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To: Tito L. Nisperos Jr. who wrote (55460)	11/13/2001 7:46:41 PM
From: Tito L. Nisperos Jr.	Respond to of 70976

Jordan's hi-tech hopes From BBC News The aim is to put more Jordanians on the net By Saad Hattar in Jordan When King Abdullah of Jordan ascended the throne in February 1999, he hoped to transform his cash-strapped country into a haven for hi-tech industry. Two-and-a-half years into his reign, the 39-year-old monarch appears to have made some progress. King Abdullah invested much of his own time and his country's limited resources on importing and building an advanced information technology industry. He has also expanded IT's role in the education system. The dotcom shake-out could not have come at a better time for Jordanian IT businesses Karim Qawar Int@J chairman He introduced an e-government system and provided thousands of computers to schools and educational centres, including those in remote rural areas. The king, according to a royal court source, wants all Jordanians to have access to a computer. Despite his nation's pressing financial problems, Jordan's new leader seems determined to fund his nation's participation in the global IT industry. He plans to erect a Silicon Valley-like industrial zone in the hope of attracting about $150m in direct foreign investment over the next three years. Computer education Computer sciences and English language programmes have been revamped over the last two years to serve pupils in lower grades. King Abdullah hopes the US and the EU, and especially Britain, will help fund a 10-year educational reform strategy. His $650m plan involves making major amendments to school curricula, upgrading teachers' qualifications and setting up dozens of new, fully equipped schools and learning resource centres. There are plans to establish an IT faculty at Al al-Bayt University. The ultimate aim is to make the IT industry Jordan's vehicle for economic growth. The king wants Jordan to become a major player in the IT industry But the dark clouds hanging over the IT sector worldwide, regional uncertainty and the 11 September terror attacks on America have had a negative impact on those plans. Int@J, the country's IT association representing 84 firms, has sought to lure potential investors into the fledgling and low-cost market following the mid-2000 Nasdaq crash. Int@J Chairman, Karim Qawar, dismisses the internet market meltdown as a "minor setback". "The dotcom shake-out could not have come at a better time for Jordanian IT businesses," he said in a recent interview. "It has helped separate hype from substance. It was a minor setback that prompted some companies to address other markets [than the US]." Local IT companies have raised just under $60m since September 1999. Their declared goal is to attract $150m in direct foreign investment by 2004. Regional hopes The concept of a regional dotcom market, to start off with a hard core of IT-oriented countries and to expand later, has been the subject of several discussions between King Abdullah and the like-minded leaders of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. But to create a climate conducive to the spread of IT, they must first tackle the problem of software piracy. A crackdown by the authorities has seen levels drop - from 90% in late 1999 to nearly 50%. A focus on internet content is also necessary if Jordan is to meet its target of raising the number of subscribers to 500,000 - or one in 10 Jordanians - over the next two years. The current number stands at 25,000 - a 20th of that target. But as King Abdullah strives to make ends meet in an unstable region, he appears determined to find the resources needed to turn his hi-tech dreams into reality. You can join King Abdullah for a special web, radio and television edition of Talking Point on Friday 9 November. Send us your questions for him now and include your phone number if you want to put them directly to him.

To: Tito L. Nisperos Jr. who wrote (55460)	11/13/2001 7:59:36 PM
From: michael97123	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Tito, Iran reentering the modern world. Both a political and economic role to play going forward. This could be the most significanto of all international events now going on. Remove Iran as a terrorist state, make them modern and perhaps even an advocate for mideast peace and Hezbollah and Hamas disappear in their terrorist form at least. This is a good thing to go along what is taking place on the ground in Afghanistan today. mike

To: Tito L. Nisperos Jr. who wrote (55460)	11/20/2001 7:56:35 AM
From: Tito L. Nisperos Jr.	Respond to of 70976

India's mobile market surges 80% (The Economic Bad News have been coming mainly from Asia-Pacific --- our trading partners in Tech. Here is a report from India --- a country doing Okay because it's not dependent on Tech exports. Another country --- Iran wanting to enter Telecom market is reported before in the above Post #55460) November 20, 2001 Posted: 12:49 PM HKT (0449 GMT) By CNN's Kristie Lu Stout NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- India's mobile market grew 80.2 percent year-on-year in October, according to the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI). The country added 201,096 new mobile subscribers in October to reach a nationwide total of 5.011 million users. But the COAI also warned that the ongoing debate over limited mobility services could break the momentum of the sector's growth. 'Doubling every year' "We have been growing at a fairly good rate, doubling every year partly due to a drop in the tariffs," COAI's Anjali Hans told CNN. The COAI said telecom markets with the least subscriber growth potential, otherwise known as "C" circles, grew the fastest. India divides its telecom markets into areas based on subscriber potential including the "metro," "A," "B," and "C" telecom circles. The "C" mobile user base surged 130.9 percent over the last year, whereas the lucrative "metro" market experienced 77.8 percent growth, the COAI reported. "A" circles soared 103.3 percent, and the "B" areas grew 52 percent. COAI said India's metro areas have seen a record surge in mobile users in recent months due to the introduction of more competition. "Competition has already come to Delhi and Bombay, but as for the other places, full competition has yet to be introduced," said Hans. Cellular rates in India have fallen by about 75 percent over the last three years. In May 1999, the peak rate allowed by Indian regulatory authorities was 16.8 rupees a minute. Now, it is 4.5 rupees. In New Delhi and Bombay, the current standard package rate -- the rate actually being charged by mobile operators -- has fallen to 2 rupees per minute compared to last year's 4.5 rupees. India's mobile market has been adding at least 200,000 subscribers a month since June. New Delhi currently leads India's mobile push forward with a total of about 760,000 users as of end-September. Bombay is the No.2 mobile market with about 710,000 users. Limited mobility limbo COAI said that there are regulatory issues remaining that are breaking the momentum of the sector's growth -- in particular the issue of limited mobility. This is a service where a fixed-line phone connection can be used like a cellular service within a set geographical area, using a mobile handset. Cellular operators have been challenging the government's decision to allow fixed-line providers to offer mobile services, saying that the move gives them a back door entry into the wireless business. Currently, fixed-line operators in India enjoy a substantial government subsidy -- 60 percent of long distance revenues can be kept by long distance operators. The limited mobility issue could damage players in the cellular sector because they do not have access to the subsidy. "It's still an issue," said Hans. "Hearings are going on about the matter and we are hopeful of getting a judgment by January." India's Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal, a separate tribunal set up by regulatory authorities to look at telecom disputes, is overseeing the hearing, which began in June. A final decision is slated for January. "Once that is done, then there will be a lot of clarity about what the market will look like and cellular operators can make plans more firmly," said Hans. "Right now, things are in limbo and people are not really talking about future plans."