• What is ICT?
• Why was ictQATAR established?
• As the nation's regulatory authority, what is ictQATAR's role in liberalizing the telcommunications market?
• With an open market, how is ictQATAR protecting consumers?
• What is ictQATAR doing to keep children safe on the internet and protect online transactions?
• How is ictQATAR developing and diversifying the market?
• How is ictQATAR championing an information-based society?
• What is the promise of e?
• What is ictQATAR doing to benefit people living with disabilities?

1. What is ICT?

ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. It means all the uses of digital technology that help individuals, businesses, and organizations use information to advance their goals.

Any country that aspires to thrive in the global economy of the 21st century must develop its ICT sector. Leaders understand that ICT supports and deepens every aspect of life -- education of children and adults, the health of everybody , economic opportunities for all businesses. ICT will fuel the development of an information-based society.

2. What was ictQATAR established?

Qatar's leadership realized that ICT would play an integral role in realizing the nation's ambitious vision for economic, social and political change. That is why His Highness the Emir issued a decree establishing the Supreme Council for Information and Communication Technology, the government body responsible for setting ICT policy and regulation. A year later, ictQATAR began its work.

The Emir invested the Council with two authorities:
•As the country's independent and fair regulator, to protect consumers and businesses as Qatar transitions to a competitive telecoms market.
•As the government body responsible for nurturing innovative technologies, to connect citizens to government and help people of all ages and income levels become comfortable with technology so they can achieve personal and professional goals.

Only four years later, ictQATAR staff are building and implementing programs that bring improvements to every aspect of life in Qatar, from education, to health, to economic development.

3. As the nation's regulatory authority, what is ictQATAR's role in liberalizing the telecommunications market?

ictQATAR has led an open and public telecoms liberalization effort over the past two years - a process that attracted interest from the world's most important telecommunications providers. The experience of countries throughout the world has proven that when providers compete with one another, consumers win. After a vigorous, competitive process, Vodafone was selected as the second mobile and fixed line operator. Qtel is the incumbent provider.

Open markets will mean better service, better value, and more innovation in products and services. Competition in the sector will make Qatar an even better place for businesses of all sizes to serve their customers and clients.

Now that the market is open to competition, we are examining all non-operator license aspects of the telecoms sector. Throughout 2009, we will be working to address these issues. As has become our hallmark, we plan to conduct open, fair, and transparent processes as we further liberalize such areas as type approval and private networks. In the next year we plan to conduct a strategic review to analyze the state of the mobile and fixed line market. At that time, we will make a decision about whether additional operators would benefit the sector.

4. With an open market, how is ictQATAR protecting consumers?

ictQATAR's role is one of independent regulator and consumer advocate. In this new environment, businesses and individual consumers come first. To ensure everyone is treated fairly, ictQATAR will guard against unfair business practices, working quickly to resolve disputes and complaints. The Council is also ensuring that consumers understand their rights and responsibilities.

ictQATAR is also consulting with the public and stakeholders to integrate their views into the setting of regulations and policy. Recently, the Regulatory Authority solicited comments on billing and tariffs for telecoms products and services.

5. What is ictQATAR doing to keep children safe on the internet and protect online transactions?

An absolute priority of ictQATAR is the protection of our children online. Children must be able to chat online or research a school project without predators or marketers accessing their private information.

This unwavering dedication to the safety of children - and the security of commercial transactions and protection of government and business information and systems - is why ictQATAR partnered in 2005 with Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute to establish the Qatar Computer-Emergency Response Team (Q-CERT). Q-CERT's team of more than 30 professionals cooperate with government agencies, schools, organizations, and businesses of all sizes to manage cyber risks and protect users. Q-CERT has developed a national cyberspace security response team.

ictQATAR will work to heighten national awareness about the need for policy action and international cooperation. We will advocate for national policies focusing on specific sectors and cooperation with law enforcement agencies to improve cyber crime detection, prevention, and response.

6. How is ictQATAR developing and diversifying the market?

Qatar is growing its ICT sector as well as accelerating the competitiveness of business through adoption of ICT. We are working to foster a technology-friendly environment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Often, businesses in this category - those with 99 or fewer employees - are overlooked as governments focus on large business.

In today's global economy, the ability of SMEs to leverage technology is crucial, but we have found that many business leaders are unaware of ICT's extraordinary potential to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and build a customer base. That is why ictQATAR s is helping these important businesses adopt technologies that will better position them to compete and succeed.

Over the next three years, ictQATAR will collaborate with the private and public sectors to roll out 21 e-business initiatives to help SMEs thrive. Our plan is based on exhaustive study of market conditions and the insight of stakeholders across the business landscape. Our initial focus is to heighten awareness of the value of ICT to SMEs. After this education phase, ictQATAR will support the provision of business resources, ICT applications, and development activities.

ictQATAR is sponsoring Business Connect, a series of seminars bringing businesses and ICT development together. Business Connect seminars highlight relevant ICT information and provide a forum to share success stories.

In addition, ictQATAR is developing an international campaign to attract foreign direct investments in strategic sectors within the ICT industry.

7. How is ictQATAR championing an information-based society

The National Vision is an ambitious roadmap to a prosperous future where citizens will enjoy unlimited social, economic, and political opportunities. ictQATAR is part of helping the country attain these aspirations. In education, our programs help open students' eyes to a world of ideas and concepts. Technology allows adult learners to keep growing intellectually and professionally so their careers advance.

And technology is connecting parents, students, and teachers through a unique three-way portal. In the healthcare sector, where Qatar's leaders are committed to providing world-class care to the entire population, information technology will service as the cornerstone of an effective and responsive healthcare delivery system.

Economically, we are helping businesses of all sizes to discover new efficiencies and new markets. Every day, ICT supports the economy as it expands, deepens, and diversifies. And because of technology, people with a dream and a good idea can start or expand their small business. Politically, ictQATAR has worked with other councils, ministries and government agencies to create Hukoomi, Qatar's e-government portal. Hukoomi helps nurture democratic principles by connecting people to the government that serves them. Now people of all ages and income levels can access the same services and information about government policy any time day or night.

8. What is the Promise of e?

Last year, ictQATAR launched a public awareness campaign outlining the benefits of ICT to individuals and institutions. The campaign was branded as the promise of e - 21st century shorthand for the promise of information and communication technology. e has come to mean boundless opportunities for economic development, enriched lives, equitable access, and citizen engagement. ictQATAR is the driving force for innovation and inclusiveness, creating a truly networked nation.

9. What is ictQATAR doing to benefit people living with disabilities?

The rights of knowledge and connectivity are fundamental to every citizen, including those challenged by mental and physical disabilities. The power of technology promises a more dignified life for the disabled; ICT access offers the chance to compensate for physical and functional limitations. In 2006, the World Telecommunications Development Conference was held in Doha where a special initiative was created for the specific purpose of providing access to ICT services for persons with disabilities.

Today, the ictQATAR website is fully accessible to the visually impaired, and we are encouraging our counterparts throughout government to make their sites equally accessible. To raise awareness of this issue in government and private industry, ictQATAR hosted a forum on Assistive Technologies for the Visually Impaired, the first in a series of events focusing on how ICT can be integrated into the lives of the disabled. ictQATAR has also upgraded its website to comply with AA standards of accessibility as outlined by the W3C. Moreover, ictQATAR has established a Working Group of local experts to determine specifically how ICT can best play a role in improving life for Qatar's disabled. In April 2009, ictQATAR and key partners announced plans to establish an independent Center for Assistive Technology in Doha that will be dedicated to helping people with disabilities through information and communications technologies.