Measuring Arab Region’s
Information Society
The Fifth Annual Meeting on Telecommunication
Development
in the Arab Region
Beirut (Lebanon), 28 – 31 May 2003
magpantay@itu.int
International Telecommunication Union
Topics
Ø Data collection
Ø Some facts
Ø Problems
Ø Suggestions
ITU Data Collection
Ø Main inter-governmental
agency collecting ICT
infrastructure and user
statistics for all countries
and regions
Ø Publications include
Yearbook of Statistics,
World Telecommunication
Development Report, WTI
CD-ROM and regional
Publications
www.itu.int/ict
The importance of Information Society
indicators
Ø Need up-to-date, relevant and comparable
statistics to monitor and analyse Information
Society developments
Ø Indicators should be readily available so that
more time can be spent on analysis
Ø Although many indicators are useful, this
presentation focuses on access to
Information & Communication Technology
(ICT)
Sources of Information Society indicators
Ø Telecom ministries and regulators
Ø National statistical offices
Ø Telecom operators
Ø Market research firms
What indicators should be collected?
Ø Indicators meeting in January 2003 outlined indicators
that should be collected and provided definitions of
indicators and examples from countries
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/material/Top50_e.doc
Ø Proposed additional indicators are also listed on ITU
website http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/material/Proposed%20additions.doc
Ø Need to collect indicators and make available information
that are used to measure the UN Millennium Development
Goals http://millenniumindicators.un.org/unsd/mi/mi_goals.asp
Ø WSIS Statistical Side event that will be held in Dec. 8-9 in
Geneva will also outline indicators to measure access by
individuals and households
Ø World Telecommunication Development Report will be
released during WSIS and its theme will be “Measuring
the Information Societies”
Categories of Top 50
Ø Telephone network
Ø Other services
Ø Quality of service
Ø Traffic
Ø Tariffs
Ø Staff
Ø Revenue
Ø Investment
Telecommunication/ICT Indicators
Ø Fixed Telephone Ø Cellular Network
Network n Cellular mobile
n Main lines in operation subscribers
n Total capacity of local n Prepaid cellular subscribers
switching exchanges n Digital cellular subscribers
n Mobile Internet subscribers
n % digital
n % coverage of mobile
n % residential
cellular network (land
n % urban main lines area)
n Public payphones n % coverage of mobile
cellular network
(population)
Telecommunication/ICT Indicators
Ø Internet Ø Internet
n Total subscribers n Public Internet access
n Dial-up subscribers facilities
n Cable modem Internet n PWLAN locations
subscribers
n International Internet
n DSL subscribers
Bandwidth (Mbps)
n Total users
n % female users
n % female users as % of
female population
Telecommunication/ICT Indicators
Ø ISDN Subscribers Ø Traffic (minutes)
n Basic rate ISDN n Local telephone
subscribers n Fixed to mobile
n Primary rate ISDN n National trunk telephone
subscribers n International (outgoing,
Ø Quality of Service incoming)
n Waiting list for main lines n Dial-up Internet traffic
n Faults per 100 main lines n Outgoing mobile minutes
per year n SMS
n % of faults cleared by next n Public data traffic (Non-
working day Internet)
Telecommunication/ICT Indicators
Ø Tariffs Ø Staff
(Residential, Business, Mobile cellular) n Full-time telecom staff
n Connection fee
n Female telecom staff
n Monthly subscription
n Mobile communications
n Price of 3 minute local call
staff
(peak)
n Price of 3 minute local call (off-
Ø Revenue and
peak) Investment
Ø Internet charges n Total
Ø Data communication charges n Telephone
Ø Leased line charges n Mobile
Classifying ICT Indicators
National Households Community
Fixed Lines in service Fixed Localities with
telephone fixed telephone
Mobile Subscribers Mobile Population
telephone coverage
Total telephone Fixed+Mobile Fixed or Mobile
Television Sets (Regular, Pay)
Radio Sets Radio
Personal Total PC
computer
Internet Subscribers Home Internet Number of
Users access localities with
(connection public access
type)
Some Facts
Millennium Development Goals
Penetration in Arab region
Goal 8: Build a global 15.7
partnership for 108%
development…
includes 3 ICT
indicators: 1996
2002
Ø Telephone lines and CAGR
cellular subscribers per 5.4 24%
100 people 20%
2.6
Ø Personal computers in 1.0 2.9
use per 100 people
0.04
Ø Internet users per 100
Telephone PCs Internet
lines and
people cellular
subscribers
Source: ITU World Telecommunication Indicators database
0.0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
UAE
Bahrain
Kuwait
Qatar
Lebanon
Saudi Arabia
Source: MADAR Research, May 2003
Jordan
Oman
Morocco
Palestine
Tunisia
Egypt
Arab
Libya
Syria
ICT Use Index, 2002
Algeria
Yemen
Iraq
Sudan
How does Arab Region compare?
Sub-Saharan Africa
25
South-central Asia
South-eastern Asia
Arab region
20 Latin America & Caribbean
Penetration (%), 2002
WORLD
15
10 8.7
8.0
5
2.9 2.6
0
Main lines Cellular PC Internet
Source: ITU World Telecommunication Indicators database
penetration (%), 2002
0
10
20
30
40
Yemen
Sudan
Mauritania
Comoros
Djibouti
Syria
Algeria
Morocco
Libya
Egypt
Source: ITU World Telecommunication Indicators database
Arab
2.6
Palestine
Tunisia
Jordan
Oman
Saudi Arabia
World
9.7
Kuwait
Qatar
Internet users per 100 people
Lebanon
Bahrain
UAE
Internet cafés
40
Internet user per 100 people
UAE
30
Bahrain
20
Saudi Lebanon Qatar
10 Kuwait
Arabia
Oman Jordan
Tunisia
Syria Morocco Algeria Libya
0
0 5 10 15
Internet cafes per 100'000 people
Source: Madar Research, October 2002
General ICT indicators
Arab States Profile, 2002
Radio
86 million sets
29 per 100 people
Television
67 million sets
23 per 100 people
Daily Newspaper
8.7 million in circulation
3.2 per 100 people
Internet
7.8 million users
2.6 per 100 people
Internet users profile, UAE
50-59 15000
Female 40-49 47%
36% 24% 20-29 Income 3000-
Gender Age 26% (Dhs) 8000
Male 8001-
64% 33%
15000
30-39
32%
Lower
High 6% Post > 10 hrs
School Graduate 18%
5 hrs
15% 25%
37%
Usage/
Education
week
5-10 hrs
Graduate 45%
54%
Source: Emirates Internet & Multimedia
Problems with Arab Region’s statistics
Ø Hard to find
n In many cases, not readily available
n No data on websites
Ø Non-existent
n No country has carried out detailed ICT surveys
Ø Reliability
n Particularly for PCs and Internet users
Suggestions
Ø Telecom regulators should improve collection and
dissemination of statistics including detailed statistical
reports
Ø National statistical offices need to carry out household ICT
surveys including individuals’ access to the Internet*
Ø Make information available and easy to find on the web
site
Ø Improved dialogue between regulators, national statistical
offices and international agencies to enhance comparability
Ø Role of ITU Arab Regional office in the collection of ICT
indicators in its region
Ø Research on new indicators: broadband indicators, mobile
Internet indicators and knowledge indicators
* For the scope of this presentation. However business, education and
government ICT surveys are also needed to measure impact in those sectors.
Thank you.
magpantay@itu.int