benefiting from incentives may be freely transferred to a new owner who can benefit from the same incentives.
• Changes in corporate structure do not necessarily affect incentives already granted.
• Real estate development enterprises and housing mortgage companies may enjoy the benefits and incentives provided by this Law.
• Fixed assets that are exempt may be sold or assigned to another investor enjoying benefits under this Law.

Apart from the licensing agreement of PALTEL, the licensing procedures in Palestine thus far may be characterized as "Class Licensing" type. The Ministry of Post and Telecommunication has setup a regime of licensing for almost every aspect of the telecommunication sector. The regime includes both consumers as well as providers of services. The following is a sample list:

• Class License for Internet service providers
  • A rigorous process for applications including clearances from the tax authorities and local government
  • An annual licensing fee of US $ 1400
• Class License for users of leased lines
  • A rigorous process for applications including clearances from the tax authorities and local government
  • Recently the annual licensing fee has dropped from US $ 1400 to US $ 570.
• Class License for trade in wire-line and wire-less equipment (including telephone sets, PBX's, cellular terminals, fax machines, etc)
  • A rigorous process for applications including clearances from the tax authorities and local government
  • An annual licensing fee of US $ 1400
• Class License for FM radio stations
  • A rigorous process for applications including clearances from the tax authorities and local government
  • An annual licensing fee of US $ 1400

As the license of PALTEL has not been made public, only observations about Universal Service, Tariffs and QoS can be made.

It is evident that PALTEL is subject to continuous pressure from the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication to reduce the cost of telecommunication services. While success has been evident in telephony services, the value-added services such as point-to-point leased lines are still highly priced. For example, the Minister of Post and Telecommunication has just announced that the Ministry have succeeded in modifying the telephone service rates as follows:

• 35% reduction on all international calls.
• Local calls (with in area) has changed tariff form NIS 0.29 per unit (unit length varies between 3 minutes/unit in peak hours and 38 minutes/unit in off-hours) to NIS 0.03 per minute.
• On the other hand leased line users continue to pay US $ 475 for a managed 64Kbps national link.

(See also Appendix: Telephone Tariffs in Palestinian Authority Areas)

Although considerable improvements are needed, quality of service has improved since PALTEL assumed operational responsibility. The following are indicators.

Call Completion Ratios on Incoming Calls to Local Exchanges

Service Restoration - % of Faults on Customers Lines Cleared within 24/48hours

Fault Indices (numbers of faults per 100 lines per annum) on Customers’ Lines.

Recent attempts by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication to obliterate the Israeli restrictions on international connectivity have been successful. The Ministry managed to secure a successful vote among the members of the ITU to grant Palestine an international country code. The code 970 has been granted and a number of countries have started using it.

Palestine aims to apply for membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). WTO related IPR rules are being examined to determine the scope of compliance required. The PNA has committed to modernise its intellectual property laws. Presently, Trade-name Law No. 30 of 1953; Trademark Law No. 33 of 1952; Patent Law No. 22 of 1953 due to their old policy considerations do not reflect the changes in intellectual property rights. As to copyright, Ottoman Mejjlah principles apply. Presently, the Ministry of Culture has prepared a draft Copyright Law. The draft Copyright Law will be reviewed for WTO compliance. As for the existing laws, the Ministry of Economy and Trade is presently reviewing the draft law for compliance with WTO TRIPS.

In Palestine, adequate protection of privacy is lacking. While some Government Registers such as the Company Register, Commercial Register and Land Register have rules for access through the operation of, say the Company Law or Real Property Law or Police Registers, other information databases that are becoming electronically available have not been addressed - neither the proposed basic law nor other legislation such as a Privacy Law or Official Secrets Law or Data Protection Law. While the public may have difficulty accessing information about their own records, the police for example can easily have unlimited access.

Computer-related crimes such as theft of information, fraud, record falsification, piracy are not covered in the Palestinian criminal law. The language of existing provisions is sufficiently broad that computer crimes may be included, however changes to the criminal law are under consideration required. The draft Copyright Law addressed copyright of computer programs and software.

The Systems Development (SYSD) department, under the Palestinian Central Bureau of statistics (PCBS), has a development plan that includes the initialisation and implementation of data protection legislation.

The signing of the first peace agreement, titled "Declaration of Principals (DOP) on Interim Self-Government Arrangements", in Washington DC between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the State of Israel on September 13, 1993 set the framework for limited territorial withdrawal from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip by Israel and introduced the structure of a recognised Palestinian governmental body, the Palestine National Authority (PNA) to replace the Israeli Civil Administration. The PNA, in light of the DOP and subsequent agreements with the Israelis, is legally permitted to "build and operate separate and independent communications systems and infrastructures including telecommunication networks." (Article 36 of the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Washington D.C., September 28, 1995. Also referred to as the Oslo II agreement). PNA promotes and supports the use of information technology in all the areas of the government structure.

Ministry of Labour was established in Palestine on 28.7.1994, after signing the Palestine-Israel Declaration of Principles. HTTC, is a Training Centre for advanced technical skills with emphasis on computer-based training and methods. The centre is a joint project of the Palestinian Ministry of Labour and the HANNS SEIDEL STIFTUNG. The aim of the project is to offer advanced training in computer Aided skills for the Palestinian Workforce.

The target groups of HTTC are:

1. Professionals: Such as Doctors, Civil Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Accountants, statisticians, managers, researchers, and teachers.
2. Technical Specialists: Such as hardware Engineers, Software Engineers, Information System Managers, Telecommunication Specialists, Network Administrators, Technicians, Programmers.
3. Office Staff: Such as Executives, Executive Assistants, and Administrators.
4. Designers: Computer Aided Designers, Fashion Designers, Advertising Specialist, Photographer, Architects, and desktop publishers. Video producers.

The Ministry of Higher Education strives towards initiating a qualitative leap forward in higher education from a strategic point of view and through daily interaction with Palestinian universities and colleges. The Ministry has established councils, administrations and departments and sections in order to help achieve the above-mentioned aims. Each Directorate-General has its own work plan emanating from the Ministry’s general objectives.

• Comptroller’s Office
• Legal Counsellor’s Office
• D. G. of Financial and Administrative Affairs
• D. G. of Planning and Development
• D. G. of International And Cultural Relations
• D. G. of Licensing, Authentication & Certificate Equivalency & Verification
• D. G. of Technical Education and Colleges
• D. G. of University Education
• D. G. of Student Affairs
• D. G. of Public Affairs
• D. G. for Scientific Research

Directorate General of Planning and Development.

The Directorate – General of Planning and Development is in charge of compiling quantitative and qualitative data on higher education in Palestine. It is responsible for laying out a strategic plan for scientific research and its support, in addition to preparing the Ministry’s plans and those of higher education in Palestine in general. Follow-up of these plans, their implementation, evaluation and proposing development programs for Palestinian universities and colleges are also part of the Directorate General’s responsibilities.

The Directorate General comprises the following departments and sections:

• The information Systems Department
• The planning and Development Department
• The Computer Department
• PASNet

The information Systems Department includes the following sections:

• Data Base
• Statistics and Testing
• Documentation, Publishing and Printing sections which includes the Library Division.

The information Systems Department is responsible for gathering quantitative and qualitative data on Palestinian higher education and preparing the tools necessary, i.e. questionnaires for the above mentioned purpose. In addition, the department is responsible for documentation, categorization, classification and tabulation of the information in computerized databases. The department analyses the data and publishes it as reports and special leaflets. The department also offers technical support to researchers from the Ministry or to outsiders through its databases and leaflets or by other means.

The planning and Development Department, which includes the following sections:

• Planning
• Development
• Budget

The planning Department is responsible for setting both short and long-term plans for the Ministry and Palestinian higher education, in addition to proposing developmental programs for Palestinian universities and colleges. The department also assumes responsibility for preparing the Ministry’s budget.

The Computer Department, which includes the following, sections:

• Maintenance and Internal Networking
• Programming and Internet

The Computer Department is in charge of installation and maintenance of the internal network, in addition to running programs and building any computer software needed by the various departments and sections at the Ministry. The department also transmits the Ministry’s activities and news to the world through the Internet, in addition to retrieving information needed by the Directorate-General for Planning or other Directorates for purposes of research or planning.

PASNet

PASNet is an information and communications network for the institutions of higher education and research in Palestine. This network depends on electronic communications to connect Palestinian institutions of higher education to international networks and universities. The aim is to exchange information, share resources and strengthen ties between students, professors and employees in the academic and research fields.

PCBS (Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics) Transportation and Communication Statistics Program is expected to fulfil the responsibilities of:

• Compilation of statistics on activities related to the physical features of transportation and communication, as defined by international standards and classifications, and to provide an overview of the transportation and communication sector in Palestine.
• Activate the dialogue between the data providers and users
• Meet the needs of local and international transport and communication statistics users by presenting the data in user friendly manner

Now, the Transportation and Communication Statistics Program is publishing the current status report on transportation and communication statistics.

The Transportation and Communication Statistics Department finalized a brief proposal for the work plan for the period 1998-2000; the main projects to be carried out are:

• A general quarterly report on transportation and communication statistics
• A yearly traffic volume survey (traffic counts) covering traffic movement.
• A survey of trucks, reflecting goods movement in Palestine. The statistical unit in this survey will be on the level of trucks.
• A survey of communication. This survey is to be carried out with the co-operation of the Palestinian Telecommunications Company

Since its establishment in 1994, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has assumed direct responsibility for the provision and development of health services in the Palestinian territories. The Ministry has been striving to optimise the utilisation of the available resources and opportunities, in order to attain its goals of meeting the health needs of the Palestinian population. Among the resources to assist the MOH are Technical Assistance Projects (TAP) including the "Health Service Management Unit". The Ministry of Health established the HSMU in 1995, with the assistance of UNICEF and the Italian Co-operation. The global objective of HSMU is to ccontribute to building up the technical managerial and administrative skills that are needed to run an efficient and effective health system.

The Palestinian health sector suffers from the lack of reliable data on many aspects such as morbidity, mortality and other health status measures. This fact, therefore, complicates the process of identifying priorities, making policies and allocation of resources, both efficiently and effectively. As indicated in the Palestinian National Health Plan (NHP), an efficient nation-wide computerised communication link facilitating the operation of an efficient Management Information System (MIS), is very significant for improving the health care management. Also, the NHP identified MIS as a priority area to improve the quality and efficiently of the Palestinian health care system.

Therefore, the Ministry of Health developed several proposals concerning this issue and presented them to donors. Moreover, the Ministry of Planning & International co-operation conducted feasibility studies for establishment of communication links. The World Bank has approved some of these proposals. The communication system linking the West Bank & Gaza Strip is vital since the optimal utilisation of the scarce resources available for health care in developing countries like Palestine is a priority. Such a system will lead to more rational and timing decisions, and on the basis of accurate and comprehensive information, rapid implementation, and effective monitoring. Once a computer network is established to cover the community health centres in Palestine it would be possible for information to be communicated nation-wide.

The MOH has commissioned on a competitive base, a local firm to conduct feasibility study concerning communication links and to pilot its implementation. In addition, it has developed a project to establish a MIS on a national level. On that account, the MOH intends to effectively use local and international resources in co-ordination with the Ministry of Planning & International Co-operation via its governmental Computer System, in order to establish the communication hardware that links the West Bank & Gaza Strip and to train people who will use this system.

General Objectives:

• Develop a nation wide computerised communication links facilitating the operating of an effective health management information system to be connected to the National Information System that link all Palestinian ministries.
• Serve the Palestinian community by a system that collects, tabulates, stores and makes the information on demography, health status and health resources available for policy makers in the health area.

Specific Objectives:

• Develop a well-functioning computerised MIS on regional level by establishment of a regional MIS in the West Bank and upgrading of the existing one in Gaza Strip.
• Establish a central computerised MIS unit on national level collating data from both regional MIS units in the Gaza Strip & West Bank.
• Develop 13 computerised MIS units on district level, each in one of the districts of the West Bank & Gaza Strip to collate data from the health institutions in the relevant area.
• Provide each central health institution (hospital &/or health centre) within each district with equipment & software required for operating the system.
• Initiate an extensive training for selected health personnel from different governmental health institutions, concurrently with the installation process of MIS hardware, to ensure effective operation of the developed system.

Steps taken to achieve the objectives

1. Development of a strategic plan for Health Management Information System in Palestine.
2. Development of a system for health data gathering in West Bank and Gaza Provinces.
3. Development of software packages for vital statistics including birth registry, death registry, primary health care activities, hospital discharge information and recently cancer registry in Palestine.
4. Training of local staff on MIS and uses of computer facilities.
5. Preparation of a pilot study for computerisation on district level (North Gaza) and on hospital level (Pediatric Hospital - Gaza).
6. Support of Information System at district level in West Bank.
7. Keeping data base information as a resource for planning and research.

It is expected that the communication of MIS and E-MAIL will be properly functioning at the national, regional, district and the community levels, and will be served by a data system that is capable to:

1. Detect and monitor conditions contributing to morbidity and mortality.
2. Support epidemiological surveillance system.
3. Provide necessary data for development and evaluation of prevention control measures, and research strategies.
4. Identify and create sources of community data to be used in measuring progress of its health status
5. Ensure that organisations follow standardised procedures for collecting health data.
6. Establishing a satellite-based computer network to provide a national health management information system linking all districts of the Gaza Strip & West Bank.
7. At a regional level two central units will be developed so as to collate data from both Gaza Strip and West Bank district units; one of these regional central units is already existing. (Governmental Computer Centre, Gaza). A process of establishment the other regional central unit in the west Bank is underway.
8. At a district level, each district unit will be provided with a computer network that connects it to the relevant regional central unit on one hand, and to the health institutions (hospitals/or clinics) on the other.
9. At the institution level, each institution will be provided with equipment (according to the size of work) enabling them to be networked to their district unit.

Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) main function is to provide truthful and impartial official statistics on demographic, social, economic and environmental stats and trends to serve the Palestinian citizenry, and to serve the instrumental needs of businesses and their organisations for statistical information on stats and trends.

PCBS Directorates

• Population and Social Statistics Directorate (PSSD)
• Economic Statistics Directorate (ESD)
• Area Statistics Directorate (ASD)
• Information Systems and Computer Directorate (ISD)
• Field Work Directorate (FWD)
• Administrative and Financial Affairs Directorate (AFD)
• Population and Housing Census Directorate (PHCD)
• Palestinian Statistical Training Centre Directorate (PSTC)

The purpose of Information Systems and Computer Directorate (ISD) is to perform the data processing (programming, data entry, editing and tabulation) and to build information systems within PCBS. For that reason a sophisticated network was installed including the most recent hardware and software, along with an advanced security system.

The ISD consists of the following departments:

SYSD was established early on at PCBS to handle all computers related issues. The department consists of two sections as follows:

• Programming and Analysis Section:
  responsible for designing, and maintaining of all computerised systems and programs.
• Data Base Section:
  responsible for building and administrating of all databases.

The technical support division was the first department established in the information systems directorate to build an advanced network to serve all PCBS staff and it consists of three sections:

• Network administration
• Software packages
• Hardware maintenance

The department has a development plan which includes:

• Upgrading current hardware & software to satisfy user requirements
• Improving technical services
• Building up a wide area network

Since the establishment of Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in 1993, The Electronic Data Preparation Department has been one of the vital departments in the information systems directorate; this department is responsible for all activities regarding data entry and editing.

The department consists of two sections:

• Electronic Data Preparation Section, responsible for entering the data of all PCBS surveys and projects.
• Editing Section, responsible for editing and cleaning data.

The Data Dissemination Department is a new department in the Information Systems and Computer Directorate. It was founded to disseminate PCBs data via different methods such as Internet, CD's, diskettes ...etc.

The department consists of four sections:

• User Services
• Internet
• Archiving and Documentation
• Library

The department’s development plan includes:

• Preparing the material and tables (of projects and surveys) for Internet dissemination
• Updating all the contents of the home page
• Developing & implementing data a dissemination policy
• Documenting and saving all projects and surveys
• Meeting user needs as well as improving our services

Palestine Telecommunications will be offering Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), in most of its service areas in the next few weeks. The new service has been authorised by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MoPT) and was announced by Surinam Mashriqi, PalTel marketing director. According to Mashriqi, the telecommunications breakthrough is the result of enhancing and upgrading the services of the regular network. ISDN can provide faster, higher quality, telephone, fax, data, and photocopies transmission services. The availability of two fast 64kbps lines enables customers to send faxes and make telephone calls during Internet connection.

Initial services will be offered in Nablus, Ramallah, Al-Bireh, Bethlehem, Hebron, Ar-Ram, Qalqiliya, Jenin and Gaza. ISDN call charges will follow the pricing of regular, local, national, and international calls. Bulletins regarding pricing will be distributed by the various customers service centres around Palestine.

Suliman Mashriqi, PalTel marketing director, announced that the company is launching a new telecommunication service almost for free. This new service will proceed in the coming few days, depending on the "DIGITAL RECORDING SYSTEM" which will be reflected in the voice quality. This service will enable the users to know the time and date of recorded voice messages. Mr Mashriqi added, that this service would be available in the following telecom regions: NABLUS, RAMALLAH, BETHLEHEM, GAZA, and the date of its operation initiation will be announced. For two months, this service will be offered complementary and later subscribers have to pay NIS 2,5 as monthly subscription.

On the occasion of the third anniversary of the company establishment, Palestine Telecommunications Company (Paltel) held a press conference in Ramallah, 3 February 2000. Mr. Zahi Khouri, Chairman- Jawwal Executive Committee, Mr. Hatem Halawani, President & CEO-Paltel and others attended.

Mr. Khouri declared that (Paltel) has refused an offer to reconnect its cellular phone company (Jawwal) with the Israeli cellular operators due to serious violations to the Palestinian sovereignty and its legal authority over the Palestinian Telecom Sector. He pointed to the agreement signed by PalTel with Partner Communications three months ago per connecting Jawwal to Orange, and emphasized that actual connection was delayed due to technical difficulties faced by both parties. However, it was declared that PalTel is ready to reconnect Jawwal to Israeli companies provided their abiding by the same conditions contracted with other companies.

The issue of Jawwal's service cutting off Cellcom & Pelephone was raised and was referred to the lack of a written agreement with PalTel regulating telephony traffic routing through Bezeq. They assured that the Ministry of Post & Telecommunications would tackle needed measures for proceeding the reconnection without affecting any party's interests. Halawani pointed that Jawwal network covers almost all-Palestinian areas currently, with a capacity reaching 70 thousand lines and expected to expand up to 120 thousand lines before the end of this year. He added that over 80 countries have signed mutual agreements with Jawwal.

Moreover, a briefing on Paltel's latest achievements was presented during the conference, which showed a noticeable raise in subscription rate (300%). According to Halawani, total investment deployed in modernizing the Telecom Sector reached US$250 Millions. However, tangible declines in call prices (40%) were recognised since 1997 as follows: to Arab countries 34%, to Europe 52%, in the West Bank 44%, Gaza region 33% compared to 27% rise in the prices of petrol & water supplies. He stressed that over 85 percent of bills' average value do not exceed 200NIS.

Palestine Telecommunications Company (Paltel) celebrated ISO 9002 certificate accreditation on Wednesday Feb. 23rd, 2000 at the Grand Park Hotel, Ramallah. The celebration attended Eng. Imad Falougi (Minister of Post and Telecommunications), Eng. Hatem Halawani (President & CEO of Paltel), representatives from the SGS for International Certification Services and other governmental & non-governmental organisations.

Mr. Falougi praised the achievements of the company during its years of operation and pointed to the profound accomplishments, which have been reached in standard time. SGS representative congratulated PALTEL "for their unique achievements of being the first Quality Assured Telecommunication firm complying with ISO 9002 Standard in the Middle East region." He added "PALTEL customers can expect to benefit largely in the area of consistent satisfaction, reliability and improved quality of telecom services through the effective implementation of ISO 9000 Quality Management System." Mr. Halawani pointed that this certificate is the first indicating the implementation of the TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TQM among 33,000 certificates awarded by the SGS.

Costs per Hour in NIS, Including Tax