The Arab ICT Regulators’ Network is an independent organization created to support capacity building for Arab ICT regulatory institutions in the Arab World.
A key aim of the Network is to share experiences and develop expertise that will enable the regulators’ role of facilitating growth in telecom products and services and achieving equality of access to such services in the Arab region.
The Network was established at a meeting in Algiers in April 2003. Subsequently, a meeting was held in Amman, during which a general assembly was formed consisting of representatives of the Network's twelve members.
Representatives of the Network members are convening in Jordan between the 21st and the 22nd of March 2004 to develop a communiqué for the Network that would act as a roadmap for developing the ICT sector in the Arab World, with special focus on capacity building and investment promotion. The event is organized by the Jordanian Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) in cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The meeting will mark the official launch of the Network under the presidency of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
In addition, the meeting will be followed by a three-day professional development workshop, arranged and hosted by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) – Jordan. The workshop is designed to share international and regional experience on key topics of interest to telecom regulators, including Network interconnection, radio spectrum management, dispute resolution, and ethics and conflicts of interest. The insights to be presented during this workshop will assist ICT regulators within the Arab region to meet the challenges of a constantly evolving global sector. (For more information on the workshop please click the following link.)
Host Country: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, Jordan has developed into a country of solid economic growth supported by investment promotion and privatization policies.
Under the leadership and guidance of His Majesty King Abdullah II, Jordan has succeeded in becoming a regional ICT hub attracting international companies like Microsoft, IBM, Dell, Cisco, Intel, US Robotics, Apple, Motorola, and Nokia to join forces with Jordan's educated human resources.
Much of the development taking place today in the Jordanian ICT industry is due to the efforts of Jordan's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) in providing the proper infrastructure and regulatory policies that are facilitating the growth of the industry in the Kingdom.
The Jordanian information technology market has been estimated at around $60 million in 1999, with an annual growth rate of 15 - 30%. Export sales have been estimated at $7.5 million in 1998, with an annual growth rate of over 100%, thus reaching an estimated total of $30 million in the year 2000. Jordan has ten operating ISP's, and four telecom operators. The TRC has recently introduced a new numbering plan, which will allow for new telecom technology providers to invest in the Kingdom.
Jordan's stable political environment and ongoing legislative reforms contribute today to its international and regional reputation as a country of growth, investment, and innovation.