dr. sherif hashem information society development office (isdo), director [email protected]...
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Sherif HashemInformation Society Development Office (ISDO), Director
Empowering E-Business in Egypt: Facing the Challenges!
Empowering E-Business in Egypt: Facing the Challenges!
“The Digital Divide is the socio-economic gap between industrialized & lesser developed communities due to the rapid and efficient deployment of digital technologies”
The Digital Divide
Europe 32%
Asia & Pacific36%Latin America
8%
Canada & USA22%
Africa2%
Europe Asia & Pacific Africa Latin America Canada & USA
Source: ITU (internet host data: Network Wizards, Ripe 2000
Number of Fixed Lines Worldwide by Region
Europe 29%
Asia & Pacific35%
Latin America 5%
Canada & USA30%
Africa1%
Europe Asia & Pacific Africa Latin America Canada & USA
Source: ITU (internet host data: Network Wizards, Ripe 2000
Worldwide Internet Users by Region
Europe 22%
Asia & Pacific24%
Latin America 1%Canada & USA
52%
Africa/ME/EE1%
Europe Asia & Pacific Africa/ME/EE Latin America Canada & USA
Source: Forrester Report 2001
Projection of E-Business Worldwide by 2004
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Europe Asia & Pacific Africa Latin America Canada & USA
% Fixed Lines % Internet Users % E-Business
The Digital Divide
1.2M users (estimated) compared to 544M WW (NUA Survey – Feb`02)
Most access is in the capital & major cities
Internet utilization rate of 1 in 57
compared to a WW rate of 1 in 11
60+ ISPs
Cost: FREE Internet in 15 Governorates, the rest will be covered by the end of 2002
Internet Access in Egypt
Local content
Culture
Language
Human Resources/skills
Awareness/understanding
Local business models
Infrastructure
Access to computers
Access to the Internet
Access to software
Access to technical expertise
Some Key CIT Challenges
CIT Industry Development
Human Resource Development
Communication Infrastructure Development
Information Infrastructure Development
National CIT Plan (Dec 1999)
Community awareness. Education. Development of CIT professionals Infrastructure development. Regulatory framework.
National CIT Plan: Mission and Objectives
Government subsidized Internet Cafés
Created in youth centers, public libraries, schools and NGOs. Focusing on deprived and low income communities.
Awareness
To date, there are 350 clubs nation wide
AccessAffordability
IT Clubs
96 hours – 6 weeks – hands-on training
More than 60,000 graduates
Internet
Presentation Skills
Language Skills
Word Processing
Data Entry
Spread Sheets
Awareness Access
Affordability
Basic IT Training Program
Certified professional training by major technology providers including:
Cisco, Microsoft, Lucent, Nortel, Qualcomm, Ericsson, IBM and Oracle.
Awareness Access Affordability
More than 8,550 graduates
Professional Development Program
Deregulation Private sector participation.
Alliances.
Investment opportunities.
Diversification of services
Competitive environment
Access Affordability
Expanding the Network
E-government program & projects.
E-commerce and e-payment projects.
Community telecenters project.
Telemedicine projects.
Affordable PCs project.
Incubators project.
Cultural documentation & dissemination projects.
Stimulating the Information Society
Fixed Lines: 9.3M lines up from 6.4M lines, and 7.3M subscribers up from 4.9M subscribers.
Mobile phones: 3.9M subscribers up from 655K subscribers Public pay phones: 42K pay phones up from 13K public pay
phones.
*Current figures are compared with the situation when the national CIT was adopted late 1999
Facing the Challenges: Telephony*
International links: 500 MB/Sec up from 20MB/Sec.
Users: Over 1.2M users up from 300K users.
Access cost: Access is almost Free (in 15 Governorates) compared to US $20/month.
Access Points: Over 350 IT clubs and community telecenters.
*Current figures are compared with the situation when the national CIT was adopted late 1999
Facing the Challenges: Internet Access*
Basic CIT Skills: Over 60K trained.
Professional Training: Over 8500 highly skilled professionals.
National Telecommunication Institute.
Technological University.
*Current figures are compared with the situation when the national CIT was adopted late 1999
Facing the Challenges: Skills Development*
ICT Companies: 722 companies up from 266 companies.
ICT Professionals: Over 25K highly skilled professionals up from 10K professionals.
Smart Villages.
ICT Incubators.
ICT Industry Development Organization.
*Current figures are compared with the situation when the national CIT was adopted late 1999
Facing the Challenges: Industry Development*
Oct’97 ISE-Ecommerce Committee formed
Aug’98 1st meeting of the National E-commerce Committee
Sep’98 1st National Seminar on Ecommerce
Sep’99 Ecommerce initiative declared
Oct’99 Ecommerce in the National CIT Plan
2000-02 Cyber laws (e-signature, e-payment, ..);
Government Pilots; Private Portals
E-commerce in Egypt
Legislation (cyber laws): Electronic Signature & Electronic Contracting Customs & Taxes Jurisdiction Encryption, IPR, privacy, security, consumer protection, domain
names, trade marks, etc. Regulation (Certificate Authorities, etc.) Banking infrastructure (e-payment) E-Insurance (financial, commerce, etc.) E-Education & E-Knowledge
Some Key Issues
Who is responsible for E-commerce?
How can government empower the use of E-commerce?
How can SMEs understand the challenges and opportunities of E-commerce?
How to help create, empower, and support Egyptian E-business models?
Where do we go from here?
Some Key Questions
National Electronic Signature Committee (entities): Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Interior
Ministry for Administrative Development
Central Bank of Egypt
Cabinet Information & Decision Support Center
Drafting an E-Signature Act: The Process
National Electronic Signature Committee (legal and technology experts):
Governmental,
Private sector, and
Academic
Drafting an E-Signature Act: The Process(Cont.)
Amending existing laws vs. creating a “new” law
Recognition of electronic/digital documents and signatures
Creation of a state organization for regulatory, licensing, and supervisory roles
General awareness and training programs
Protecting IPR and privacy
Drafting an E-Signature Act: Key Issues
Recognizing electronic/digital signatures and document
Scope: Commercial, Administrative, Civil Sectors
Technology Independence
Establishing a regulatory body for Certificate Authority (CAs)
Recognizing “foreign” CAs
E-Signature Act: The Main Points
National white paper on:
The Egyptian information society
Four sub-committees:
Electronic contracting
E-payment
Customs and taxes
CyberCrime
The Road Ahead
For More InformationVisit
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology http://www.mcit.gov.eg/
or E-mail:[email protected]
Thank You……