ictQATAR's 2011 Qatar's ICT Landscape Report

Qatar’s ICT Landscape

Table of Contents Introduction

2

Executive Summary

3

Chapter I: Households and Individuals

9

Chapter II: Business

19

Chapter III: Government

27

Chapter IV: Education

33

Chapter V: Healthcare

41

Chapter VI: Tourism and Sports

47

Chapter VII: ICT Workforce

53

Appendix

57

1

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Introduction Over the past several years, the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) has been monitoring the overall progress of information and communication technology (ICT) penetration and utilization among key sectors crucial to the growth of a knowledge-based economy. A first-ever country-wide, survey-based ICT study was conducted in 2008 and released in early 2009. Two years later, ictQATAR commissioned International Data Corporation (IDC) to conduct an in-depth review of the same key sectors-households and individuals, the government, businesses, healthcare, education, and tourism and sports, as well as of the ICT job market. This report is a summary of IDC’s findings on the penetration and usage of ICT. Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011 outlines numerous areas of progress in ICT penetration and usage across various sectors in Qatar. Today, the country is better connected than ever, with ICT providing new means of delivering learning, enhancing business efficiencies, helping to improve healthcare and government services, and allowing households and travelers to socialize, access information, and seek entertainment. This report is based on 16 surveys and 6,455 interviews, which were conducted by IDC between April and October 2010. In addition, fact-finding activities were also conducted as part of a secondary research effort to benchmark Qatar’s current performance against a group of countries across a wide-range of ICT indicators. The countries selected for international benchmarking are Australia, Bahrain, China, Estonia, India, Ireland, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Singapore, the UAE, and the United Kingdom. The rationale for the selection of these countries is outlined in the report appendix. Measuring the penetration and usage of ICT across varied sectors helps track progress within the country as well as comparing it with regional and global peers. This comparative data plays a crucial role in understanding where Qatar stands at present and how it is progressing toward its goal of transforming itself into a highly connected, knowledge-driven economy.

2

This study not only point to the significant progress Qatar has made over a short period of time, it also outlines the challenges the country faces in realizing its vision of a diverse economy and a bright future for its people.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Executive Summary

Background Qatar has been making significant progress in terms of ICT access and use, with digital technology touching the lives of an increasing number of people within the country. With a national vision to transform itself into a knowledge-based economy by 2030, Qatar has continued to make significant investments in ramping up its national infrastructure as well as the capacity of its human capital. Overall, Qatar’s ICT penetration rates have shown strong growth since the previous assessment conducted in 2008. A growing number of the country’s households are embracing the Internet-in 2010, 84 percent had access to the Internet, compared with 63 percent in 2008. Furthermore, broadband connectivity in households increased from 41 percent in 2008 to 70 percent in 2010. The business sector also saw a strong increase in overall PC penetration, growing from 67 percent in 2008 to 76 percent in 2010. Beyond households and businesses, there is also high penetration of PCs, mobile phones, the Internet, and broadband connectivity among government organizations, schools, universities, and tourism facilities in the country. Qatar’s growing ICT penetration rates have contributed to the country’s favorable placement in various comparative international indices. Qatar ranks 17th out of 139 nations in the Global Competitiveness Index produced by the World Economic Forum (WEF), and 30th out of 133 national economies within the Networked Readiness Index, which is produced by the WEF in cooperation with the INSEAD, the international business school. Also, the country ranks in the upper third of the UN E-Government Development Index and the Ease of Doing Business Index, which not only evaluate the spread and use of ICT, but also explicitly consider the roles played by major stakeholders, such as individuals, businesses, and governments. Table 1: Qatar’s Ranking on Global ICT-Related Indices

It should be noted that improved rates of ownership and connectivity do not necessarily translate to effective utilization of ICT. Thus, in spite of the progress made in both penetration and usage, Qatar’s challenge will be to continue its momentum in fostering the effective deployment of ICT throughout the country in order to meet its goal of becoming a knowledge-based economy. Analysis of the ICT landscape among Qatar’s major stakeholders and other key findings from the research conducted in 2010 are summarized below. A more detailed analysis is also available in the individual chapters of this report.

Households and Individuals • In 2010, ICT penetration rates among Qatari households increased across all basic ICT infrastructure areas, including fixed telephone lines, personal computers, the Internet, and broadband connectivity. Qatar is also seeing positive momentum among individuals in the ownership of mobile phones and personal computers, and in Internet access. • Broadband penetration is enabling many individuals within Qatar to access emerging Internet technologies such as video conferencing, video streaming, and largefile-sharing solutions. However, as these technologies require higher Internet throughput levels, judicious evaluation and monitoring of available bandwidth will be necessary in order to evaluate requirements for additional investment in infrastructure. For example, at a broadband speed of 256 Kbps, downloading a DVD-quality movie of 4 GB would take nearly 35 hours to complete, compared with a download time of slightly over five minutes with a broadband connection speed of 100 Mbps.

World Rank

Arab Rank

Index

Reference

The Networked Readiness Index 2009–2010

WEF and INSEAD, Global Information Technology Report 2009–2010

30 (out of 133)

3

Global Competitiveness Index 2010–2011

WEF, Global Competitiveness Report 2010–2011

17 (out of 139)

1

E-Government Development Index 2010

United Nations, E-Government Survey 2010

62 (out of 183)

6

Knowledge Economy Index 2009

World Bank, Knowledge for Development program

44 (out of 146)

1

Ease of Doing Business Index 2010

IFC and World Bank 2010, Doing Business report

50 (out of 183)

4

Global Innovation Index 2009–2010

INSEAD and Confederation of Indian Industry, Global Innovation Index Report 2009–2010

35 (out of 132)

3

ITU ICT Development Index 2008

International Telecommunication Union, Measuring the Information Society 2010

45 (out 159)

3

Sources: World Economic Forum (WEF), INSEAD Business School, United Nations (UN), World Bank (WB), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Data Corporation (IDC).

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

5

• While households and individuals in Qatar are making greater and more diverse use of ICT, the transient labor population, females, and the elderly appear to have relatively lower levels of access to PCs and the Internet than the mainstream population.

Business • The increased pervasiveness of ICT is visible in the business sector. Whether motivated to gain a competitive edge or reacting to competitive forces, the business sector in Qatar witnessed increased penetration of PCs, Internet, broadband connectivity, local area networks, intranets, extranets, and corporate websites in 2010. Notwithstanding this growth, business entities in Qatar still trail regional and international benchmark countries and thus need to further ramp up ICT penetration rates. • Moving forward, any further increase in ICT penetration levels for the business sector can only be achieved by improving utilization among small businesses (i.e. companies with fewer than 10 employees). These entities have fallen behind their larger-sized counterparts in integrating ICT into their activities. The sheer number of small businesses in Qatar (i.e., 72 percent of all private sector companies) has a strong impact on ICT penetration rates within the private sector. 6

Government • The government sector is leading the way compared to other sectors in Qatar, with strong penetration levels in terms of PC, Internet connectivity, broadband connectivity, LAN connectivity, and organizational web presence. In 2010, all core government ministries, councils, and authorities in the country were utilizing PCs, broadband Internet, and LAN network connectivity, as well as maintaining dedicated websites. • Skills development is another area that is witnessing progress. As of 2010, 61 percent of government employees have received ICT training, with nearly onequarter of those employees having received relevant training within the past 12 months. • Current awareness and usage levels of Qatar’s e-Government portal-Hukoomi-indicate that it has not yet been fully embraced by residents. At present, two-thirds of the mainstream population is aware of government services available online, but only one-quarter of residents have ever used them. Opportunities exist to further ramp up awareness and usage of the Hukoomi portal through enhanced marketing efforts.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Education • Access to PCs within K–12 schools in Qatar continues to increase, with the average number of PCs installed per hundred students rising from 12.8 in 2008 to 15.5 in 2010. Nonetheless, schools in Qatar rank within the bottom half among countries identified for benchmarking, ahead only of its regional peers Oman and Jordan. • Internet penetration is also growing; as of 2010, 98 percent of K–12 schools were connected to the Internet, up from 73 percent in 2008. In addition, 93 percent of schools were equipped with a broadband connection in 2010, significantly higher than the 59 percent recorded in 2008. This growth has positively impacted Qatar’s relative standing amongst its peers. At present, Qatar ranks within the upper half of countries identified for benchmarking. • There is a disparity between schools’ ownership of various interactive learning devices and teachers’ use of these tools for educational purposes. The current usageto-ownership ratios for interactive learning devices such as data projectors (0.65), interactive white boards (0.64), video players (0.41), audio/video conferencing (0.26), digital still cameras (0.26), digital video cameras (0.22), and mobile phones/PDAs (0.20) indicate there is an opportunity to further improve the utilization of digital tools for learning in Qatar. • Within higher education institutions, nearly 100 percent of educators and students have access to PCs for educational or personal purposes. In addition, almost all university educators and 95 percent of students also have access to the Internet within their universities.

Healthcare • Access to basic ICT infrastructure such as PCs and the Internet within the healthcare sector in Qatar is widespread. Nearly 98 percent of healthcare professionals access PCs and 97 percent utilize the Internet within the home or workplace. • While individual ICT penetration rates in the healthcare sector are high, institutional ownership of electronic medical record systems is just beginning to grow. As of 2010, the electronic storage of patient data is used in 49 percent of health organizations. By comparison, indicators from the European Commission show that countries such as Norway (98 percent), Estonia (98 percent), the United Kingdom (95 percent), and Slovenia (86 percent) are leading the way in terms of the electronic recording and storage of individual patient data.

• Individuals in Qatar have increased access to various e-Health services, as the penetration of Internetconnected PCs among individuals in the mainstream population rose by 19 percentage points to reach 82 percent in 2010. Thirty-six percent of the mainstream population actively searched for healthcare-related information online in 2010.

Tourism and Sports • Nearly all tourism and sports establishments in Qatar currently maintain at least one PC, while 98 percent have broadband Internet connectivity within their organizations. However, in spite of the fact that a large number of visitors are business travelers and thus highly dependent on the Internet, only two-thirds of tourism and sports establishments in the country currently offer Internet access to their guests or customers. • A web presence is now commonplace for establishments in Qatar’s tourism sector. In 2010, approximately 80 percent of organizations in the sector maintained a website and 70 percent provided customers with the option to make online queries. Still, only 15 percent of those websites currently allow customers to make online transactions.

ICT Workforce • By 2009, an estimated 20,000 ICT staff were employed by Qatar’s private sector, representing 1.6 percent of the entire workforce in the country. This number is expected to increase to approximately 24,000 individuals by the end of 2011. • As the ICT readiness among those actively employed in Qatar grows and evolves, so does the need for

specialized ICT skills. As of 2010, approximately 90 percent of private sector enterprises in Qatar maintained at least one permanent ICT employee within their organizations. While a typical private sector company employs 6.7 ICT staff, on the whole, IT departments are noticeably understaffed with an average of 7.9 ICTrelated positions remaining vacant.

• More than 5 percent of private companies are currently looking to recruit ICT staff with general skills in application development or software engineering, Internet and networking, databases, operating systems, email/groupware, enterprise resource management (ERP), and customer relationship management (CRM).

Looking Ahead While there are numerous areas of progress in terms of overall ICT penetration and usage in Qatar, the country must further accelerate its efforts in order to truly integrate the use of ICT among individuals and institutions in the country. This is becoming more crucial, as Qatar is expected to see further growth in its total population over the coming years due to urban development, large-scale investment projects, and rising government expenditure. Qatar has the ability to leverage the three fundamental characteristics of ICT: its pervasiveness or ability to spread across all economic sectors; its continuous evolution or ability to constantly improve over time; and its linkage with innovation or ability to facilitate new approaches and solutions. Along with the cooperation and support of other public- and private-sector entities, ictQATAR will spearhead the efforts to build a world-class ICT market and society to support Qatar’s social, cultural, and economic goals.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

7

Households and Individuals

Background

Key Findings

Qatar has witnessed a strong rate of population growth over recent years. According to the Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) census results, Qatar’s total population has increased more than two-fold since 2004 to an estimated 1.7 million in 2010. Figure 1: Total Population of Qatar (2004–2010) Percentage of the Population Males

Females 1.0 M

0.74 M

30%

2004

23%

24%

77%

77%

76%

2008

2009

2010

1.5 M 1.1 M 28%

33% 67%

1.6 M

1.7 M

1.2 M 25%

70%

72%

74%

2005

2006

2007

23%

Sources: QSA mid-year population estimate (2009) and census results (2010).

A demographic characteristic that Qatar shares with other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Kuwait, is its large base of transient workers, who are mainly laborers working in the construction sector. Their number increases or decreases from year to year depending on construction booms and slumps, and, accordingly, they affect Qatar’s total population figures. Because of the complex and fluctuating nature of the population, two values are presented for major ICT indicators: one using the total population figure, which is standard global practice; and the other excluding the transient labor population (referred to in this document as the “mainstream population”). It is important to note that figures based on households are not impacted by the presence of transient laborers, who live in temporary housing. In order to assess ICT penetration and usage levels among households and individuals1, interviews were conducted with 1,400 Qatari nationals and expatriates as well as 300 individuals from the transient labor force.

1

• In 2010, ICT penetration rates among Qatari households increased across all basic ICT infrastructure areas, including fixed telephone lines, personal computers, the Internet, and broadband connectivity. Qatar is also seeing positive momentum among individuals in the ownership of mobile phones and personal computers, and in Internet access. • Broadband penetration is enabling many individuals within Qatar to access emerging Internet technologies such as video conferencing, video streaming, and large-file-sharing solutions. However, as these technologies require higher Internet throughput levels, judicious evaluation and monitoring of available bandwidth will be necessary in order to evaluate requirements for additional investment in infrastructure. For example, at a broadband speed of 256 Kbps, downloading a DVD-quality movie of 4 GB would take nearly 35 hours to complete, compared with a download time of slightly over five minutes with a broadband connection speed of 100 Mbps. • While households and individuals in Qatar are making greater and more diverse use of ICT, the transient labor population, females, and the elderly appear to have relatively lower levels of access to PCs and the Internet than the mainstream population.

Digital Devices in Households Mobile phones, televisions, satellite antennae, and radios are widespread among households in Qatar. On average, each household in Qatar owns 3.9 mobile phones, 1.7 television sets, 1.3 satellite antennae, and 0.7 radios. Increased appreciation of these devices is positively impacting ownership rates among the country’s households. For instance, mobile phone penetration within Qatar’s households increased in 2010, with 99 percent of Qatar’s households now equipped with at least one mobile phone, up from 98 percent in 2008. In addition, almost 95 percent of households now have at least one television, up from about 90 percent in 2008.

This corresponds to individuals 18+ years of age who have resided in Qatar for a period of at least six months.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

11

Figure 2: Household Penetration Rates for Various Devices

Figure 4: Personal Computer Penetration among HouseholdsInternational Benchmark

Percentage of Households 99%

95%

Percentage of Households

87% 48%

89% Satellite Antenna

1.7

1.3

81% 80%

Radio

71%

0.7

75% 74% 74% 73%

48%

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1,400.

39% 39%

Fixed Telephones in Households

Figure 3: Household Fixed Phone Penetration Rates Percentage of Households

12

83%

85%

2008

2010

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=800 (2008), n=1,400 (2010).

Access to Computers in Households Household-level PC2 penetration continues to increase in Qatar, from 71 percent in 2008 to 89 percent in 2010. This places Qatar in the first quartile among countries selected for benchmarking.

2

Includes both desktop and laptop computers.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Oman

Jordan

KSA

Ireland

UAE

EU-15

Australia

Singapore

United Kingdom

Qatar 2008

4% Qatar 2010

Qatar’s fixed line penetration rate bucked the global trend by further expanding in 2010. Penetration among households increased from 83 percent in 2008 to 85 percent in 2010. This comes partly as a result of the country’s rapid population growth. Recently published figures from the QSA census indicate that household units among the mainstream population have grown by 44 percent since 2004 to reach nearly 147,000.

35% 32%

India

3.9

Television

China

Average Number of Devices in a Household

Mobile Phone

Kuwait

Devices

Sources: Qatar: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=800 (2008), n=1,400 (2010). All other countries: ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database 2009; Estonia, Ireland, United Kingdom, and EU-15, data as of 2009; other data as of 2008.

Internet and Broadband Connectivity in Households A growing number of households in Qatar are embracing the Internet. In 2010, 84 percent of households had access to the Internet, compared to 63 percent in 2008. This places Qatar in the first quartile of the regional and worldwide countries used for benchmarking based on the latest available data.

Figure 5: Household Internet Penetration-International Benchmark

Figure 6: Household Broadband Penetration-International Benchmark

Percentage of Households

Percentage of Households 100% 100%

84% 77%

94% 75% 68% 67%

63%

74%

70%

63%

71%

68%

48% 41%

41% 29% 29%

22% 13%

14%

Jordan

KSA

China

Australia

Estonia

United Kingdom

Bahrain

UAE

Singapore

Qatar 2008

4%

Qatar 2010

India

Jordan

China

Oman

KSA

Bahrain

Estonia

Ireland

EU-15

UAE

United Kingdom

Qatar 2008

Qatar 2010

3%

India

18%

Sources: Qatar: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=800 (2008), n=1,400 (2010). All other countries: ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database 2009; Estonia, Ireland, United Kingdom, and EU-15, data as of 2009; other data as of 2008.

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar. 2008 and 2010), n=800 (2008), n=1,400 (2010). All other countries: Saïd Business School, Oxford University, Cisco Third Annual Broadband Study 2010.

Furthermore, broadband connections3 in Qatar have also increased, from 41 percent of households in 2008 to 70 percent in 2010. This ranks Qatar in the middle of the countries selected for benchmarking purposes.

The current broadband Internet threshold level of 256 Kbps is likely to become increasingly insufficient to cater to the bandwidth requirements for emerging Internet technologies, such as video conferencing, video streaming, and large-file-sharing. For example, at 256 Kbps, downloading a DVD-quality movie of 4 GB would take nearly 35 hours to complete, compared to a download time of slightly over 5 minutes at a broadband connection speed of 100 Mbps. In Qatar, service providers are continuously upgrading their broadband Internet service portfolio to account for increasing demand for higher connectivity speeds.

Table 1: Time Needed to Download Content at Different Download Speeds Connection Speed

256 Kbps broadband

2 Mbps broadband

10 Mbps broadband

100 Mbps broadband

Google home page (160 KB)

00:00:05

00:00:01

00:00:00

00:00:00

Music track (5 MB)

00:02:36

00:00:20

00:00:04

00:00:00

Video clip (20 MB)

00:10:25

00:01:20

00:00:16

00:00:02

CD/low-quality movie (700 MB)

06:04:35

00:46:40

00:09:20

00:00:56

DVD/high-quality movie (4 GB)

34:43:20

04:26:40

00:53:20

00:05:20

Content Type

Source: ITU calculation, speeds are rounded values in hours, minutes, and seconds and represent time required to download listed types of digital content.

3

Internet connections with minimum speeds of 256 Kbps as per ITU definition.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

13

Mobile Phones among Individuals

Figure 9: Mobile Phone Penetration Rates by Age Group

Mobile phone ownership continued to grow in Qatar in 2010, with overall penetration increasing 6 percentage points from 2008 to reach almost full saturation, or 99 percent of individuals. The use of prepaid mobile services continues to significantly outstrip that of postpaid services in Qatar. This is because nearly all members of the transient labor force choose to use prepaid mobile services. Data from national telecommunication operators confirms this: As of September 2010, the total number of prepaid mobile phone subscriptions in the country stood at 2.4 million, while postpaid mobile phone subscriptions totaled nearly 306,000. As such, prepaid accounts make up nearly 89 percent of all subscriptions in the country. Figure 7: Mobile Phone Penetration Rates

99%

94%

99% 2008 2010

Mainstream Population (Excluding Transient Labor Force)

14

Overall Population (Including Transient Labor Force)

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=800 (2008), n=1,700 (2010).

In terms of mobile phone penetration among the mainstream population, almost all males (99 percent) and females (97 percent) have mobile phones. In addition, ownership consistently ranges in the high 90 percent rates across various age groups. Figure 8: Mobile Phone Penetration Rates by Gender

99%

Less than 20 years

99%

98%

99%

20–29 years

30–39 years

97%

40–49 years

More than 50 years

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1400.

Personal Computer Penetration among Individuals A vital indicator on the state of ICT is the number of computers available for use by individuals. In Qatar, the PC penetration rates across the mainstream population stood at 85 percent in 2010, up from 54 percent in 2008.

Percentage of Individuals 97%

Percentage of Individuals

However, when considering the overall individual population (including the transient labor force), computer penetration in 2010 stood at 72 percent, a substantial increase from 32 percent in 2008. The gap between penetration rates of the overall and mainstream populations is due to the significantly lower rates of PC access among the transient labor force. Only 12 percent of laborers reported having access to PCs in 2010. Figure 10: Personal Computer Penetration Rates Percentage of Individuals 85%

72%

54% 32%

2008 2010

Percentage of Individuals 99%

99%

Mainstream Population (Excluding Transient Labor Force)

Overall Population (Including Transient Labor Force)

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=800 (2008), n=1,700 (2010). Male

Female

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1400.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Nonetheless, in relation to the latest available data from other countries, Qatar’s PC penetration figures rank in the upper third of the regional and international nations selected for benchmarking.

Figure 11: Personal Computer Penetration among the Total Population-International Benchmark

Figure 13: Personal Computer Penetration Rates by Age Group Percentage of Individuals

Percentage of Individuals

97%

87%

85%

83% 66%

77% 72%

74% 68%

Less than 20 years

58% 32%

40–49 years

More than 50 years

Internet Connectivity among Individuals

26%

6%

China

3% India

7%

Jordan

Oman

Estonia

UAE

Ireland

KSA

Bahrain

United Kingdom

17%

Qatar 2008

30–39 years

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1,400. 33%

Qatar 2010

20–29 years

Sources: Qatar: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=800 (2008), n=1,700 (2010). All other countries: World Economic Forum, Global Information Technology Report 20092010; Ireland, China, UAE, and United Kingdom, data as of 2006; India and Oman, data as of 2007; Estonia, Bahrain, KSA, and Jordan, data as of 2009.

Within the mainstream population, the PC penetration rate is slightly higher for males (86 percent) than it is for females (81 percent). It is also clear that PC penetration in Qatar progressively decreases among older age groups. Figure 12: Personal Computer Penetration Rates by Gender

Internet access4 is becoming increasingly commonplace, with penetration of the overall population increasing from 38 percent in 2008 to 69 percent in 2010. When viewed exclusively through the lens of the mainstream population, Internet penetration rates increased 19 percentage points since 2008 to reach 82 percent in 2010. Again, the disparity between the overall and mainstream penetration rates can be attributed to lower rates within the transient labor force, with only 8 percent of that segment of the population having access to the Internet in 2010. Figure 14: Internet Penetration Rates Percentage of Individuals

15

82%

69%

63% 38%

Mainstream Population (Excluding Transient Labor Force)

2008 2010

Overall Population (Including Transient Labor Force)

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=800 (2008), n=1,700 (2010).

Percentage of Individuals 86%

81%

Male

Female

From a regional and international perspective, the situation in Qatar remains positive, with the country ranking in the upper half of the benchmark countries identified.

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1,400.

4

Connectivity through either fixed line or mobile device.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Figure 15: Internet Penetration among Individuals-International Benchmark

Figure 17: Internet Penetration Rates by Age Group Percentage of Individuals

Percentage of Individuals 96%

84%

82%

72%

Less than 20 years

67%

43%

38%

38%

India

Jordan

China

KSA

Oman

Ireland

Estonia

UAE

Bahrain

30–39 years

40–49 years

64%

20–29 years

More than 50 years

Location of Internet Use and Online Activities Performed by Individuals

28%

5% United Kingdon

82%

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1400. 29%

Qatar 2008

82%

82%

69%

Qatar 2010

83%

Individuals in Qatar predominantly access the Internet from their homes (94 percent), followed by the workplace (62 percent). More than half connect via mobile telephones (57 percent), or via another person’s home or workplace (54 percent). Table 2: Location of Internet Use among Individuals

Sources: Qatar: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=800 (2008), n=1,700 (2010). All other countries: ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database 2009, data as of 2008.

16

Within the mainstream population, females have lower Internet penetration rates than males and older age groups have lower Internet penetration than younger age groups. As of 2010, Internet penetration rates stood at 78 percent for females, compared with 84 percent for males. The rates also steadily decrease among older age groups, ranging from 96 percent for those under 20 years of age to 64 percent for those over 50 years of age. Figure 16: Internet Penetration Rates by Gender Percentage of Individuals 84%

Male

78%

Female

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1400.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Access Point

Percentage of Individuals

Home

94%

Workplace

62%

Mobile phone

57%

Another person’s home or workplace

54%

Commercial Internet access facility (such as Internet cafés)

43%

Community Internet access facility (such as iParks)

42%

Other mobile devices (such as smartphones and PDAs)

30%

Place of education

25%

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1,400.

The Internet has become a critical tool in the digital economy for carrying out various day-to-day activities. It facilitates new ways of socializing, accessing information, performing financial transactions, and seeking entertainment. Over the past 12 months, the most common tasks performed by individuals in Qatar on the Internet included sending and receiving emails (93 percent of individuals); downloading movies/images/music or watching

television or video (65 percent); obtaining information about goods and services (51 percent); finding and installing software (41 percent); and reading online newspapers or magazines (42 percent). While a lower percentage of individuals sought information from government websites (24 percent) and utilized online banking services (22 percent) in 2010, these figures have nonetheless increased considerably from the 18 percent and 7 percent, respectively, reported in 2008. Figure 18: Tasks Performed on the Internet by Individuals in Qatar Percentage of Individuals Sending and receiving emails

93%

Downloading movies, images, music, watching TV or video

65%

Getting information about goods or services

51%

Finding, downloading, and installing software

42%

Reading or downloading online newspapers or magazines

41%

Playing or downloading video games or computer games Education and learning activities

36% 30%

Getting information from governmen organizations

24%

Online banking

22%

Interacting with government organizations

16%

Purchase or place orders for goods and services

15%

17

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1,143 (individuals with Internet connection).

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Business

Background There are more than 24,000 private businesses operating in Qatar, employing nearly 760,000 people as stated by the national statistics authority. Figure 1: Distribution of Private Establishments and Employees by Size 72% 52%

Establishments Employees

8% Small (1-9 employees)

24%

20%

Medium

3%

19%

Large

1% Very Large

(10–99 employees) (100–499 employees) (500+employees)

Total number of establishments

17,351

5,724

742

220

Total number of employees

63,126

155,374

146,441

394,786

Source: QSA, Bulletin of Establishments Census (2008).

Small businesses currently represent 72 percent of the total number of private entities in Qatar, but only employ 8 percent of the entire private sector workforce. At the other end of the scale, very large businesses employ 52 percent of the private sector workforce, but represent less than 1 percent of the number of companies operating in the private sector. Because small businesses account for such a large percentage of the total number of private sector entities in the country, the data on ICT penetration and use presented in this chapter relies heavily on the relative rates of ICT uptake among these businesses. In order to provide a picture of the current state of ICT in the business sector, interviews were conducted with senior IT decision makers at 594 organizations registered and running operations in Qatar.

Access to Computers In order to provide a business environment that attracts talent and allows investors to establish operations in the country, Qatar needs to ensure the availability of requisite ICT infrastructure, foster a forward-looking business culture, and provide conditions for existing talent to effectively leverage technology.

Key Findings • Qatar’s business sector witnessed increased penetration of PCs, Internet, broadband connectivity, local area networks, intranets, extranets, and corporate websites in 2010. Notwithstanding this growth, business entities in Qatar still trail regional and international benchmark countries and thus need to further ramp up ICT penetration rates. • Moving forward, increase in ICT penetration levels for the business sector can be achieved by significantly improving utilization rates among small businesses (i.e., companies with fewer than 10 employees). These entities have fallen behind their larger-sized counterparts in integrating ICT into their activities. The sheer number of small businesses in Qatar (i.e., 72 percent of all private sector companies) has a strong impact on ICT penetration rates within the private sector. Figure 2: PC Penetration Rate Percentage of Businesses

67%

2008

76%

2010

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=532 (2008), n=594 (2010).

However, small businesses clearly do not have the same capacity and maturity as larger businesses to embrace ICT for competitive advantage and differentiation. For instance, PC penetration within the small business segment stood at 65 percent in 2010, while each of the larger business segments had almost full penetration. It is important to note that the sheer number of small businesses has a strong impact on overall penetration rates. As such, further growth in Qatar’s PC penetration in the future can only be realized by further increasing ownership levels among the country’s small businesses.

To this extent, a key highlight within the business sector in Qatar is the strong increase in the overall PC penetration, which grew from 67 percent in 2008 to 76 percent in 2010. At the individual level, 36 percent of employees within businesses in Qatar have access to computers.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

21

Internet and Broadband Connectivity in Businesses

Figure 3: PC Penetration Rate by Business Size Percentage of Businesses 100%

100%

100%

Medium-sized (10-99 employees)

Large (100-499 employees)

Very Large (500+employees)

65%

Small (1-9 employees)

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=594.

Despite the strong rise recorded in PC penetration, Qatar still trails the regional and international benchmark countries, and thus needs to further ramp up its efforts in order to catch up with its GCC peers, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as countries such as Ireland, Estonia, and the United Kingdom.

Qatar is fully committed to developing its broadband Internet capacity to enable businesses to compete on a global scale. Internet penetration rates among business establishments in 2010 provide encouraging signs of improvement. Currently, 60 percent of all businesses in Qatar are connected to the Internet, up from 50 percent in 2008. On an individual level, one-third of people employed within businesses have access to the Internet at the workplace. Figure 5: Internet Penetration Percentage of Businesses

50%

60%

Figure 4: PC Penetration-International Benchmark 2008

Percentage of Businesses 98%

97%

97%

95%

22

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=532 (2008), n=594 (2010).

95%

78%

76%

2010

67%

As with the uptake of PCs, there is a wide disparity in Internet penetration across segments within the wider business sector. As of 2010, small businesses have a substantially lower Internet penetration rate (46 percent) than medium-sized businesses (89 percent), large businesses (97 percent), and very large businesses (100 percent).

Saudi Arabia

United Kingdom

EU-15

UAE

Estonia

Ireland

Qatar 2008

Qatar 2010

Figure 6: Internet Penetration Rate by Business Size Percentage of Businesses 89%

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

100%

Large (100-499 employees)

Very Large (500+employees)

46%

Small (1-9 employees)

Sources: Qatar: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=532 (2008), n=594 (2010). All other countries: ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database 2009; Ireland, Estonia, United Kingdom, and EU-15, data as of 2009; UAE and Saudi Arabia, data as of 2008.

97%

Medium-sized (10-99 employees)

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=594.

Internet penetration rates in the business sector currently lag behind those of most benchmark countries. Decreasing the wide disparity in Internet access between small businesses and other companies will be critical to maintaining growth over the coming years.

Figure 7: Internet Penetration-International Benchmark Percentage of Businesses with Internet

96%

96%

95%

94%

However, growth has been uneven, with broadband penetration of the small business segment standing at just 45 percent in 2010 compared with rates of more than 85 percent for large and very large businesses. Figure 9: Broadband Penetration Rate by Business Size

92%

Percentage of Businesses 60%

59% 50%

97%

85%

97%

45%

Small (1-9 employees)

Medium Large (10-99 employees) (100-499 employees)

Very Large (500+employees)

Percentage of Businesses

88%

58% 38%

2008

2010

86%

83%

79%

38%

Jordan

UAE

Ireland

EU-15

Qatar 2010

9%

United Kingdom

Percentage of Businesses

87%

58%

The same trend previously observed in terms of PCs and Internet connectivity is also visible in the penetration of broadband Internet in Qatar. In 2010, 58 percent of businesses were equipped with a broadband connection, up from 38 percent in 2008. Figure 8: Broadband Internet Penetration

23

94%

Estonia

There is a clear move away from older Internet technology in Qatar. In 2010, only 4 percent of businesses were still using dial-up connections, down from 10 percent in 2008. This is further supported by the continued increase in ADSL subscriptions among all businesses in Qatar, with penetration rates up from 39 percent in 2008 to 52 percent in 2010.

Figure 10: Broadband Penetration-International Benchmark

Australia

Sources: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=532 (2008), n=594 (2010). All other countries: ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database 2009; Ireland, Estonia, United Kingdom, and EU-15, data as of 2009; UAE and Saudi Arabia, data as of 2008.

When compared with regional and international benchmark countries, Qatar’s business sector appears to have further room to grow in terms of broadband access. At present, businesses in the country rank in the lowest quartile of the benchmark countries.

Qatar 2008

Saudi Arabia

UAE

United Kingdom

EU-15

Estonia

Ireland

Qatar 2008

Qatar 2010

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=594.

Sources: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=532 (2008), n=594 (2010). All other countries: ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database 2009; Ireland, Estonia, Jordan, United Kingdom, and EU-15, data as of 2009; UAE data as of 2008; Australia data as of 2007.

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=532 (2008), n=594 (2010).

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Broadband Internet penetration among Qatari businesses can only truly reach the same rates achieved by its peers internationally by further driving connectivity among small businesses in the country. Efforts to encourage Internet usage among these entities should directly address their specific concerns, including perceived high cost of services, lack of understanding of the potential benefits of broadband connectivity, and lack of technical resources. Service quality and pricing levels are expected to further improve within Qatar in the future, with the anticipated entry of an alternative broadband service provider into the market.

Figure 12: Network Connectivity Penetration Rates

Internet Activities Performed by Businesses

Network connectivity in Qatar is currently heavily skewed toward larger enterprises, with rates typically increasing with company size. At present, the small business segment trails larger business entities in the implementation of LAN, intranet, and extranet technologies.

More than half of businesses currently access the Internet for email. At 40 percent, searching for business-related information is the second most popular Internet activity undertaken by businesses. Overall, the use of the Internet to interact with government organizations ranks as the third most popular activity, cited by 19 percent of businesses. In addition, 15 percent of companies currently conduct business transactions with other organizations online; 13 percent use the Internet to provide customer support; and 11 percent perform online banking or receive orders for goods and services. 24

Figure 11: Use of the Internet for Various Business Activities

Percentage of Businesses

46% 23%

8%

2008

2010

5%

7%

15%

Intranet

LAN

Extranet

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=532 (2008), n=594 (2010).

Figure 13: Network Connectivity Penetration Rate by Business Size Percentage of Businesses 94%

LAN Intranet

69%

66% 60%

Extranet

Percentage of Businesses 38%

Sending or receiving emails

55%

Searching for business-related information

28%

27%

33%

40%

Interacting with government organizations

13%

19% 15%

Placing orders/making purchases online

13%

Providing customer service and support Performing online/Internet banking

11%

Receiving orders for goods and services

11%

15%

0% 0% Small

(1-9 employees)

Medium

Large

(10-99 employees) (100-499 employees)

Very Large

(500+ employees)

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=594.

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=358.

Network Connectivity

Qatar’s current network connectivity rates in the business sector are consistently lower than the average in most of the regional and international benchmark countries.

Ubiquitous access to information has driven businesses to adopt local area networks (LANs), intranets, and extranets. The percentage of businesses connected to a LAN, an intranet, or an extranet has increased since 2008 to 46 percent, 15 percent, and 7 percent, respectively, as of 2010.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Figure 14: Network Connectivity Penetration-International Benchmark

Figure 15: Business Web Presence Percentage of Businesses

Percentage of Businesses 1%

Website available in Arabic only

8% 10%

LAN

Website available in Arabic and at least one other language

80%

Intranet 67%

Extranet

Website available in a language other than Arabic

65%

81%

Do not have a website

50%

49%

46%

43%

24%

23% 15% 7%

Qatar 2010

25%

25%

25% 14%

14%

8% 5%

Qatar 2008

Ireland

Estonia

UAE

UK

Sources: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=532 (2008), n=594 (2010). All other countries: UNCTAD ICT Indicators Database 2009; data as of 2008.

Online Presence among Businesses Establishing an online presence can help businesses innovate and stand out from the competition. Being online not only provides greater visibility with clients, it also enables companies to better interact and transact with suppliers and partners. In 2010, 19 percent of businesses in Qatar had a web presence: 10 percent had a foreign-language (nonArabic) website, 8 percent had a website in more than one language besides Arabic, and approximately 1 percent had a website in Arabic only.

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=594.

Similarly, business sector penetration of websites is highly skewed toward larger enterprises. Ownership stands at 6 percent for small businesses, 40 percent for medium-sized businesses, 68 percent for large businesses, and 95 percent for very large businesses. Figure 16: Website Penetration by Business Size Percentage of Businesses 5% 32%

Do not have a website

43%

60% Website available in a language other than Arabic Website available in Arabic only and at least one other language Website available in Arabic only

26%

94%

17% 21%

39%

6%

2%

3%

Small

Medium

Large

52%

Very Large

(1-9 employees) (10-99 employees) (100-499 employees) (500+employees)

Source: Business Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=358.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

25

Government

Background

Key Findings

Qatar has made significant investments in its public sector in order to enhance government services for users, improve internal efficiencies, and increase governance and transparency. For the 2010–2011 fiscal year, the Qatari government announced a general budget of $32.4 billion (QAR 117.9 billion), with 30 percent allocated for infrastructure-focused expenditure, inclusive of ICT-related spending.

• The government sector is leading the way compared to other sectors in Qatar, with strong penetration levels in terms of PC, Internet connectivity, broadband connectivity, LAN connectivity, and organizational web presence. In 2010, all core government ministries, councils, and authorities in the country were utilizing PCs, broadband Internet, and LAN network connectivity, as well as maintaining dedicated websites.

Under Qatar’s i-Gov Master Plan, various ICT initiatives are being deployed to enhance the provision of government services in the country. Among these are Hukoomi, Qatar’s online government portal, which provides seamless access to close to 70 transactional services; the Government Network, which directly links Qatar’s government agencies over a secure communications platform; and a common payment platform for all government entities that will allow users to pay for services using a variety of e-payment methods. As part of this primary research effort, interviews were conducted with 380 employees in government ministries, councils, and authorities, as well as with IT executives from 45 core government organizations5. As for-profit state enterprises have been covered in the survey of businesses in Qatar, these entities are excluded from the government sector study.

Performance on the UN e-Government Development Index The 2010 UN e-Government Development Index shows that Qatar ranks 62nd out of 183 countries globally. In terms of the selected benchmark countries, Qatar’s performance lies slightly below the average index value: 0.49 out of 1.0. The index assesses how governments are utilizing ICT to improve access to information, products, and services among residents and businesses.

5

• Skills development is another area that is witnessing progress. As of 2010, 61 percent of government employees have received ICT training, with nearly one-quarter of those employees having received such training within the past 12 months. • Current awareness and usage levels of Qatar’s e-Government portal-Hukoomi-indicate that it has not yet been fully embraced by residents. At present, two-thirds of the mainstream population is aware of government services available online, but only one-quarter of residents have ever used them. Opportunities exist to further ramp up awareness and usage of the Hukoomi portal through enhanced marketing efforts.

Personal Computer, Internet, and Broadband Penetration The use of PCs and the Internet in Qatar’s public sector is widespread. Consistent with 2008 figures, government authorities in the country have full penetration of PCs as well as broadband Internet connectivity. In terms of connectivity, the majority of government entities have broadband speeds in excess of 4 Mbps.

Core ministries, councils, authorities, and institutions of a regulatory nature involved in setting standards or having a key role in national strategies and policies.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

29

Figure 1: Performance on UN e-Government Development Index - International Benchmark

Figure 3: PC and Internet Penetration Among Government Employees Percentage of Government Employees

0.81 0.79

0.49

0.75 0.74

56%

51%

PC Penetration

Internet Penetration

0.70 0.69

0.53

0.53 0.53 0.53 0.51

0.47 0.46 0.36

Sources: Government IT Executives Survey and Government Employees Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=44 (IT executives), n=380 (government employees).

Qatar 2010 Rank:62 (out of 183)

India

Oman

China

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Kuwait

Jordan

Ireland

Estonia

Bahrain

Singapore

Australia

United Kingdom

Qatar 2008

Qatar 2010

Network Connectivity across the Government Sector

Index Value (Maximum: 1.0)

Source: UN E-Government Survey 2010.

30

Connectivity on an individual level is understandably lower, as not all public sector employees require access to PCs and the Internet in order to fulfill their work responsibilities. At the government employee level, 56 percent of persons employed in public sector institutions use computers, while 51 percent have access to broadband connectivity in the workplace.

The ability to share accurate and current information with other public and private sector organizations is critical to efficient public sector operations. As such, governments are increasingly employing network connectivity; almost all government entities in Qatar maintained LAN connectivity in 2010. However, there appears to be lower organizational penetration of intranet and extranet connectivity at present, with rates of 64 percent and 55 percent, respectively. Figure 4: Network Connectivity in Government Entities Percentage of Government Entities 100% 64%

55%

Figure 2: Internet Connectivity Speeds in Government Entities LAN

Intranet

Extranet

Percentage of Government Entities Source: Government IT Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=44. 256-512 Kbps

23%

20%

1-4Mbps 18%

4-10Mbps > 10Mbps

39%

Progress is also being made in terms of connectivity to the Government Network6 among Qatari public sector entities. In 2010, approximately 82 percent of surveyed entities believed they were connected to the Government Network, an increase from the self-reported connectivity rate of 54 percent in 2008.

Source: Government IT Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=44.

6 The Government Network is a highly secure network communications platform in Qatar that connects a range of government agencies with the aim of improving communic tion and data sharing between them and supporting the delivery of e-services.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Figure 5: Connectivity to the Government Network (2008 and 2010)

Figure 7: Awareness of Government e-Services among Mainstream Population Percentage of Individuals

Percentage of Government Entities

Not aware of any government e-services

82%

provided online

54%

24% 34%

Aware of government e-services but have never used any of them

2008

Aware of government e-services and have

2010

used them in the past 12 months 42%

Source: Government IT Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=28 (2008), n=44 (2010).

Web Presence and the Use of Government e-Services As of 2010, all government entities had a website, thus enabling the general public to easily access information and obtain relevant government services. In total, 91 percent of public sector organizations have a bilingual or multilingual website, while 9 percent have Arabic-only websites. Figure 6: Web Presence of Government Entities in Qatar Percentage of Government Entities

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=1400.

Most popular government e-services used by the mainstream population include settling traffic violations, paying utility bills, applying for or renewing visas, and applying for or renewing health cards. It is important to note that these figures do not correspond to a ranking of importance among e-Government services, but rather indicate the specific services that are most often used. Table 1: e-Government Services Used in the Past 12 Months for Non-Work-Related Purposes by Individuals in Qatar % of Individuals using e-Government Services

9%

Services Website available in Arabic only Website available in Arabic and at least one other language

91%

Source: Government IT Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=44.

As of 2010, two-thirds of the mainstream population indicated an awareness of government e-services available online via the Hukoomi portal. However, only 24 percent have ever used these services. Furthermore, onethird are currently unaware of any government services provided online, indicating an opportunity to further improve awareness levels of the wide range of functions available through the portal.

Settling traffic violations

68%

Paying utility bills online

49%

Applying for or renewing visas

27%

Applying for or renewing a health card

25%

Applying for a new residence permit, or renewing or cancelling an existing residence permit

17%

Applying for a driver’s license and viewing application status

10%

Source: Households and Individuals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=336.

In 2010, 83 percent of those accessing government e-services indicated overall satisfaction with the experience, while 4 percent were dissatisfied.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

31

ICT Professionals in Government As of 2010, government employees specializing in ICT made up 3.6 percent of the total public sector workforce in Qatar, an increase from 3.2 percent in 2008. In the absence of a multi-country study that can provide comparative benchmarks, this indicator cannot be compared with global leaders. Nonetheless, the increasing ratio of ICT workers in Qatar’s public sector reflects the important role played by digital technologies within the government. Figure 8: Government Employees Specializing in ICT in the Public Sector. Percentage of Government Employees

3.6%

3.2%

2008

2010

Source: Government IT Executive Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=28 (2008), n=44 (2010).

ICT Training among Government Employees 32

In 2010, the percentage of government employees having ever received ICT training stood at 61 percent. Nearly one-quarter received training in the past 12 months, while a further 28 percent obtained training more than one year ago. As of 2010, 39 percent of government employees in Qatar have never undergone any ICT training. Figure 9: Last Occurrence of ICT Training among Government Employees Percentage of Government Employees

Training received in the past 12 months

23% 39%

Training received over 12months ago Never received ICT training

Source: Government Employees Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=380.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

38%

Benefits Derived from ICT within the Government Overall, 61 percent of IT executives within government entities feel that ICT has been helpful in enhancing internal workflows, while an almost equivalent group (57 percent) feel that ICT has helped improve corporate communications and facilitate knowledge management. In addition, 55 percent of executives also feel ICT was useful in enhancing relationships. Table 2: Benefits Derived from ICT by Government Entities Key areas where benefits were identified

Percentage of Government Entities

Enhancement of internal workflows

61%

Improved corporate communication (internal and external)

57%

Facilitation of knowledge management

57%

Enhancement of relationships

55%

Improved logistics

39%

Increased availability of and accessibility to business information

34%

Provision of product/service support

32%

Improved coordination with customers/ suppliers

32%

Facilitation of scientific research and development (e.g., product development)

32%

Establishment of connections with other companies

2%

Source: Government IT Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=44.

Education

Background

Key Findings

Qatar has continued to invest significantly in its education sector. For the 2010–2011 fiscal year, about 15 percent of the country’s budget, or $4.75 billion (QAR 17.3 billion) has been allocated to the sector, of which $2.06 billion (QAR 7.5 billion) has been set aside exclusively for the creation of new educational facilities.

• Access to PCs within K–12 schools in Qatar continues to increase, with the average number of PCs installed per 100 students rising from 12.8 in 2008 to 15.5 in 2010. Nonetheless, schools in Qatar rank in the bottom half among countries identified for benchmarking, ahead only of its regional peers Oman and Jordan.

At the K–12 level, the latest figures indicate that Qatar has nearly 15,200 teachers and nearly 150,000 students, resulting in a ratio of one teacher per approximately 9.9 students, similar to the ratio of one teacher per 10.0 students in 2008. More than one-third of K–12 institutions were public schools, known as independent schools, under the aegis of the Supreme Education Council (SEC); nearly 20 percent were public/semi-independent schools under the supervision of the Ministry of Education (MoE); the remainder were private international schools, private Arabic schools, and community schools. The country has continued to restructure its education system. As of September 2010, the country had converted all MoE schools into independent schools under the management of the SEC. At the post-secondary level, Qatar University is complemented by 10 private universities and a community college established in September 2010. Qatar plans to establish additional higher education institutions in the country. As part of the primary research effort, 1,816 respondents (students, executives, and teachers/educators) across both schools and higher education institutions provided feedback to better assess ICT penetration and usage levels in the Qatari education sector.

• Internet penetration is also growing; as of 2010, 98 percent of K–12 schools were connected to the Internet, up from 73 percent in 2008. In addition, 93 percent of schools were equipped with a broadband connection in 2010, significantly higher than the 59 percent recorded in 2008. This growth has positively impacted Qatar’s relative standing among its peers. At present, Qatar ranks in the upper half of countries identified for benchmarking. • There is a disparity between schools’ ownership of various interactive learning devices and teachers’ use of these tools for educational purposes. The current usage-to-ownership ratios for interactive learning devices such as data projectors (0.65), interactive white boards (0.64), video players (0.41), audio/video conferencing (0.26), digital still cameras (0.26), digital video cameras (0.22), and mobile phones/PDAs (0.20) indicate there is an opportunity to further improve the utilization of digital tools for learning in Qatar. • Within higher education institutions, nearly 100 percent of educators and students have access to PCs for educational or personal purposes. In addition, almost all university educators and 95 percent of students also have access to the Internet within their universities.

Table 1: Distribution of K–12 Schools, Students, and Teachers Number of K–12 Schools

Number of Teachers

Number of Students

Student to Teacher Ratio

Public/Independent Schools (Supreme Education Council)

127

4,506

49,900

11.1

Public/Semi-Independent Schools (Ministry of Education)

71

4,975

30,493

6.1

International Schools (Private)

69

2,757

25,227

9.2

Private Schools (Arabic)

53

790

8,987

11.4

Community Schools

38

2,147

35,241

16.4

Total

358

15,175

149,848

9.9

School Type

Sources: Ministry of Education, Schools and Schooling in Qatar 2008–09 Report, Supreme Education Council schools list (2009).

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

35

Access to Computers As was also the case in 2008, nearly 100 percent of K–12 and higher education institutions in Qatar have at least one PC, whether it is used for administrative or educational purposes. On an individual level, nearly 100 percent of school teachers, university educators, and university students, and 96 percent of school students have access to PCs for educational or personal purposes. In addition, the country has also effectively increased the availability of PCs to support teaching, learning, and management in K–12 schools, with the mean number of PCs per 100 students increasing from 12.8 in 2008 to 15.5 in 2010. Figure 1: Computers per 100 K–12 School Students

Qatar’s K–12 schools rank in the bottom half among countries identified for benchmarking in terms of PCs per 100 school students, ahead only of its regional peers Oman and Jordan.

Distribution of PCs Efforts to further integrate PCs into the educational process are also progressing. Personal computers are now increasingly being made available beyond computer laboratories, and are being placed within school libraries and classrooms in K–12 institutions. In 2010, distribution grew across all three locations, with PC penetration across K–12 school libraries and classrooms seeing the highest rates of increase since 2008. Figure 3: Location of PCs Dedicated to Learning in K–12 Schools

15.5

Percentage of Schools

12.8

92% 2008

2008

98%

2010

66%

2010 31%

45% 20%

19%

Source: School Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=214 (2008), n=309 (2010). Computer

Figure 2: Computers per 100 K–12 School StudentsInternational Benchmark

LabsSchool

LibraryClassroom

11%

Other Locations

Source: School Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=214 (2008), n=309 (2010).

36

Internet and Broadband Connectivity 20.0

20.0

Improved Internet access allows students to expand their learning activities beyond classic teacher-led education. In 2010, 98 percent of K–12 schools were connected to the Internet, which compares favorably with 73 percent of schools in 2008. In addition, 100 percent of post-secondary institutions had Internet access as of 2010.

20.0

16.7

16.7

15.5 12.8

Figure 4: Internet Penetration in K–12 Schools 5.3

5.0

Percentage of Schools

98%

Jordan

Oman

Estonia

Bahrain

Singapore

Australia

United Kingdom

Qatar 2008

Qatar 2010

73%

2008

2010

Source: School Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=214 (2008), n=309 (2010).

Sources: School Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=214 (2008), n=309 (2010). All other countries: ITU,World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report 2010; Jordan, Singapore, and United Kingdom, data as of 2009; Oman, Estonia, and Bahrain, data as of 2008; Australia, data as of 2007.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

The surge in Internet penetration within K–12 schools has positively impacted Qatar’s relative standing among its regional and international peers. At present, Qatar ranks in the upper half of countries identified for benchmarking, behind only the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Bahrain.

Figure 5: Internet Connectivity in K–12 Schools-International Benchmark

100%

98%

100%

100%

In relation to the latest available data on broadband connectivity within K–12 schools, Qatar’s penetration figures rank among the upper half of regional and international nations selected for benchmarking. Figure 7: Broadband Connectivity in K–12 Schools-International Benchmark

97%

83%

80%

80%

73% 62%

100%

100%

100%

93% 86% 73%

Oman

Within K–12 schools, 86 percent of teachers and 82 percent of students have accessed the Internet. Among higher education institutions, nearly all university educators and 95 percent of university students have accessed the Internet. Across all locations, 96 percent of teachers and students have access to the Internet, along with 100 percent of university educators and 99 percent of university students. There has been a strong increase in broadband connectivity across K–12 schools in Qatar. In 2010, 93 percent of schools were equipped with a broadband connection, which marks a significant improvement over the 59 percent penetration rate observed in 2008. Figure 6: Broadband Internet Penetration in K–12 Schools

Oman

Jordan

Estonia

Bahrain

Singapore

United Kingdom

Qatar 2008

Sources: School Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=214 (2008), n=309 (2010). UAE: Telecommunications Regulatory Authority 2008 data; all other countries: ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report 2010; Jordan, Singapore, and United Kingdom, data as of 2009; Oman, Estonia, and Bahrain, data as of 2008; Saudi Arabia, data as of 2007.

23%

Qatar 2010

Saudi Arabia

Jordan

UAE

Estonia

Bahrain

Singapore

United Kingdom

Qatar 2008

Qatar 2010

59%

37 Sources: School Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=214 (2008), n=309 (2010). All other countries: ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report 2010; Jordan, Singapore, and United Kingdom, data as of 2009; Oman, Estonia, and Bahrain, data as of 2008.

Network Connectivity In total, 61 percent of K–12 schools in Qatar indicated that they utilize a LAN as of 2010, up from 53 percent in 2008. Like the Internet itself, a LAN can be used to share information within the school and thus act as an effective means of information exchange. Figure 8: LAN Penetration in K–12 Schools Percentage of Schools 53%

61%

2008

2010

Percentage of Schools 93% 59%

Source: School Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=214 (2008), n=309 (2010). 2008

2010

Source: School Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=214 (2008), n=309 (2010).

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Percentage of Schools Technology Owned for Teaching/Learning

83% 78%

Technology Used while Teaching

68%

54%

However, beyond merely looking at interactive learning device ownership and usage individually, a combined view of these indicators results in a value that provides an indication of technology integration within schools.

51%

29%

Presence of ICT Support Staff 38

Figure 10: Permanent FTE ICT Support Staff in K–12 Schools Percentage of Schools 12%

6%

No permanent FTE ICT Support Staff Between 3 -5 permanent FTE ICT Support Staff 6 or more permanent FTE ICT Support Staff

Source: School Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=202.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

8%

Mobile phones or PDAs

Digital still cameras

Interactive White Board

Video players

Data projectors, visualizers

5%

2%

Sources: School Executives and School Teachers Surveys (Qatar, 2010), n=309 (executives), n=400 (teachers).

Staff specifically trained on ICT can provide students and teachers with the necessary support and motivation to help overcome roadblocks to usage. Among K–12 schools with ICT departments, there was an average of 2.8 permanent full-time equivalent (FTE) ICT support staff per school in 2010.

Between 1 -2 permanent FTE ICT Support Staff

11%

27%

None of the above

32%

13%

For instance, data projectors and IWBs have markedly higher use-to-ownership ratios (0.65 and 0.64 respectively) versus other interactive learning devices, such as video players (0.41), audio/video conferencing (0.26), digital cameras (0.26), video cameras (0.22), and mobile phones/ PDAs (0.20). Nonetheless, current usage-to-ownership ratios for all interactive learning devices indicate an opportunity to further improve the utilization of these devices.

48%

44%

Audio/Video conferencing

Overall, 98 percent of K–12 schools own one or more interactive learning devices, such as a data projector, video player, interactive white board (IWB), or digital camera, for teaching purposes. Among these, the most commonly owned devices across all school levels were data projectors (83 percent), video players (78 percent), and IWBs (68 percent). In terms of usage ratios, data projectors, IWBs, and video players are the most utilized teaching tools.

Figure 9: K–12 School Ownership vs. Teachers’ Use of Interactive Learning Devices for Teaching Purposes

Digital video cameras

Interactive Learning Devices

28% 54%

Confidence in Performing Various PC Activities Text processing is performed with greatest confidence among students, with 64 percent of K–12 school students and 89 percent of university students confident in performing this task. The other confidently performed activities include the use of email (73 percent of school students and 88 percent of university students are confident) and creating presentations (61 percent of school students and 86 percent of university students, respectively). Lowest levels of confidence among both K–12 school and university students are seen in tasks including software programming (20 percent of school students and 28 percent of university students are confident); troubleshooting (27 percent of school students and 50 percent of university students are confident); and creating web pages (32 percent of school students and 35 percent of university students are confident).

Figure 11: K–12 School and University Students’ Confidence in Performing Various PC Activities Percentage of Students 89%

88%

86%

School Students

73% 64%

71%

Figure 12: K–12 School Teachers Having Received ICT Training

61% 55%

54%

The percentage of K–12 school teachers in Qatar who received ICT training has risen from 44 percent in 2008 to 71 percent in 2010. More than one-third of K–12 school teachers (36 percent) have obtained such training during the past 12 months.

67%

64%

61%

University Students

ICT Training among Teachers

50%

48%

44%

Percentage of School Teachers 32%

35% 28%

27% 20%

71% 44%

Software Programming

Troubleshooting

Creating Webpages

Installing Hardware/ Software

Online Chat

Using Spreadsheet Software

Downloading Software

Creating Presentations

Using Email

Text Processing

2008

2010

Source: School Teachers Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=403 (2008), n=400 (2010).

Within higher education institutions in Qatar, the percentage of educators who received ICT training totaled 28 percent, with approximately 13 percent of them having taken such training during the past year.

Sources: School Students and University Students Surveys (Qatar, 2010), n=418 (school students), n=380 (university students).

39

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Healthcare

Background

Key Findings

Qatar’s vision to build and maintain a world-class healthcare system has resulted in significant investment in the sector. For the 2010–2011 fiscal year, approximately 7 percent of the country’s budget, or $2.3 billion (QAR 8.6 billion), has been allocated for the healthcare sector.

• Access to basic ICT infrastructure such as PCs and the Internet in the healthcare sector in Qatar is widespread. Nearly 98 percent of healthcare professionals access PCs and 97 percent utilize the Internet within the home or workplace.

Data from the Supreme Council of Health indicates that Qatar’s public and private healthcare sectors include approximately 223 hospitals, health centers, and emergency centers (excluding dental clinics); 74 percent of all healthcare sector workers are employed within government-sponsored healthcare organizations, with the remaining 26 percent employed by private healthcare organizations.

• While individual ICT penetration rates in the healthcare sector are high, institutional ownership of electronic medical record systems is just beginning to grow. As of 2010, the electronic storage of patient data is used in 49 percent of health organizations. By comparison, indicators from the European Commission show that countries such as Norway (98 percent), Estonia (98 percent), the United Kingdom (95 percent), and Slovenia (86 percent) are leading the way in terms of the electronic recording and storage of individual patient data.

Table 1: Healthcare Providers in Qatar Number of Facilities

Number of Professionals Employed

Government hospitals, health centers, and emergency centers

42

13,060

Private hospitals and private sector clinics

181

4,595

Healthcare Providers in Qatar

• Individuals in Qatar have increased access to various e-Health services, as the penetration of Internetconnected PCs among individuals in the mainstream population reached 82 percent in 2010. Thirty-six percent of the mainstream population actively searched for healthcare-related information online in 2010.

Source: Supreme Council of Health, Annual Health Report, (Qatar, 2008).

Primary research for this study included conducting 501 face-to-face interviews with general practitioners, specialist physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and other ancillary staff in the healthcare sector in Qatar.

Access to Computers In 2010, 98 percent of healthcare professionals accessed PCs from their home or workplace. Nearly 100 percent of general practitioners, specialist physicians, ancillary staff, and allied health professionals, as well as 94 percent of nurses in Qatar currently have access to PCs.

Internet Connectivity

43

Internet penetration at home and work stands at 97 percent among healthcare professionals in Qatar. Nearly 100 percent of general practitioners, specialist physicians, ancillary staff, and allied health professionals have Internet access, along with 91 percent of nurses. Figure 2: Internet Penetration by Healthcare Professional Type Percentage of Professionals 100%

100%

100%

100%

91%

97%

Figure 1: PC Penetration by Healthcare Professional Type Percentage of Professionals 100%

100%

100%

100%

94%

98%

General Practitioners

Specialist Other Ancillary Allied Health Physicians Staff Professionals

Nurses

Overall

Source: Healthcare Professionals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=501.

General Practitioners

Specialist Other Ancillary Allied Health Physicians Staff Professionals

Nurses

Overall

Source: Healthcare Professionals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=501.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Internet Activities Performed by Healthcare Professionals High-frequency tasks performed by healthcare professionals on the Internet in 2010 include sending workrelated emails (83 percent), followed by communicating with colleagues or other health professionals (70 percent), and searching for work-related information (68 percent). By comparison, in 2008, a significantly higher proportion of healthcare professionals indicated using the Internet to search for work-related information (88 percent), and staying up to date with new healthcare treatments (79 percent). This has decreased to 68 percent and 58 percent, respectively, in 2010. Table 2: Internet Tasks Performed by Healthcare Professionals Internet Tasks Performed Sending work-related emails

44

Percentage of Percentage of Professionals Professionals in 2008 in 2010 79%

Figure 3: Connection to Online Networks among Health Professionals by Profession Percentage of Professionals

26%

24%

20%

20%

Specialist Other ancillary General Allied Health Physicians staff Practitioners Professionals

10% Nurses

18% Overall

Source: Healthcare Professionals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=501.

83%

Electronic Storage of Patient Data Electronic medical record systems are a crucial component of any computerized health information system. Without them, technologies such as decision support systems cannot be effectively integrated into the clinical workflow.

Communicating with colleagues or other health professionals

68%

70%

Searching for work-related information

88%

68%

Searching for information on general medical issues

70%

60%

Staying up-to-date with new treatments, techniques, and drugs

79%

58%

Scheduling business appointments

22%

45%

Searching for information on clinical trials and research papers

53%

42%

Communicating with patients

20%

30%

Placing orders for equipment/ supplies

14%

12%

Source: Healthcare Professionals Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=258 (2008), n=331 (2010).

Access to Online Healthcare Networks Improved connectivity to online healthcare networks can facilitate access to patient information, current clinical trends, and evidence-based medicine, and promote global collaboration among healthcare professionals.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Eighteen percent of healthcare professionals in Qatar were connected to an online healthcare network in 2010. Connectivity was highest among specialist physicians (26 percent), followed by ancillary staff (24 percent), general practitioners and allied health professionals (20 percent each), and nurses (10 percent).

Nearly half of all healthcare professionals reported utilizing electronic storage of patient data within their organizations in 2010. By comparison, the latest available figures reveal that Qatar has a wide gap in penetration levels compared with countries such as Norway, Estonia, the United Kingdom, and Slovenia.

Figure 4: Electronic Recording and Storage of Individual Patient Data-International Benchmark

Figure 5: ICT Training Received by Healthcare Professionals Percentage of Professionals

Percentage of Professionals 98%

98%

95%

24%

24%

24%

40%

26%

30%

86%

General Other Ancillary Specialist Practitioners Staff Physicians

64%

49%

Allied Health Professionals

Nurses

Overall

Source: Healthcare Professionals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=501.

Qatar

Ireland

Slovenia

United Kingdom

Estonia

Norway

e-Health among Individuals in Qatar

Sources: Healthcare Professionals Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=501. Other countries: European Commission, Information Society and Media Directorate General; empirica, Pilot on e-Health Indicators (2007).

ICT Training

Qatar continues to take strides forward in terms of acquiring the requisite infrastructure to access e-Health services. The percentage of individuals accessing an Internet-connected PC rose from 63 percent in 2008 to 82 percent in 2010, increasing their ability to utilize various e-Health services. Overall, 36 percent of the mainstream population actively searched for health-related information on the Internet within the past 12 months. Searching for information related to their own personal health had the greatest response (73 percent), followed by information queries regarding the health of somebody else (52 percent). The search for a specific healthcare product or service ranked third and was performed by 38 percent of individuals.

Nearly one-third of healthcare professionals received ICT training in 2010. Forty percent of nurses have received ICT training, followed by roughly one-quarter of general practitioners, ancillary staff, specialist physicians, and allied health professionals.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

45

Tourism and Sports

Background

Key Findings

As a major part of Qatar’s strategy to diversify its economy, the tourism sector is set for a major boost over the coming years. According to the Qatar Tourism Authority, the government has earmarked more than $20.0 billion (QAR 72.8 billion) in funds through 2013 to develop the country’s tourism facilities and infrastructure.

• Nearly all tourism and sports establishments in Qatar currently have at least one PC, while 98 percent have broadband Internet connectivity within their organizations. However, in spite of the fact that a large number of visitors are business travelers and thus highly dependent on the Internet, only two-thirds of tourism and sports establishments in the country currently offer Internet access to their guests or customers.

A number of investments with significant bearing on the country’s tourism industry are already underway or are currently being planned: these include the New Doha International Airport, the causeway and rail line to Bahrain, a new deepwater port, and additional accommodation facilities. Hotel rooms are expected to number 15,000 units by early 2011 and are projected to add up to 30,000 units by the end of 2013. Investments in the tourism sector are set to continue over the mid-to-long term, particularly in light of Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA Football World Cup. This global event will entice a greater number of people to visit for tourism, as well as cultural and sporting events, not just for business. Due to these investments, the World Travel & Tourism Council estimates the travel and tourism sector’s contribution to Qatar’s GDP will rise from 8.4 percent or $9.35 billion (QAR 34.0 billion) in 2010 to 9.4 percent or $29.04 billion (QAR 105.8 billion) by 2020. Accordingly, the sector’s contribution to employment is also expected to increase from 67,000 jobs in 2009 to 105,000 jobs by 2020.

• A web presence is now commonplace for establishments in Qatar’s tourism sector. In 2010, approximately 80 percent of organizations in the sector maintained a website and 70 percent provided customers with the option to make online queries. Still, only 15 percent of those websites currently allow customers to make online transactions. Figure 1: Level of Access to the Internet-International Benchmark Percentage of hotels and restaurants using the Internet 98% 92%

90%

49

Tourism is highly information-intensive. Information must be able to flow quickly and accurately at every stage in the sales cycle of a tourism product such as an airline ticket, a hotel room booking, or a car rental. Travelers too are becoming more dependent on travel-related information as they prepare for their trips and while they are away. As a result, ICT has become a necessity for the tourism industry. Nearly all tourism and sports establishments in Qatar maintain at least one PC. At present, the sector has an average of 3.4 dedicated or shared PCs per 100 employees. In 2010, 98 percent of tourism and sports facilities had corporate access to the Internet. This compares favorably with the most recent international benchmarks for the United Kingdom and Estonia.

Estonia

United Kingdom

Access to Computers and the Internet

Qatar*

As part of the research into this sector, interviews were conducted with 50 tourism and sports executives from hotels, conference centers, travel agencies, tour operators, and sports and recreation centers, as well as with 380 visitors to Qatar.

Sources: Tourism and Sports Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=50. UK and Estonia: UNCTAD45, Information Economy Report 2009, data as of 2007. *Qatar data excludes restaurants..

However, a lower percentage of tourism and sports establishments currently offer Internet access to their guests or customers. In 2010, 66 percent of tourism-sector facilities provided connectivity to customers, an increase from 41 percent in 2008.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Figure 2: Tourism and Sports Facilities Providing Internet Access to Customers

Figure 4: Primary Internet Access Locations Among Visitors Percentage of Visitors

Percentage of Facilities 66%

Hotel 66%

41%

Work

63%

Airport 2008

35%

2010

Another Person's home

Source: Tourism and Sports Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=51 (2008), n=50(2010).

In 2010, the primary means of Internet access provided to guests was via wireless networks, supported by 97 percent of Internet-connected tourism establishments. This was followed by connectivity using a wired Internet terminal for guests (85 percent of establishments). In 2010, fewer than half (48 percent) of Internet-connected establishments in Qatar provided access through centrally located kiosks. Whether Internet access is being provided via distributed or centrally located points, all connected tourism and sports entities are utilizing broadband Internet, with more than 86 percent of establishments providing speeds of above 1 Mbps to their customers. 50

Figure 3: Internet Connectivity Speeds at Tourism and Sports Facilities Percentage of Facilities 13% 65%

From Central Locations

512 Kbps–1 Mbps

9% 13%

1–4 Mbps 4–10 Mbps

12% 63% From Distributed Access Points

>10 Mbps

9% 15%

Source: Tourism and Sports Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=50.

In 2010, 88 percent of visitors accessed the Internet during their stay in Qatar, a decline from 94 percent in 2008. The majority connected to the Internet from hotels (66 percent), the workplace (63 percent), and the airport (35 percent), signifying the importance of having good Internet coverage in these primary locations. Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Community Internet Facility

Commercial Internet facility

21%

11%

8%

Source: Visitors Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=380.

Internet Activities Performed by Visitors Consistent with findings from 2008, the two most widely performed types of Internet activity in 2010 were personal and professional access to email, search, or web browsing. Overall, 87 percent of visitors to Qatar access the Internet for personal purposes, while 81 percent do so for professional reasons. Searching for business-related information is the third most popular Internet activity undertaken by visitors at 26 percent, showing a marked increase from 2008. Other tasks, such as searching for government-related information, online banking, searching for information on tourist activities, and accessing e-government services, have also seen an increase in usage levels since 2008. Table 1: Reasons for Internet Access among Visitors (2008 vs. 2010) Reasons for Internet Access

2008

2010

Personal (private email, search, etc.)

90%

87%

Professional (office email, VoIP calls, etc.)

69%

81%

Search for information on businesses in Qatar

5%

26%

Search for information about government organizations in Qatar

2%

14%

Online banking

3%

14%

Search for information about tourist activities or leisure

3%

13%

Access e-government services

2%

9%

Source: Visitors Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=405 (2008), n=380 (2010).

Mobile Phone Usage by Visitors Mobile services are widely utilized by travelers in Qatar, with 86 percent using their wireless handsets while in the country. Of these travelers, 41 percent exclusively use roaming services, while 22 percent utilize only local SIM cards, and 24 percent utilize both.

Figure 7: Transactional Capabilities of Tourism and Sport Facilities’ Websites Percentage of Facilities 15%

Figure 5: Mobile Phone Usage of Visitors

6% 17%

70% 77%

Percentage of Visitors 15% 14%

Use a local SIM card Use roaming

2010 22%

2008

Have websites that do not allow filling in forms or paying online Have websites that allow only filling in forms (e.g., for enquiries) Have fully transactional websites that allow filling in forms and paying online

24%

Use both

Source: Tourism and Sports Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010), n=35 (2008), n=40 (2010).

41%

Do not use a mobile handset

ICT Training among Tourism and Sports Organizations Staff

Source: Visitors Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=380.

Web Presence among Tourism and Sports Facilities Web presence is now commonplace for the tourism sector in Qatar. In 2010, 80 percent of establishments maintained a website, with more than half having a web presence available in both Arabic and English. Figure 6: Language of Tourism and Sport Facilities’ Websites

In 2010, approximately 5 percent of the staff within tourism and sports organizations in Qatar had received ICT training over the previous 12 months, down from the 2008 figure of 24 percent. Figure 8: Tourism and Sports Organization Staff Receiving ICT Training Over the Previous Year Percentage of Facilities

Percentage of Facilities 24%

20%

5%

Do not have a website Have a website in a language other than Arabic only

2008

53%

Have a website in Arabic and at least one other language

27%

2010

Source: Tourism and Sports Executives Survey (Qatar, 2008 and 2010) n=51 (2008), n=50 (2010).

Source: Tourism and Sports Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=50.

Among organizations that have an online presence, 15 percent have a website that enables customers to transact online. This figure has increased since 2008, when only 6 percent of websites were transactional. In addition, 70 percent of tourism and sport facilities’ websites now allow customers to make online queries, up from 17 percent in 2008.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

51

ICT Workforce

Background

Key Findings

Qatar’s ability to recruit and retain ICT- skilled personnel7 is essential to fostering greater innovation and development across all its economic sectors.

• By 2009, an estimated 20,000 ICT staff were employed by Qatar’s private sector, representing 1.6 percent of the entire workforce in the country. This number is expected to increase to approximately 24,000 individuals by the end of 2011.

To profile the ICT workforce in Qatar, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 312 HR executives in companies with 50 or more employees to measure the perceived demand for ICT-qualified employees. In addition, interviews were conducted with 45 managers in recruitment agencies in order to obtain expert opinion on the supply of ICT-skilled employees in Qatar and the rest of the GCC countries.

ICT Workforce Forecast As of 2008, the number of ICT staff in Qatar totaled approximately 13,500 individuals. By 2009, this grew to around 20,000, representing 1.6 percent of the entire workforce in the country. The global economic crisis resulted in a more conservative approach toward hiring of ICT staff compared with previous years. Nonetheless, Qatar continued to see growth of its ICT workforce. In 2010, the approximate size of the country’s ICT workforce stood at about 21,500 individuals, a modest increase of 7.4 percent over the previous year. As the overall ICT market in Qatar is forecasted to continue its growth trajectory, so too is the ICT workforce. This base is projected to grow 11.4 percent over 2010 levels, to reach an estimated total of 24,000 individuals by the end of 2011. Figure 1 : Size and Forecasted Growth of Qatar’s ICT Workforce 23,841 19,925

Number of ICT Professionals

13,438

2008

21,394

2009

2010

2011

• As the ICT readiness among those actively employed in Qatar grows and evolves, so does the need for specialized ICT skills. As of 2010, approximately 90 percent of private sector enterprises in Qatar maintained at least one permanent ICT employee within their organizations. While a typical private sector company employs 6.7 ICT staff, on the whole, IT departments are noticeably understaffed with an average of 7.9 ICT-related positions remaining vacant. • More than 5 percent of private companies are currently looking to recruit ICT staff with general skills in application development or software engineering, Internet and networking, databases, operating systems, email/groupware, enterprise resource management (ERP), and customer relationship management (CRM).

ICT Staff in the Private Sector

Private sector organizations in Qatar with 50 or more employees exhibit appreciation of the transformational capabilities of ICT. As of 2010, approximately 90 percent of such enterprises maintained at least one permanent ICT employee within their organization. Overall, companies in Qatar employ an average of 264.8 permanent employees, of which 6.7 individuals comprise the ICT staff. This equates to an overall ratio of 39.5 non-ICTrelated permanent employees for every ICT staff member. It is important to note is that the average number of ICT staff refers to the average number of employees within the internal IT department of a company. As Qatar’s economy continues to grow and evolve, it will increasingly need specialized ICT skills. At present, private sector companies in Qatar have an average of 7.9 ICT positions they are seeking to fill.

Source: IDC model utilizing survey data and secondary research information.

7 Refers to individuals performing design, development, build out, sales and management, as well as support of computer hardware, software solutions, information systems, and telecommunication networks.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

55

Table 1: Private Sector ICT Workforce Overview Private Sector Enterprises with 50 or More Employees

Qatar Workforce Indicators Average number of permanent employees

Primary Origin of ICT Skills Base in Qatar

264.8

Average number of permanent ICT employees

6.7

Percentage of ICT staff relative to full-time employees

2.5%

Average number of full-time ICT positions available

7.9

fully saturated. In fact, at least 5 percent of private sector companies are looking to recruit ICT staff with capabilities in application development or software engineering, Internet and networking, databases, operating systems, email-groupware, ERP, and CRM.

As of 2010, 75 percent of ICT professionals working in Qatar came from outside the GCC region, 17 percent from within Qatar, and 8 percent from other GCC countries. The largest countries being tapped by recruitment firms for ICT manpower outside the GCC are India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

Source: HR Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=312.

Figure 3: Primary Origin of ICT Skills Base in Qatar

Roles of Existing ICT Staff and Corresponding Vacancies In the private sector, individuals with Internet and networking skills comprise 44 percent of currently filled ICT positions. Database skills (38 percent) are the second-most popular, followed by individuals with operating systems

Percentage of Professionals 17%

Qatar

8% GCC Outside the GCC

75%

skills (37 percent). Figure 2: Filled ICT Positions versus Vacancies in Private Sector Companies

Source: Recruitment Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=45.

56

Perceived ICT Employee Retention in Qatar

Percentage of IT Positions Filled Positions Available Vacancies 44% 38%

37% 24%

22%

4%

Process & systems management skills

3%

5%

6%

2%

Geographic information systems skills

8%

ERP/CRM skills

27%

Security skills

5%

Email/groupware skills

5%

Operating systems skills

6%

Database skills

Internet/networking skills

7%

31%

Application dev't/software engineering skills

31%

In a 2010 survey of recruitment executives in Qatar and other GCC countries, Qatar received a positive rating in the area of employee retention. Overall, 58 percent of recruitment executives surveyed rated ICT employee retention in Qatar positively. Looking ahead, in order to ensure that skilled professionals continue to be attracted and remain interested in working in Qatar, recruitment campaigns must be balanced with continuous training of the existing ICT workforce. Figure 4: Perceived ICT Employee Retention in Qatar Percentage of Recruitment Executives Negative ('1 to 3' on a 7 point scale)

23%

Positive ('5 to 7' on a 7 point scale)

Source: HR Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=312.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

6%

Neutral ('4' on a 7 point scale)

Don't know

Even while considering the relatively high penetration rates of these skills, it does not appear that the market is

14%

Source: Recruitment Executives Survey (Qatar, 2010), n=45.

58%

Appendix

Methodology Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011 report was conducted using a two-pronged approach to data collection: The primary research effort encompassed 16 surveys across relevant audience groups in Qatar. In total, 6,455 surveys were conducted between April and October 2010. Data collection was conducted primarily through faceto-face interviews, supplemented by self-administered questionnaires and, in some cases, telephone interviews. Table 1: Target Groups Surveyed and Sample Distribution Audience Groups Surveyed

Sector

Household and Individuals

Households and Individuals

Residents utilizing Media

Media

Completed Sample Size (n) 1,700 633

School Students

418

School Executives

309

School Teachers University Students

Education Sector

400 380

University Executives

9

University Educators

300

Business Executives

Business Sector

594

Government IT Executives

Government Sector

44

Government Employees Health Care Professionals Visitors Tourism/Sports Executives HR Executives Recruitment Executives Total

Healthcare Sector Tourism Sector ICT Workforce

380 501 380 50 312 45 6,455

Note: Some of the surveys provide information to multiple sectors, e.g., households and individuals. Media sector report published separately.

The sample size required across each audience group was a specific consideration in the survey design process in order to obtain a margin of error threshold that would

permit robust analysis. Accordingly, all surveys, with the exception of those for the tourism and sports sector, obtained a margin of error of ±5 percent or less at the 95 percent confidence interval. These figures have room for both statistical and non-sampling errors. IDC also conducted secondary and supply-side research to obtain statistics on the various sectors covered in the research. In addition a list of international data indicators was also designed for benchmarking purposes. The countries included in the international benchmarking were:

• Estonia, Ireland, and Singapore-three relatively small countries that quickly developed into solid knowledgebased economies, becoming models in their respective regions. • China and India-two large economies with aboveaverage growth and developing ICT sectors. • Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE-regional peers for Qatar in the Middle East. • Australia and the United Kingdom-countries that are particularly advanced in terms of uptake in the ICT sector. Also included in the benchmarking are combined indicators for EU-15, a basket of 15 countries within the European Union made up of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. As part of the secondary research effort, fact-finding activities included consulting international organizations for ICT-related country data; referencing annual statistical abstracts of Qatar government sources; meeting with officials in various organizations within the national statistical system to identify and gather relevant information; referencing IDC proprietary in-house databases, newspaper clippings, and periodicals; and researching the Internet for relevant databases, articles, and reports.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

59

Definitions of Terminology Used (in Alphabetical Order) Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), a form of digital subscriber line technology, is a data communication technology that enables faster data transmission over ordinary telephone lines by utilizing frequencies that are not used by voice telephone calls. Benchmark is a standard test or measurement used to compare the performance of similar components or systems. Broadband Internet refers to a high-speed-datatransmission-rate Internet connection with speeds equal to or greater than 256 Kbps as the sum of the capacity in both directions. CRM is an abbreviation for customer relationship management. It is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients, and sales prospects and involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes.

60

ERP is an abbreviation for enterprise resource planning, which integrates internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales, and service. EU-15 is a reference to the 15 countries that constituted the European Union before the union was expanded into former Eastern Europe. Extranet is a private network that uses Internet protocols and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a business’s information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses. An extranet can be viewed as part of a company’s intranet that is extended to users outside the company. Fixed telephone line refers to a telephone line connecting customer equipment (e.g., telephone set or facsimile machine) to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) that has a dedicated port on a telephone exchange.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011

Government Network is a highly secure network communications platform in Qatar that connects a range of government agencies with the aim of improving communications and data sharing between them and supporting the delivery of e-services. Household consists of all persons who occupy a housing unit. The unit must be intended for year-round use and not seasonal or migratory use. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who share living arrangements. Persons living in group quarters/temporary housing are not classified as living in households. ICT covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit, or receive information electronically in a digital form. A good way to think about ICT is to consider all the uses of digital technology that already exist to help individuals, businesses, and organizations use information. ICT training includes all training on the use of computers and related hardware, software, PC applications, and systems. It can be basic (such as International Computer Driving License training or how to use MS Office, etc.) or advanced (such as network management training). The training can be received in ICT-related workshops, seminars, or courses-whether such training is carried out in-house, in training institutions, or in other locations. Indicator is a quantitative or qualitative measure derived from a series of observed facts that can reveal relative position in a given area and, when measured over time, can point out the direction of change. In the context of policy analysis at national and international levels, indicators are useful in identifying trends in performance and policies and drawing attention to particular issues. ICT-qualified employees or ICT staff refers to individuals performing design, development, build out, sales and management, as well as support of computer hardware, software solutions, information systems, and telecommunication networks. Internet refers to a global system of computer networks interlinked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies.

Intranet is a computer network, based on Internet technology, that is designed to meet the needs for sharing information within a single organization. K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. The expression is a shortening of kindergarten through 12th grade or grade 12. Local area network (LAN) is a computer network technology designed to connect multiple computers separated by a short distance in order to share information. A LAN can be connected to the Internet and can also be configured as an intranet. Mobile phone refers to an electronic device used for twoway radio telecommunication over a cellular network. It is also known as a cellular telephone, a cell phone, or simply a mobile. Online banking is a term used for performing transactions, payments, etc., over the Internet through a bank’s secure website. Transactional website is a database-driven website that allows two-way interaction between the site owner and the end user. It is where a user can acquire goods or services by filling in simple electronic forms on website pages. 61

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2011