January 2001

Tunisia Master report

1. Introduction and Summary

2. Information Society Policy

2.1 Historical overview and general legislation

2.1.1 Historical overview

Since the independence of Tunisia in 1956, the telecommunications entity has been a conventional government department (Secretariat of State) supervised and regulated by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation. In 1987, the PTT gained the right to retain earned revenues for direct reinvestment in the sector. In every other way however, it remained a conventional government department. An ITU study conducted in 1990 strongly recommended institutional reforms, specifically restructuring the entity in order to provide legal access to greater financial borrowing sources and the authority to offer competitive salaries to its staff.

In the early 1990s, proposals for restructuring the entity into a public enterprise or other semi-autonomous organization were met with hostility from the PTT labour union. A demonstration in April 1992 by the labour unions opposing greater autonomy measures was met with assurances from the Ministry of Communications that no changes were imminent. Nonetheless, the issue was prominent in the discussions concerning Tunisia's 8^th National Plan (1992-96).

2.1.2 Present general legislation

In 1995, the Chamber of Deputies (Tunisian Parliament) adopted a law specifying the creation of a national office of telecommunications. This restructuring changes the entity from an administrative structure to a public enterprise with industrial and commercial orientation. In 1996, Tunisia's telecom operating entity, formerly known as the General Directorate of Telecommunications (DGT), was established as an independent Tunisie Telecom. The Ministry of Communications (MOC) continued to act as the regulatory entity and is still ultimately responsible for the development of Tunisia's telecommunications infrastructure.

As part of the recent WTO Basic Telecommunications Services Agreement reached in February 1997, Tunisia committed to market access and national treatment for the following:

• Telex and packet-switched data services as of January 1 1999,
• Mobile telephone, paging, teleconferencing and frame relay as of January 1, 2000
• Local voice telephony as of January 1, 2003.

Foreign ownership in the telecommunications sector is limited to 49 percent (10 percent in the case of Tunisie Telecom).

2.1.3 New legislation

The ministerial Council, held on 17^th of May 1999, under the presidency of the Head of the State, was devoted to the examination of the project of Code of the Communication. The project come to concretize the measurements, recommended by the President of the Republic, concerning the updating of the legislation of the sector of the communication, within the framework of the Code of telecommunications promulgated in 1977. These measurements take into account the technological, commercial and organizational transformations in the sector worldwide and national.

The Council reviewed the focal points of this project, which are:

• To guarantee the civil right to communicate and profit from the services provided by the modern networks.

• To ensure equal access to the services of the communications, to all citizens.

• To classify the activities in services and achievements, and to bring into service networks by defining the rights and the duties of all involved parts.

• To provide more flexibility to activities related to the sector and reinforce investments and creation of new jobs.

This project will be elaborated in its final form before it is submitted to the Council of Ministers

2.2 Umbrella Policies and national IS strategy

The main key points of the IS strategy of Tunisia are the following:

• to promote and ensure electronic services (administrative, commercial and economic)

• to develop a national strategy for the sectors of communication, information and the scientific research related to them

• to provide to all students, under the age of 16, education and training that ensures the best use and exploitation of information and communication technologies

• to create Tele working jobs in the areas and the districts with strong demographic density

• to continue reinforcing the infrastructure of the communications

• to evaluate the pilot project of e-commerce and promote e-commerce at the local and foreigner level

• to find suitable formulas that guarantees the security of electronic transactions (specially focused on post offices and banks)

• to proceed to the realisation of Telelearning pilot projects at the higher educational institutions

• to work towards a better control of the cost of services and to simplify the procedures

2.3 Government and administration (national, regional, local)

The Tunisian Government has paid special attention to electronic commerce and a National Commission for Electronic Commerce and EDI (CNCE) was set up in November 1997. The commission is comprised of: the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Communications, the Minister of Trade, the Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, the Minister of Finance, Secretary of State for Informatics, Secretary of State for Scientific Research and Technology, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia.

This commission, made up of several working groups, was given the task of setting up electronic commerce strategy and infrastructure in Tunisia. These working groups study the various aspects of electronic commerce (legal, commercial, financial, security...).

Two reports that include the Commission's recommendations were submitted to the government in March 1998 and in November 1998.

Six pilot projects were launched and put into operation in May 1999. They are a set of virtual stores offering a wide range of Tunisian products, such as crafts, goods, clothing, foodstuffs, tourism packages, hotel reservations, etc.

During a cabinet meeting held in mid May 1999, major decisions aimed at boosting electronic commerce in Tunisia were taken. They include:

• Revision of procedures connected with external trade with a view to boosting exports via the Internet network and facilitating the action of electronic commerce operators.
• Launching of pilot projects that will open virtual shopping centres to export tourist products, craft work certain finished products, and agricultural and industrial goods.
• Implementing of a "strategy of awareness and training", via the organisation of periodic study days on electronic commerce.
• Further developing the national communications network with a view to adapting it to the demands of electronic exchange via information networks as regards to fluidity and speed of data transmission, while simultaneously working to develop transport and express mail services.
• Putting the finishing touches to the legal framework regulating this activity so that Tunisian law will be in tune with this new mode of commercial transaction, particularly as regards to legalisation of the electronic means of identification (digital signature and certification) and breaches of trust.
• Creation of a permanent ministerial committee, supported by a technical commission of experts and specialists, to guarantee permanent follow-up of these recommendations and ensure co-ordination among all participants.

EDI projects are being studied in various sectors such as banking, textiles and telecommunications. One of the EDI main projects is the "Single Batch" project aimed at facilitating foreign trade procedure by setting up an EDI server centre to allow various agents (trade organisations, customs, banks, forwards etc.) to exchange foreign commerce operations documents. Moreover, a Web/EDI interface will permit importers, exporters and forwarders to carry out foreign commerce operations via the Internet network without needing expertise in EDI.

2.4 Telecommunications and Internet

2.4.1 Telecommunications strategy

Tunisian telecommunications strategy is based on three central axes:

• The first axis is the guarantee of a modern infrastructure, in particular by developing connections to the world network of Internet and the realisation of a national Internet network structured with the creation of regional poles to improve the transmission quality.

• The second axis refers to the legal framework of the sector. The minister reminded that a draft law on the exchanges and the electronic commerce was adopted by the Council of Ministers and is currently being submitted to the Houses of Commons. Therefore a new telecommunications Act will be promulgated soon.

• The third and last axis aims in making the Tunisians aware to the importance of Internet and new technologies.

(Source: Speech of Mr. Ahmed Friaâ, Minister of Communications, at the time of the opening of a national seminar organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Tunisia on "The challenges of the immaterial economy at the dawn of the third millennium")

2.4.2 Public telecommunication operator

The public telecommunications operator and sole supplier of basic telecommunications services is the Office National Des Telecommunications, also called Tunisie Telecom. The government has charged the Office National Des Telecommunications with developing an advanced and pervasive network and also given it a wide range of public responsibilities, such as to contribute to the development of scientific research in the area of telecommunications. Liberalisation of the sector is being discussed to occur from the year 2003 and onwards.

With Alcatel, Ericsson and Nortel having local production facilities in Tunisia, projects for digitisation of the network are getting strong pushes. Tunisie Telecom makes extensive use of microwave radio links in its domestic transmission network and for communications with its immediate neighbours, Algeria and Libya. For international communications, Tunisia relies on satellite networks and is also connected to the SEA-ME-WE-2 submarine fiber optic cable with a landing site in Bizerte. Tunisia is a member of ARABSAT, INMARSAT, EUTELSAT and INTELSAT.

2.4.3 Mobile Telecommunications

Tunisia plans to grant a licence to a private GSM mobile phone service operator, in the first privatisation in the telecommunications sector, by the end of 2000. This is an instruction of president Zine al-Abidine ben Ali as part of Tunisia privatisation program. The country's sole telecommunications operator is state-run Tunisie Telecom, which already runs a GSM network. The new private operator would be the country's second mobile phone operator.

2.4.4 Internet

The Tunisian Government has done a great deal to develop Internet access and boost the number of users.

Government action includes:

• Over 50% in May 1998 and an additional 30% reduced Internet subscription charges and phone call costs in March 1999, with special rates for family use.
• A national fund was set up to help develop Tunisian Websites.
• The creation of Internet public spaces called PUBLINET.

Promotional activities accompanying these actions included:

• Internet awareness seminars and conferences
• Training programs on Internet technologies
• Special Radio and TV programs to introduce Tunisian families to Internet.

Also the national backbone of Internet is upgrading in terms of:

• Increased data transmission rate from 0,5 Mbits/s to 10 Mbits
• Realization of 2500km fibers optic system
• Preparation of additional 3500km fibers optic system

2.4.5 The Publinet Project

In October 1998, the Tunisian Government launched an ambitious project with two objectives:

• Making access to Internet and Internet services general throughout Tunisia, especially in rural areas
• Creating jobs for young university graduates.

This project consists in setting up Internet public centres in every part of the country. It is aimed to open up 100 such spaces in 1999. To encourage young entrepreneurs, it was decided that for the first 100 Publinets, the Government contributes to the project by supplying grants covering 50% of the costs of the equipment and the rest of the amount should be covered through bank loans carrying low interest rates. For other Publinets, funding would be payable by the promoter.

Every Publinet is linked to the Internet network via one of the seven POP points of presence of the national Backbone through a leased Nx64 Kbps-line so as to ensure good quality service. Each Publinet offers access to the Web and e-mail accounts at a more competitive rate than that offered by Internet Services Providers. Thus giving access to the widest possible number of users especially those who cannot afford to have one.

2.4.6 Tunisia's strategy for Internet

Internet is the infrastructure of the new millennium for Tunisia. The key identified projects that describe the strategy planned for this sector and which are programmed for the decade to come are:

• The development of the national network and its evolution towards Internet 2
• the technological survey and the follow-up of the evolution of the protocols of communication (IPV6)
• the project "Paperless Class"
• the project of telelearning through the networks of education RNU and EDUNET
• the project of Tele medicine through the network of health RNS

Tunisia will finish implementing a countrywide fiber-based backbone infrastructure, fully connected and highly secured, to support the telecommunication requirements of national entities, and regional entities. The ATI agency, a centralized information and operations operator, will preserve the QoS to be provided on the network and will support the Internet backbone. Among the missions of this agency are the development and support of service levels to the administration users, and technical and support and solution group providing guidance to government entities and national companies.

2.4.7 Internet Service Providers

Tunisian Agency for Internet (ATI) was established in April 1996 as a public company with Tunisie Telecom owning 51 percent of its shares and private investors owning the rest. ATI is a service provider for value-added services in telecommunications and it plays the role of the national operator for the Internet backbone in Tunisia and manager of the .tn domain.

ATI provides Internet services for governmental agencies and NGOs in Tunisia in addition to 2 commercial providers (Global Net and Planet Tunisie) and some focal points to provide Internet services to others. IRSIT is connected to ATI and provides direct connectivity for research institutes and for the computation center of the Tunisia University, El Khawarizemi. El Khawarizemi provides Internet access to higher education institutes in Tunisia in addition to acting as an access point for the university campus in Tunis. Commercial providers serve the individuals in addition to private organizations including private universities.

2.4.8 Internet access in Tunisia

The numbers of subscribed Internet users in Tunisia continues to increase. Whereas it was 111 in 1996 it exceeded 33.000 in July 2000 (subscribed users figures). The total number of the Internet users is currently estimated at 200.000. The field of education includes the majority of the Net surfers with 65%, 18% for the companies, 15 % for the domestic use and 2 % for the sectors of agriculture and health.

2.5 Electronic Commerce

2.5.1 The House of Commons adopts the bill on the electronic commerce and the electronic transactions

A bill regulating the electronic commerce was adopted on the 27^th of July 2000. This law regulates the use of the electronic commerce as well as the electronic signature. This legislation comes to enclose three years of studies on the electronic commerce carried out by a national Commission since its creation in November 1997. This commission was charged to study the various aspects of the electronic commerce (legal, commercial, financial and tax, security, etc.) and a final report has been submitted to the government in March 1999. In May 1999, a ministerial consulting discussed the Commission Report and took significant measures to prepare the implementation of electronic commerce in Tunisia.

2.5.2 Launching of the electronic currency e-Dinar

An electronic currency, "e - Dinar" was launched on the 29^th of August 2000 by the Tunisian Government. This new electronic procedure comes to concretise the decision taken by the ministerial advice presided by the President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. It concerns the "immaterial" economy and appeals to the launching of pilot projects on university inscription from a distance. The electronic dinar is a new method of payment. It is a similar card to the classic banking cards, sold in post offices in Tunisia, with a confidential code. The card is rechargeable and available with various exchange value. Students of School Superior of Communications (Sup Com) and the Institute Superior of Communications of Tunis (ISET Com) have proceeded to their university inscriptions via Internet using the "e - Dinar" for the payment of inscription expenses. The "e - Dinar" constitutes a supplementary stage in the process of promoting the trade and electronic commerce in Tunisia.

2.5.3 Electronic money

This electronic money '' E-Dinar'' made possible to carry out remotely the first university inscriptions at the higher School of communications and the higher Institute of the technological studies of communications (ISET-COM). The Head of the State recommended to gradually generalize this experiment with all the higher educational establishments in coordination with the ministry of Post and Communications, to make widely known the advantages of E-Dinar and to simplify the methods of its utilisation. As to the prospects of regulations the House of Commons adopted the bill on the electronic commerce and the electronic transactions.

2.6 Education and research

2.6.1 Education

Tunisian officials perceive higher education as an asset for Tunisia and one of the means for catching up with the developed world. According to a 1995 UNDP report, Tunisia has one scientific technician per 2,000 inhabitants, a figure equal to that of Argentina and Mexico, and which represents one half that of Portugal or Spain. This number is expected to grow as Tunisia is planning during its IXth Economic Development Plan to increase the number of technological university graduates by 300% to reach 4,050 by 2001/2002 from a modest 1,600 in 1996/1997.

Thus, a particular attention is given to scientific and technical courses of study and to vocational training. Alternate work training and self-designed training programs are available, to enable Tunisia to offer the skills businesses are looking for semiskilled and skilled technicians who can adapt easily to technological change. A vast program intended to quadruple training capacity over 7 years should raise the trainee graduation rate from 15,000 to 60,000.

The Tunisian government plans to spend 5.3 million dinars for computer equipment in schools, while computer courses will be compulsory starting of the third year in secondary schools by 2000/2001 for all sections. Twenty-four percent of the country's budget was devoted to the education sector. Expenditures for the education and vocational training sectors represent 6.1 percent of the country's gross domestic product. ($-1.20 dinar)

All the country's 334 secondary schools are now connected to the Internet. The end of the 1999/2000 school year Tunisian government plans to connect another 40 percent of preparatory classes for secondary schools. In addition, 271 computer laboratories had been set up in the country's secondary schools and this number is expected to reach 380 by the end of 1999 in a plan to cover all the country's secondary schools.

2.6.2 Public Universities

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research supports public universities. An initial approach with the minister was not very promising as he declared that Tunisia is currently undertaking a study about Distance Education as a whole. The study of the project named «MultiMedia» is expected to be complete within 6 months and until its completion it is not likely to consider any projects. However, during a visit later to the Ecole National des Sciences de l’informatique (ENSI) of the Universite des Sciences des techniques et de Medecine de Tunis, the Dean, Dr. Farouk Kamoun showed interest in the project, and promised to get the permission of the Minister to participate.

ENSI is the specialized college for graduation of IT students, with 350 students studying for degrees of masters and doctorate. The computation center, El Kawarezmi, of University of Tunis showed interest to participate through ENSI.

2.6.3 Private Universities

Private universities have been operating in Tunisia since mid 80’s, and have recently become accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. There is a large portion of students who go to private education due to the limited number of seats in the public schools. The two main private universities in Tunisia are the Arab University of Sciences (UAS) and the Universite Libre de Tunis (INTAC).

2.6.4 Distance education

The National Commission on Distance Education (Internet and Education) under the auspice of Mr Ahmed Friaa, Minister of Communication held a meeting on April 13 2000 to discuss the details of a pilot project on distance education being instigated by this Commission. All participants of the project presented a technical proposal at this meeting. These participants include ISETCOM, ATI, IRSIT, CERT, SUPCOM, SOTETEL, ONP and Tunisie Telecom, each being allocated specific tasks from preparing a technical study and installing a model to collecting course contents and evaluating the financial aspects.

2.6.5 Research

The President of the Republic and the ministerial Council are in charge of the RTD policy. Specially, on the ministerial Council held on May the 20^th 2000, the President of the Republic Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, decided to gradually increase the funds allocated to scientific research so that it reach 1% of Gross National Product (GNP) in year 2004. In view of that decision, the council has reviewed the various elements of the national system of scientific research and the prospects of their development. The President of the Republic decided to increase the funds allocated to scientific research by 15% starting from the budget of year 2001.

Aiming at the promotion and reinforcement of the scientific research sector, the council decided the following measurements:

• To complete the structuring of the national system of scientific research

• To find new methods so that private companies participate in the funding of the research sector

• In order to meet the needs for the managing staff and research, to promote the educational level of the human resources in the field of scientific search, by developing a coherent training program for the two cycles of the doctorate and the post-doctoral studies

• To establish new ties between research centres and the private sector

• To develop a plan that evaluates the activities and the structures of the scientific research sector.

An important step in the organization and structuring of research in Tunisia was accomplished in 1991 with the creation for the first time of the Secretariat of State for Scientific Research and Technology (SERST). The Secretariat plays a central role in the management of the national science and technology programs. It collaborates with other ministries in the formulation of national science and technology policies and plans. The SERST with the technical assistance of the Institute of Scientific Research in Informatics and Telecommunications (IRSIT), have installed the National Network of Research and Technology (RNRT) which connects twenty-two research centers.

2.7 Health care

The National Health Network (RNS) administered by CIMSP (Ministry of Public Health Computer Centre), connects over 64 hospitals, including:

• all University Hospital Centres
• 10 regional or constituency hospitals.

The aim is to connect all hospitals to the Internet network. This network will be used also in Telemedicine, allowing the quality of health services in rural areas to be improved by exploiting the skills of qualified medical staff concentrated in the big towns.

2.8 Labour

Tunisia is currently undertaking a «Total Reformation» program funded by the European Union in order to increase the competitiveness of the various organizations in anticipation of application of the partnership agreement between Tunisia and WTO. Organizations are entitled to have full refund of the expenses incurred for training of their staff members in any of the programs certified by the Ministry of Labour and Formation. All organizations in Tunisia pay 2 percent of their total annual wages to the government whether they are using this facility or not. Thus, training is very viable and blooming in Tunisia at the moment.

2.8.1 Tele working jobs creation

The furtherance of project related to the consolidation of communication systems and the post and their generalisation in all geographical regions has retained the attention of the President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during the hearing that it has granted, to Mr. Ahmed Friaâ, minister of Communications. The Head of the State has ordered to strengthen the electronic data transmission, to work for its gradual generalisation and to create Tele working jobs, in order to allow citizens and enterprises to undertake many interior and exterior level operations and to profit from Tele working administrative and economic tasks. He has also recommended to further consolidate the training and the reorientation of agents active in this sector and to associate Tunisian competence established abroad so that they contribute to this important action.

2.9 Access for all

At the end of 1996, Tunisia had an estimated installed base of 560,000 main lines, giving it a telephone density of approximately 6 percent. As part of Tunisia's 8^th Development Plan, which covered the 1992-1996 time frame, Tunisie Telecom expanded the telecom network to the rural eastern half of the country and began upgrading existing switches and exchanges to digital technology.

The national network systems improved in terms of coverage, quality, capacity and modernization. In the 9^th Development Plan (1997-2001), Tunisie Telecom is undertaking a variety of projects to further upgrade and expand its telecommunications infrastructure that could total upwards of US$1 billion.

Currently there are around 720,000 main lines in Tunisia, with plans to add one million new lines and install new telephone exchanges to serve additional 450,000 subscribers. The number of subscribers of the fixed telephone network system will reach the amount of 1 Mill. by the year 2000 and the amount of 2 Mill. by the year 2004. By the year 2001, Tunisie Telecom hopes to increase Tunisia's overall telephone density to 10 percent.

The entire telecommunications network in Tunisia is 100% digital. The process of digitalisation was achieved at the end of June 1999. According to the Ministry of Telecommunications the sector of telecommunications would record a growth rate of 17% at the end of 2001.

2.10 Privacy, data protection, consumer protection

Tunisia government will continue to complete the legal environment on telecommunication and e-commerce and adopt regulation laws, as well as bills on certification authorities, cryptography, digital signature and certificate systems. Following the Bill on E-Commerce a new organization for electronic certification was formed: Agence Tunisienne de Certification. The government licensed the Agence for the provision of electronic certification, as well as having the responsibility for determining the criteria for the creation and validation of electronic signatures.

2.11 Others

2.11.1 Agriculture

The National Agricultural Network (AGRINET) connects agricultural institutions and is administered by IRESA (Higher Agricultural Institute for Research and Teaching). This network connects 14 higher agriculture institutes as well as 7 regional research centres. It also provides connectivity to the various departments of the Agriculture Ministry as well as its various representations throughout the country.

3. Institutions and organisations in charge of IS regulation

4. International relationships and agreements

5. Market: Privatisation, foreign investment, mergers, acquisitions, call for tenders,…

6. Standards

Appendix

A. Internet Service Providers

There is one public ISP in Tunisia. Tunisian Agency for Internet (ATI) (www.ati.tn) provides Internet services for government agencies and NGOs in Tunisia.

• Planet Tunisie (www.planet.tn)
• 3S Global Net (www.gnet.tn)