Information on our website includes abbreviations, acronyms and technical language. We have included a Glossary, which explains the terms used.

Access:

access to telecommunications facilities or telecommunications services between service providers which makes such facilities or services or both available from one service provider to be used by another service provider, subject to certain terms and conditions and on exclusive or non-exclusive basis for the purpose of providing telecommunications services, but the concept of access does not include or apply to facilities or services for end users.

Authorization: an approval granted to use radio spectrum or provide telecommunications services.

Board: the managing Board of the Supreme Council.

Broadcasting Service: the broadcasting of radio and television programming to the public free of charge or for payment, by subscription or any other basis using any type of telecommunications networks. 

Class License: the License granted in accordance with Chapter Three of this Law for a certain class of service providers and which applies to any person falling within that class without that person having to apply for such license.

Control: any person's control over the decisions of any other person in any form because it enjoys economic strength affording it the power to behave to some extent independently from competitors or customers, whether directly, through the ownership of shares or debentures, or indirectly, through any contracts or agreements.

Customer: any subscriber or user of telecommunications services, whether such services are acquired for the customer's own use or for resale.

Dominant Service Provider: a service provider which enjoys market power or dominance in one or more telecommunications service markets in accordance with the provisions of Chapter Nine of this Law.

General Secretariat: the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council.

Interconnection: the physical and logical linking of telecommunications networks used by the same service provider or by a number of service providers in order to allow the customers of one service provider to communicate with customers of the same or another service provider or to enable them to access services provided by another service provider.

Internet Protocol: any set of communications protocol defining standards for Internet network interoperability, transmissions and related applications inside the internet network including the Transmission Control Protocol "TCP" and the "TCP/IP" protocol suite.

Individual License: license granted to a particular person in accordance with the provisions of Chapter Three of this Law.

International Rules: any rules, instructions, orders, regulations, recommendations, guidelines, provisions, specifications, terminologies, definitions or any other matters provided for in the agreements of the International Telecommunications Union and the Arabic Chapter of the International Telecommunications Union or in any other agreements ratified by the State.

License: an Individual or a Class License issued pursuant to Chapter Three of this Law or a Radio Spectrum License in accordance with the provisions of Chapter Four of this Law.

Licensee: a person who holds a License pursuant to the provisions of this Law.

National Numbering Plan: the plan set by the General Secretariat to determine, allocate and assign numbers used in all telecommunications services or for any other purpose related to numbering.

National Radio Spectrum Plan: the plan established for allocation and use of radio spectrum by the concerned entities.

Numbering: string of serial digits that identifies termination points in the telecommunications network and includes the information necessary to route telecommunications to a termination point.

Number Portability: any service by which a customer can retain any existing number without any difficulty or impairment of the quality of the service or its availability, when changing his location or switching from one service provider to another.

Qtel: Qatar Telecommunications Company (Qtel).

Radio-communications: any transmission, emission or reception of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data or information of any kind by means of electromagnetic waves in the radio spectrum.

Radio Spectrum: Radio frequencies that are capable of being used in radio communication in accordance with the publications of the International Telecommunications Union.

Radio Spectrum License: the License to use radio spectrum in accordance with the plan, allocations, assignments and terms as stated in Chapter Four of this Law.

Frequency Band: a portion of the radio spectrum which starts at a frequency and ends at another.

Secretary-General: the Secretary General of the Supreme Council.

Service Provider: a person that is licensed to provide one or more telecommunications services to the public or licensed to own, establish or operate a telecommunications network to provide telecommunications services to the public. This includes providers of information or content provided using a telecommunications network.

Significant Market Power: the strong economic position of a service provider in the market that permits it to act independently of customers or competitors, or to dominate a market or markets related to specific telecommunications services, through acting either individually or jointly with others in accordance with the provisions of chapter nine of this Law.

Supreme Council: The Supreme Council for Information and Communications Technology-"ictQATAR."

Telecommunications: the transmission, emission or reception of writing, signs, signals, images, sounds, data, text or information of any kind or nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic means of communications, or by any other telecommunications means.

Telecommunications Equipment: equipment capable of being connected directly or indirectly with a telecommunications network in order to send, transmit or receive telecommunications services.

Telecommunications Facilities: any facility, apparatus or other used or capable of being used for transmitting telecommunications services or for any operation directly connected with the transmission of telecommunications services.

Telecommunications Network: any wire, radio, optical or electromagnetic systems for routing, switching and transmitting telecommunications services between network termination points including fixed and mobile terrestrial networks, satellite networks, electricity transmission systems or other utilities (to the extent used for telecommunications), circuit or packet switched networks (including those used for Internet Protocol services), and networks used for delivery of broadcasting services (including cable television networks).

Terms of Service: the general terms and conditions on which the service provider provides its telecommunications services to the customers in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

Universal Service: the provision of telecommunications services to the public in accordance with the universal service policy as approved pursuant to the provisions of this Law.