Internet in Qatar

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Use of the Internet in Qatar has grown rapidly and is now widespread, but Internet access is also heavily filtered.

Contents

Penetration and usage

An internet cafe in Al Khor Qatar, Al Khor (26), Internet Cafe.JPG
An internet café in Al Khor

In 2007, Qatar was the second most connected country in the Arab region. [1] Qatar's Internet penetration rate grew from 6% in 2001 to 37% in 2007 to 86% in 2011. [2]

Ooredoo is the telecommunications service provider licensed by the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) to provide both fixed and mobile telecommunications services. [3] Ooredoo offers domain name registration, pre-paid Internet cards, instant Internet access (via a telephone line, allowing payment for the Internet through the phone bill), and ADSL lines. [4] However, as of November 2006, Ooredoo's monopoly on Internet services officially ended. [5] Though the licensing procedure for new ISPs has not yet[ when? ] been published or implemented, [6] [7] the goal was to "issue licenses to new fixed and mobile providers by the end of 2007." [8]

Broadband penetration in Qatar is rapidly increasing. As of April 2008, it stands at 50 percent. [9] Qtel had some 1.25 million mobile users as of December 2007, which indicates a more than 100 percent penetration rate in Qatar. Qtel also has about 50,000 customers connected to its 3.5G mobile network. [10]

Various plans exist to spread Internet access, such as making free wireless Internet available in various parks in Qatar, making wireless coverage available nationwide, and with "Remote Locations services (Wireless Local Loop) that uses Broadband Point-to-Multipoint Radio technology".[ citation needed ]

Qatar's Global Information Technology Report 2007–2008 concluded that, even though there are many e-education initiatives in Qatar, parental anxiety might prevent children from enrolling in these initiatives. The report claims that in the Qatari society, "the issue of inappropriate content on the Internet is a huge barrier to wholesale adoption of the technology. Some parents resist children's Internet use and a wide technological divide exists between children and their parents."[ citation needed ]

Qatar was listed in a 2013 report as having the tenth-highest percentage population using the internet. It was the highest ranked MENA country. [11]

A 2015 report by the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development ranked Qatar as first among the developing countries by their respective percentage population using internet. The country also ranked second globally for percentage of households with internet. [12] Qatar was also ranked seventh globally in Ovum's Broadband Development Index in 2015. [13]

According to a report by Akamai Technologies in August 2017, Qatar ranked first in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region in broadband connection speeds, and seventh globally. [14]

Qatar's Supreme Council for Communications and Information Technology (ictQatar) is the main regulatory authority in Qatar. [15]

In 2006, a new telecommunications law was promulgated. [16] Much of the telecommunications law is dedicated to competition and dominant service providers. Article 23 states that for the purpose of interconnection any service provider can be designated as the dominant service provider in one or more telecommunications markets "in accordance with the competition policy." Chapter 9 lays out the competition policy; Article 43 describes abuses of dominance. [16] No details are available for the licensing of ISPs, only that the General Secretariat is in charge of licensing. [17] Chapter 15 states that "power of monitoring and enforcement," with the permission of the attorney general and the chairman of the board, "may require service providers or others to provide information necessary for exercising its powers, and the information shall be furnished in the form, manner, and time as the government specifies." [18]

The last chapter of the law covers offenses and penalties—mostly having to do with penalties that violate the previously mentioned articles, privacy, or security. However, there are two subsets in this chapter which have a broader scope: clause 6 of Article 66 states that any person who uses "a telecommunication network" or allows "such use for the purposes of disturbing, irritating or offending any persons" can be fined or imprisoned for up to one year. Also, under clause 7 of Article 66, "using any facility or telecommunications service in a manner that violates the rules of this Law or other laws" is punishable in the same manner. [19] The vague wording of both these articles restricts Internet users, as they can be applied in various cases. [20]

In July 2008, ictQATAR allowed Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar to provide voice services to the public and made it legal for any person or business to use VoIP services for voice calls for their own use. Businesses within the State of Qatar are prohibited from selling VoIP calls or services to the public without a license issued by ictQATAR. [21]

Surveillance and filtering

There are no reports of specific Internet surveillance in Qatar, but a report by Reporters Without Borders said that Ooredoo "has the means to spy on messages sent through the other ISPs." A U.S. State Department Human Rights report said that the government of Qatar censors the Internet through a proxy server that monitors and blocks Web sites, e-mail, and chat rooms through the state-owned ISP. [20]

Qatar is one of the most connected countries in the Arab region, but Internet use is heavily censored. Internet filtering in Qatar is pervasive in the social and Internet tools areas and selective in political and conflict/security areas according to a report by the OpenNet Initiative in August 2009. [20]

Qatar filters pornography, political criticism of Gulf countries, gay and lesbian content, sexual health resources, dating and escort services, and privacy and circumvention tools. Internet users complain that non-obscene or non-offensive Web sites are also blocked. Political filtering is limited, but journalists practice self-censorship and avoid reporting on sensitive issues. The filtering in Qatar is relatively transparent (a block page is served). [20] Qatar's telecom regulator ictQATAR said it does not advise Ooredoo on blocking Internet sites and that Ooredoo blocks sites in accordance with the guidelines issued by law enforcement authorities. [22]

The government of Qatar has imposed a recent amendment to the penal code which furthermore regulates freedom of speech and expression. Article 136 (bis), by Emir Tamim bin Hamid Al Thani, authorizes the imprisonment of anyone who facilitates the spread of fake news online. [23]

Related Research Articles

Oman Telecommunication Company (Omantel) has a monopoly in the landline telephone and internet access markets. Its arm Omanmobile offers mobile services. The Omani government owns 70% of Omantel after 30% was listed for the public in 2005. In 2005 Qatar Telecommunication Company (Qtel) and partners were awarded the second license to offer mobile services in the country under the brand of Nawras, which is now rebranded as Ooredoo. Oman now has 5 mobile networks offering internet. The networks providing 4G coverage are Oman mobile, Ooredoo, [./Http://www.rennamobile.com/ Renna], RedBull Mobile and Friendi.

Telephones - main lines in use: 327,000 (2012)

Telecommunications in Saudi Arabia have evolved early in the Kingdom since the establishment the Directorate of Post, Telephone and Telegraph (PTT) in 1926.

Telecommunications in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is under the control and supervision of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority which was established under UAE Federal Law by Decree No. 3 of 2003. From 1976 to 2006 the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) was the sole telephone and telecommunications provider for the UAE. And while there were exceptions for free zones and modern housing developments, for the majority of the UAE, Etisalat held a monopoly on business and personal telecommunications services. In February 2006, this monopoly became a duopoly when a new telephone company and Internet service provider (ISP), du, was established to offer mobile services across the UAE and Internet and TV services to some free zone areas. However, due to geographical distribution of service areas, the companies do not compete for customers and thus effectively operate as monopolies. Earlier du provided triple play services to free zone areas under the name Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), which is still its legal name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communications in Iran</span> Overview of telecommunications in Iran

Iran's telecommunications industry is almost entirely state-owned, dominated by the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI). Fixed-line penetration in 2004 was relatively well-developed by regional standards, standing at 22 lines per 100 people, higher than Egypt with 14 and Saudi Arabia with 15, although behind the UAE with 27. Iran had more than 1 mobile phone per inhabitant by 2012.

Ooredoo QSC is a Qatari multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Doha. Ooredoo provides mobile, wireless, wire line, and content services with market share in domestic and international telecommunication markets, and in business and residential markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indosat</span> Indonesian telecommunications corporation

PT Indosat Tbk, trading as Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, abbreviated as IOH, is an Indonesian telecommunications provider which is owned by Ooredoo Hutchison Asia, a joint venture between Ooredoo and Hutchison Asia Telecom Group since 2022. The company offers wireless services for mobile phones, and to a lesser extent, broadband internet lines for homes. Indosat operates their wireless services under two brands: IM3 and Three (3). These brands differ by their payment model as well as pricing. Indosat also provides other services such as IDD, fixed telecommunications, and multimedia.

Bahrain has been connected to the internet since 1995, and made it readily available to its citizens. The country's domain suffix is '.bh'. A 2004 study showed a liberal filtering system is used in Bahrain, one which can be easily bypassed, however more recent events have shown more sophisticated and pervasive filtering. In January 2009, Bahrain has started blocking a vastly increased number of sites through the Information Affairs Authority (IAA). The new filtering has had a noticeable impact in internet access speeds for all traffic.

Internet use in Algeria increased from 150,000 users in 2006 to approximately 18,583,000 in 2015, with a penetration rate of 46% of the population, In 2008, the government set aside €100 million to provide internet to every high school in the country but we saw nothing at all. The country is also modernising its internet network by installing optical fiber cables, and multi-service access nodes (MSANs) all across the country. The main internet service provider is Algérie Télécom, currently state owned but slated for privatization. In Algeria government regulations permit controls on internet access and monitoring of content. ISPs are responsible for the sites they host, and are required to take “all necessary steps to ensure constant surveillance” of content to prevent access to “material contrary to public order and morality.” These laws are often used against journalists and to prevent antigovernmental activism.

In Ethiopia, the Internet penetration rate is 25% as of January 2022, and it is currently attempting a broad expansion of access throughout the country. These efforts have been hampered by the largely rural makeup of the Ethiopian population and the government's refusal to permit any privatization of the telecommunications market. Only 360,000 people had Internet access in 2008, a penetration rate of 0.4%. The state-owned Ethio Telecom is the sole Internet service provider (ISP) in the country. Ethio Telecom comes in at very high prices which makes it difficult for private users to purchase it.

The Internet in Tunisia played an important role in the dramatic events of the Arab Spring which began in Tunisia. The ouster of previous President of Tunisia Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ushered in more open access and use of the Internet. Political leaders in Tunisia are making use of social media to communicate with the electorate. Restructuring the Tunisian Internet Agency under the auspices of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies is one of the items that the transition government is working on.

The Internet in Zimbabwe has seen rapid expansion in recent years. The Internet country code top-level domain is .zw. In 2009, the Mugabe-Tsvangirai Government of National Unity established a Ministry of Information and Communications Technology to focus on ICT growth and development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet in Afghanistan</span> Overview of the Internet in Afghanistan

Internet in Afghanistan is available in all of its 34 provinces, and is used by over 9 million people as of 2022. The internet officially became available in 2002 during the presidency of Hamid Karzai. Prior to that year, it was prohibited because the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan believed that it may be used to broadcast obscene, immoral and anti-Islamic material, and because the few internet users at the time could not be easily monitored as they obtained their telephone lines from neighboring Pakistan.

Internet in Azerbaijan is vulnerable to government monitoring and censorship. The ruling Aliyev family owns two of the three largest mobile operators in Azerbaijan. The ownership of the third large mobile operator is unknown, as it registered to an offshore company. The authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan has a history of blocking websites that criticize the government.

Like many developed and developing countries, the Internet in Bangladesh has witnessed significant growth. Although facing many constraints in expanding Internet access and use, development of the Internet and Information Technology are high government priorities. In March, 2021 Internet users in Bangladesh increased to 116 million. On 19 February 2018, Bangladesh started the 4G network service.

The Internet in Laos was first introduced in 1997, with the two commercial ISP services starting in 1999, specifically PlaNet Computers and GlobeNet. These supported a rapid growth of internet cafes across the country to service tourists, which incidentally introduced the internet to many English speaking Lao nationals. The introduction of mobile broadband has significantly increased the use of the Internet in Laos since 2008.

Although in 2011 only about 9.0% percent of Nepal's population used the Internet, use of the Internet in Nepal is growing rapidly. As of July 2021, 90.6% of the population has access to the Internet according to Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA).

Internet in Tajikistan became present within the country during the early 1990s. Tajikistan had just become independent in 1992, with Emomali Rahmon as the new ruler, when the internet was introduced to the country. Nevertheless, it was after over a decade that the country’s internet became more accessible. The history of the internet’s foundation in Tajikistan extends from 1992 to present-day Tajikistan. By 2009, internet penetration had developed since the initial conception of the internet in Tajikistan and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) had increased in number. In terms of the ISPs, Tajikistan primarily relied upon satellite-based connections using Discovery Global Networks.

Telecommunications in Angola include telephone, radio, television, and the Internet. The government controls all broadcast media with a nationwide reach.

The Internet in Kazakhstan is growing rapidly. Between 2001 and 2005, the number of Internet users increased from 200,000 to 1 million. By 2007, Kazakhstan reported Internet penetration levels of 8.5 percent, rising to 12.4 percent in 2008 and 34.3% in 2010. By 2013, Kazakhstani officials reported Internet penetration levels of 62.2 percent, with about 10 million users. There are five first-tier ISPs with international Internet connections and approximately 100 second-tier ISPs that are purchasing Internet traffic from the first-tier ISPs. As of 2019, more than 75% of Kazakhstan's population have access to the internet, a figure well ahead of any other country in Central Asia. The Internet consumption in the country rose from 356 PB in 2018 to 1,000 PB in 2022.

References

CC-BY.png Portions of this article were adapted from the OpenNet Initiative country profile for Qatar under a Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY). [20]

  1. ↑ "UAE, Qatar and Bahrain are the Arab World's highest adopters of telecommunication services". Arab Advisors Group. 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010.
  2. ↑ "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000–2011". International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  3. ↑ "About Us". Qtel.
  4. ↑ "Broadband Internet Services". Qtel.
  5. ↑ "Qatar opens its Telecoms Sector: Competition means Consumers and Small Businesses Win". 11 November 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  6. ↑ "ictQatar seeks views from Telecommunications Carriers and Operators on Telecommunications Licensing Process: First official step in Telecoms Liberalization in Qatar" (PDF). IctQatar (Press release). 6 March 2007.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Regulator seeks views on telecom licensing". Gulf Times. 7 March 2007. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  8. ↑ "Regulation- Service Provider". ictQatar. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  9. ↑ "The Peninsular Broadband penetration in Qatar at 50pc: Qtel," The Peninsula, 2 April 2008. Cited by the OpenNet Initiative.
  10. ↑ Pratap, John (28 January 2008). "Qtel handles over 444mn text messages". The Gulf Times.
  11. ↑ "Qatar placed 10th on UN Internet user list". Gulf Times. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  12. ↑ "Internet penetration: Qatar ranks first". Gulf Times. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "UAE, Qatar in global top 10 for fast broadband". Trade Arabia. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Qatar's broadband ranked as the fastest in MENA region". nricafe.com. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  15. ↑ "Qatar's Supreme Council for Communications and Information Technology (ictQatar)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013.
  16. 1 2 "Decree Law No. (34) of 2006 on the promulgation of the Telecommunications Law". ICTQatar.[ permanent dead link ]
  17. ↑ "Decree Law No. (34) of 2006 on the promulgation of the Telecommunications Law, Articles 9, 10, 11, 12". ICTQatar.[ permanent dead link ]
  18. ↑ "Decree Law No. (34) of 2006 on the promulgation of the Telecommunications Law, Chapter Fifteen, Articles 62 & 63". ICTQatar.[ permanent dead link ]
  19. ↑ "Decree Law No. (34) of 2006 on the promulgation of the Telecommunications Law, Chapter Fifteen, Chapter Sixteen, Articles 66-72". ICTQatar.[ permanent dead link ]
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "ONI Country Profile: Qatar". OpenNet Initiative. 6 August 2009.
  21. ↑ "Qatar Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Policy". Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  22. ↑ "Qtel 'goes by local laws' in blocking websites". Gulf Times. 18 September 2007. Archived from the original on 12 July 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  23. ↑ "Qatar: 5-Year Prison Sentence Set for 'Fake News'". Human Rights Watch. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
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