Qatar's ICT Landscape Report 2009

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Qatar s ICT Landscape

Assessment of Information& Communication Technology in Qatar


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Contents

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Introduction

Executive Summary

Chapter I: Residents

Chapter II: Business

Chapter III: Government

Chapter IV: Education

Chapter V: Health

Chapter VI: Tourism

Chapter VII: ICT Workforce

Appendix


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Qatars ICT Landscape 200

Introduction

Qatars leadership recognized that information and communication technology is integral to

realizing a prosperous future for its citizens. ictQATAR, the governments ICT champion, has

been working to develop a vibrant and innovative ICT sector that will fuel Qatars economy,

promote democratic processes, offer world-class healthcare to all citizens, and provide learners

with the skills and knowledge to thrive in a global economy. The creation and implementationof a three-year master plan provides the blueprint for moving forward in a comprehensive and

strategic way.

In order to monitor and evaluate progress, ictQATAR commissioned Madar Research to survey

and analyze the state of ICT in Qatar. Qatars ICT Landscape 2009is Qatars first country-wide

survey-based ICT study. The report indicates how the stakeholders crucial to the growth of a

knowledge-based economy, including residents, government, and the business community, are

adopting ICT. The report also looks at the education, health, and tourism sectors, as well as

the ICT job market.

Qatars ICT Landscape 2009 is based on 13 field surveys, which produced a total of more than4,800 interviews conducted from mid-June 2008 to mid-October 2008. The assessment also

utilized extensive secondary research involving literature and web surveys. Survey data was

gathered primarily from face-to-face interviews, supplemented by telephone interviews and

self-administered questionnaires. Various sampling procedures were used depending on the

nature of each survey, from census to stratified random selection, so that the demographics

would mirror the population targeted by each survey. Further detail about the methodology can

be found in the reports Appendix.

This first report provides a good understanding of where Qatar stands today compared to

developing and developed countries in terms of ICT adoption by all sectors of its society. It

also points to the areas of greatest need. In just a few short years, Qatar has begun to realizethe rewards of information and communication technology. Qatars people, institutions,

and government have made steady progress in adopting ICT into daily life. In the Global

Information Technology Report 2008-09, produced by the World Economic Forum in cooperation

with INSEAD, Qatar rose to 29th among 134 nations from the previous years ranking of 32nd

among 127 nations in the Networked Readiness Index. However, the report also makes clear

that Qatar must accelerate its efforts in order to realize the nations vision of a diverse, flexible

economy that advances the welfare of all Qatars people.

ictQATAR continues to champion efforts to accelerate ICT adoption across all sectors. In the

years ahead, an increasingly vibrant and innovative ICT sector will secure Qatars economy and

an even brighter tomorrow for Qatars families.


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Executive Summary


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Executive Summary


Source: UN, ITU, and Madar Research

Source: UN, ITU, and Madar Research 2008 Reports

BackgroundQatar is well on its way to building an information-based

society. Spurred by the opening of the telecoms market to

competition and a strategic and comprehensive three-year

ICT master plan, Qatar is being recognized internationally for

its progress (Table 1). Qatar rose to 29th among 134 nations

from the previous years ranking of 32nd among 127 nations

in the Networked Readiness Index produced by the World

Economic Forum, in cooperation with INSEAD. The same

report details the leap over the previous year in government

readiness and ICT usage. Qatar is ranked 22nd in government

readiness in areas like government prioritization of ICT,

government procurement of advanced technology products,

and importance of ICT to governments vision of the future. In

government usage of ICT, Qatar ranks 25 th.

Qatars progress in ICT adoption1 among all sectors of society

has not been without challenges. As Qatars ICT Landscape2009notes, an important demographic characteristic that

separates Qatar, along with the UAE and Kuwait, from the

rest of the world is that 40 percent of its population age

18 and older is transient-unskilled labor living in temporary

housing and working mainly in construction. The number

of these workers increases or decreases from year to year

depending on construction and real estate trends, impacting

overall population figures. Because these workers have a

low ICT adoption rate in terms of basic ICT indicators, figures

based on the entire population are less favorable.

In terms of businesses, micro enterprises (comprising 10

employees or less) constitute the majority of all enterprises

in Qatar. They have lagged behind other businesses in ICT

adoption.

Analysis of key findings from the primary and secondary

research gathered in 2008 are summarized below and detailed

more fully in the individual chapters of this report.

The Overall PictureOver the past several years, Qatars people, institutions, and

government have made steady progress in adopting ICT into

daily life.

Qatar now ranks among the top three in the Arab world in

terms of combined performance in basic ICT indicators such

as the numbers of computer users, Internet users, mobile

telephone, fixed telephone lines, and broadband Internet

subscribers (Table 2).

Index Reference World Rank Arab Rank

29 (out of 134)

26 (out of 134)

53 (out of 182)

37 (out of 181)

45 (out of 134)

24 (out of 130)

The Networked Readiness Index 2008-2009

Global Competitiveness Index 2008-2009

E-Government Readiness Index 2008

Ease of Doing Business Index 2009

Knowledge Economy Index 2008

Global Innovation Index 2008/09

WEF INSEAD The Global Information

Technology Report 2008-2009

WEF INSEAD The Global Competitiveness Report

2008-2009

UN e-Government Survey 2008

IFC and the World Bank 2009

World Bank 2008

INSEAD and Confederation of Indian Industry

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Table 1: Qatars Ranking on Global ICT-Related Indices

1 ICT adoption is broadly defined as the integration of computers, Internet, and related technologies in social and economic activities. The wider the use of these technologies i

the daily life of individuals or the daily operations of organizations, the higher is the level of ICT adoption.

PCs per 100 Inhabitants

Internet Users per 100 Inhabitants

Mobile Subscriptions per 100 Inhabitants

Fixed Telephone Lines per 100 inhabitants

Broadband Internet Subscriptions per 100

Inhabitants

31 (out of 192)

64 (out of 203)

55 (out of 203)

89 (out of 203)

58 (out of 203)

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Table 2: Qatars Performance in Main ICT Indicators

Key ICT Indicator World Rank Arab Rank

Qatars three major stakeholders government, businesses,

and residents are not at the same level of ICT adoption.

Residents (excluding the transient labor population) performed

better in overall ICT indicators than government and business;

businesses have the most progress to make.

The general assessment of the main factors that support

widespread ICT adoption availability and quality of ICT

infrastructure and services, and ICT skilled users shows that

lack of ICT skills, especially in businesses, is the strongest

barrier.


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Below are the key findings from the sector-specific research:

residents, business, government, education, healthcare,

tourism, and ICT workforce.

ResidentsOverall, residents in Qatar have been steadily increasing

their ICT adoption rate, especially in terms of basic use of ICT

tools, such as using a computer for word processing, e-mail,

or to search the Internet. Among the resident population

(excluding the transient labor population), basic ICT indicators

are comparable to European (EU-15) averages; basic ICT

indicators are low when the transient labor population is

included.

Excluding the transient labor population, Internet penetration

among Qatars residents is 63 percent, 54 percent are

computer users, and 120.8 percent are mobile subscribers.

A benchmark inconsistency surfaces among Qatars Internet

users in indicators related to basic Internet usage, such as

use of e-mail and search engines, and their performance in

advanced Internet use, such as e-banking and e-government

services. While basic use indicators are comparable with their

EU counterparts, Qatars residents performance in advanced

use is behind that in Europe. This may partly be explained by

lack of public awareness of (and conversely lack of adequate

promotion of) these services, as well as lack of variety of

advanced services or user-friendly services.

Qatar is among the top countries in the world in terms

of low ICT costs as a percentage of monthly per capita

GDP. However, the cost for some key ICT services, such as

broadband Internet use, remains too high for the lowest

income strata the largest population segment constituting

a relatively large portion of their income, as evident in the

Residents Survey.

BusinessMicro enterprises (fewer than 10 employees) dominate the

business sector by sheer number, as they constitute around 80percent of all enterprises in Qatar. However, they employ 18

percent of the total workforce. Enterprises with more than 100

employees (large and super large companies) constitute only

1.84 percent of all companies, but they employ as much as 53

percent of Qatars workforce.

While Qatars business community has in recent years

increased its ICT adoption to assume a leading position

among developing countries, micro enterprises (found

largely in the retail arena, catering directly to consumers)

have fallen far behind in ICT adoption. They trail the rest

of business-size segments in all indicators, including:

e-business infrastructure, broadband Internet connectivity,

web presence, and Internet utilization to interact with

government agencies and financial institutions.

One quarter of all enterprises in Qatar use advanced Internet

services such as e-commerce, e-banking, and e-government

services compared to an average of almost two-thirds in EU

countries. While it is expected that an early Internet adoption

in Europe should position EU countries ahead of Qatar in

terms of advanced use, the gap may be explained by a few

factors such as lack of ICT training of employees in advanced

Internet use.

Government

The government has been aggressive in its ICT adoption inseveral areas including ICT training of staff and the ratio

of PCs to employees, which stands at 88.2 PCs per 100

employees.

A significant number of government services have yet to be

transformed into e-services to encourage widespread use of

e-government in Qatar.

The percentage of IT staff vis--vis total staff in the

government sector is low compared to the world average.

Nevertheless, the government sector outperformed the

business sector on all indicators, from the number of ICT

training hours provided for employees to PC and Internet

use.

EducationQatars schools have an average of 12.7 PCs per 100 students,

the highest in the Arab world. The average number of PCs

available for educational purposes is only 8.3 PCs per 100

students. Independent schools have the best ratio among the

four school types at 16.2 PCs per 100 students, significantlyhigher than the European average of 12.1.

Unlike the EU countries where the ICT adoption level rises as

the grade level rises, Qatar does not follow the same pattern.

For example, intermediate schools in Qatar registered a higher

PC-to-student ratio and Internet-connected PC-to-student ratio

compared to secondary schools.

Furthermore, the PC-to-student ratio in Europe is almost 1.5


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Executive Summary


times that of Qatar and the percentage of schools with PCs

in the classroom in Europe is nearly 3.5 times the percentage

observed in Qatars schools.

HealthThe government-run health sector in Qatar is better equipped

to provide ICT tools and infrastructure than privately run

facilities. However, all told, nearly 70 percent of health

professionals in Qatar have Internet access at work.

Of Qatars healthcare providers, 15.6 percent have

health-related websites and only 3.1 percent offer

transactional services compared to a community of

healthcare professionals and residents who are proficient

in Internet use. This suggests that Qatar should focus on

e-health services to link patients with healthcare

providers and services.

Nearly 76 percent of physicians in Qatar were connected to

an online health professionals network as of Q3 2008. In

comparison, 57 percent of nurses and 70 percent of allied

health professionals were connected to such networks.

TourismA minority of visitors utilized Qatar-based websites to look

for travel and recreation information in Qatar. This indicates

a probable weakness in availability and visibility of reliable

multi-lingual websites providing comprehensive, accurate,

and helpful information for visitors.

Most visitors to Qatar are ICT literate. The majority of visitors

are business professionals who require easy and reliable

access to the Internet for information and communication

purposes while in Qatar. Yet, despite increased ICT adoption

in Qatars tourism industry, 10 percent of hotels do not offer

Internet access to guests.

ICT WorkforceDemand for ICT professionals in Qatar outweighs local supply

by severalfold. However, this shortage in local supply is

not expected to pose a major challenge. Qatar is likely to

continue attracting ICT workers due to the countrys rise as a

regional business hub and its ability to withstand the global

economic downturn.

While workers possessing most ICT skills are available for

Qatari employers to recruit, the challenge lies in ensuring

optimal use of these skills and enhancing them to ensure

increased productivity and operational efficiency.

An issue that needs to be addressed is an increasing

challenge facing fresh graduates from local universities who

are competing for jobs.

While it is in Qatars interest to see that all students from

local universities with ICT specialization find placement in

the Qatari market upon graduation, it may become more

difficult for them to compete with a likely increased influx ofexpatriate ICT professionals drawn to Qatar as a result of the

global economic downturn.

Looking AheadThis first country-wide report assesses Qatars progress

in ICT adoption and identifies areas of greatest need. In

the next several years, Qatar will again evaluate the

effectiveness of its efforts to connect people and institutions

to the technologies that enrich lives and drive economic

competitiveness.

As this report demonstrates, Qatar has begun to lay a strong

foundation for sustainable economic and social development.

While Qatars people, institutions, and government have

made steady progress in adopting ICT into daily life, much

work still remains.

The country must accelerate its efforts in order to realize the

nations vision of a flexible, diversified economy that benefits

all who live and work in Qatar.

ictQATAR will be at the forefront of this effort.


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Chapter I: Residents


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The number of these workers increases or decreases from

year to year depending on construction and real estate trends.

Thus they impact overall population figures substantially.

Excluding this transient population when calculating ICT

indicators gives a more accurate representation of Qatars

performance vis--vis other markets or economies.

Thus, in this study we present two values for some indicators.

One uses the total population figure, which is the standard

global practice, and the other excludes the transient labor

population.

Figures based on the entire population are less favorable

to Qatar when compared to the figures of other countries.

However, figures based on households are not impacted by

transient labor since they live in temporary housing and do not

count as households.

Internet User PenetrationInternet user penetration is defined as the number of people

who have accessed the Internet in the past four weeks (prior

to this survey) out of the entire population; it is measured per

100 inhabitants.

Based on the findings of the Residents Survey, Internet user

penetration in Qatar as of Q3 2008 stood at 38 percent (or 63

percent when excluding the transient workforce) (Figure 4).

When this study was conducted, similar data from other

countries was available only for the end of 2007. Thus

Qatars 2007 penetration rate of 31.4 percent was used as

the benchmark instead of the 2008 updated survey finding of

38 percent.

The entire population ratio for those who access the Internet

in Qatar is comparable to that of Singapore, which stood at 39

percent in 2007. The Netherlands is the global leader, with

91 percent of its population using the Internet as of 2007

(Figure 5).

Broadband Internet Subscriptions

The use of broadband Internet, which refers to datatransmission over an Internet connection at a speed equal to

or greater than 256kbit/s has been growing at a steady pace

in Qatar.

Broadband Internet subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in

Qatar were 5.4 percent of the total population (7.9 percent

Source: Residents Survey, 2008

Figure 4: Internet Penetration Among Residents (per 100 inhabitants)

Source: Madar Research, 2007; ITU, 2007 * Gul Cooperation CouncilQatars Arab Rank: 3 Qatars World Rank: 64,

Figure 5: Benchmark of Internet Users(per 100 inhabitants)

Figure 6 Internet Broadband Subscriptions (per 100 inhabitants)

Source: Madar Research, 2007; ITU, 2007 * Gul Cooperation CouncilQatar Arab Rank: 3, Qatar World Rank: 58,

Figure 7: Benchmark of Internet Broadband Subscriptions(per 100 inhabitants)



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Residents 1


when excluding transient labor population) as of Q3 2008

(Figure 6, previous page).

Qatars broadband penetration of 5.3 percent at the end 2007

puts it behind the best-performing Arab nation (Bahrain),

which achieved a broadband subscription penetration of 6.5

per 100 inhabitants.

Qatar is behind the EU-15 nations, where Internet broadband

subscriptions had reached an estimated 23.15 per 100

inhabitants by end 2007 (Figure 7, previous page).

Computer PenetrationAnother vital ICT indicator is the number of computers

installed (being used or available for use) per 100 inhabitants.

Computer refers to either desktop or portable computers

(laptops), but does not include personal digital assistants

(PDAs) or equipment with some embedded computing abilitiessuch as mobile phones or digital TV sets. In Qatar this

indicator stood at 32.3 percent as of Q3 2008 (Figure 8).

Qatars performance in computer penetration is 26.3 percent,

slightly lower than the UAE, the best-performing Arab nation,

with a computer penetration of 26.4 percent.

Qatar is significantly lower than the worlds best-performing

country, San Marino, which had 90 PCs per 100 inhabitants

(2007) (Figure 9).

Mobile PenetrationThe Residents Survey revealed 98 mobile subscribers per 100

inhabitants in Qatar as of Q3 2008 (Figure 10). This number

rises to 121 per 100 inhabitants if subscribers from the

transient unskilled workforce are excluded.

In 2007, mobile phone penetration in Qatar stood at 94.2

percent, which was lower than the GCC average of 109.8

percent, and much lower than the best-performing country

(Macau), where mobile penetration already reached 165

percent as of end 2007 (Figure 11).

Televisions and Computers in Households

About 90 percent of all households in Qatar have atleast one TV set, which is not very far behind the best-

performing countries in the world (Portugal, Cyprus,

Greece, and Spain), where 100 percent of households have

at least one TV set.

Qatars household TV penetration is also comparable to the

Figure 8: Computer Penetration (per 100 inhabitants)


Source: Madar Research, 2007; ITU, 2007 * Gul Cooperation CouncilQatar Arab Rank: 2, Qatar World Rank: 31

Figure 9: Benchmark of Computer Penetration in Qatar(per 100 inhabitants)

Figure 10: Mobile Suscribers Penetration (per 100 inhabitants)


Figure 11: Benchmark of Mobile Subscribers in Qatar(per 100 inhabitants)

(Macau)

Source: Madar Research, 2007; ITU, 2007 * Gul Cooperation CouncilQatar Arab Rank: 4, Qatar World Rank: 55


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Qatar still retained a penetration level of 83 percent as of Q3

2008, significantly outperforming Finlands 65 percent. The

best-performing country in this indicator is Portugal, whose

household fixed line penetration stood at 88 percent at end

2006 (Figure 14).

In terms of mobile telephone penetration, Qatar outperformed

most of its counterparts, with 97.88 percent of its households

owning a mobile telephone. Furthermore, the average number

of mobile users in Qatar was highest among households that

have more than one family.

Qatars penetration rate is similar to that of Iceland, the

highest-performing country with a household mobile

penetration rate of 98 percent. Qatar performed better in

this indicator compared to the EU-15, which registered an 88

percent penetration rate (Figure 15).

Internet and Broadband in HouseholdsFor every 100 households in Qatar, 63 have Internet access,

compared to 84 in Iceland, the top performer in this indicator.

However, Internet access penetration among households in

Qatar remains higher than the average achieved by EU-15

countries (59 per 100) (Figure 16).

Source: Household Survey, 2008; Eurostat, 2006

Figure 12: Benchmark of Households with TV (in %)


Figure 13: Benchmark of Households with Computers (in %)

EU-15 average of 97 percent (Figure 12).

Qatar registered a household PC penetration rate of 71

percent, outperforming the EU-15 average (68 percent).

Iceland led this indicator in 2007, with a household PCpenetration rate of 89 percent, followed by Demark, Germany,

and Finland with penetration rates of 83 percent, 79 percent,

and 74 percent, respectively (Figure 13).

Fixed Line and Mobile in HouseholdsPenetration of fixed telephone lines in Qatars households

experienced a slight growth in 2007. Despite marginal growth,


Figure 14: Benchmark of Households with Fixed Telephone Lines (in %)


Figure 15: Benchmark of Households with Mobile Phones (in %)


Figure 16: Benchmark of Households with Internet Connection (in %)


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Residents 1


About 41 percent of households in Qatar use broadband

Internet access compared to 46 percent in the EU-15.

Iceland once again was the top performer in this indicatorwith 76 percent of its households using broadband Internet

access. Denmark, Finland, and Germany have comparably

high usage rates at 70 percent, 63 percent, and 50 percent,

respectively (Figure 17).

Internet Applications: Basic ActivitiesApproximately 37.6 percent of residents in Qatar used the

Internet for e-mail purposes in the 12-month period ending Q3

2008. This ratio is considerably lower when compared to the

leading benchmarked nation Iceland where 80 percent of

individuals used the Internet for e-mail purposes.

Additionally, the EU-15 average of 52 percent is much higher

than that of Qatar (Figure 18).

However, when Qatars transient labor population is excluded

from the analysis, the percentage of residents who used the

Internet for e-mail purposes over the last 12-month period in

Qatar jumps to 62.7 percent.


Figure 17: Benchmark of Households with Broadband Internet Access(in %)

Source: Residents Survey, 2008; Eurostat, 2007

Figure 18: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for E-mail (in %)

Source: Source: Residents Survey, 2008; Eurostat, 2007

Figure 19: Benchmark of Residents using Internet for Leisure Purposes(in %)

In comparison, only 11.4 percent of residents in Qatar

indicated having used the Internet for leisure (Figure 19).

Even though excluding transient labor yields a higher ratio 19 percent Qatar still ranks lower than both the EU-15

average of 35 percent and Norway at 55 percent.

Internet Applications: Research ActivitiesAbout 7.8 percent of residents in Qatar reported having

used the Internet for job searches over the 12 month-period

ending Q3 2008, lower than the EU-15 average of 13 percent

(Figure 20).

Excluding the transient labor population raises Qatars score

to 12.9 percent, which is very similar to Europes.

Some 30.4 percent of residents in Qatar have used the

Internet for general research purposes.

This figure reaches 50.6 percent when excluding the

transient labor population. The latter figure is slightly

lower than the average EU-15 score of 52 percent in

this indicator and is significantly lower than Iceland (78


Figure 20 Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for Job Search (in %)


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percente), the top-performing country (Figure 21).

Residents in Qatar using the Internet to research health-

related topics stand at 14.5 percent, or 24.2 percent whenthe transient workforce is excluded. The latter figure is nearly

comparable to the EU-15 average of 27 percent. However,

neither Qatar nor the EU-15 achieved parity with Finland,

where nearly half of its residents reported researching health-

related topics on the Internet (Figure 22).


Figure 21: Benchmark of Residents using Internet for General Research(in %)


Figure 22: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for ResearchingHealth Topics (in %)

websites to only seek information and one percent make the

access only to carry out transactions with the government,

such as filling out forms or applying for documents. Those

who visit government websites for both purposes to seek

information as well as to conduct transactions constitute 11

percent of Qatars population.

Meanwhile, the percentage of the population accessing

government websites in Denmark, the leading country in this

indicator, is estimated at 58, more than three times that of

Qatar.

Taking transient workers out of the population figure raisesthe proportion of residents accessing Qatari government

websites to more than 30 percent, about the same average

ratio found among EU-15 countries (Figure 24).

Only 0.4 percent of residents in Qatar (0.6 percent when

excluding transient labor population) reported using the

Internet for contacting and communicating with government

authorities. This rate is very low compared to the EU-15

average of 34 percent (Figure 25, next page).


Figure 23: Benchmark of Residents using Internet for Online Banking(in %)


Figure 24: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for Accessing

Government Websites (in %)

Internet Applications: Advanced ActivitiesUtilization of Internet banking services in Qatar is low, with

about 3.9 in every 100 inhabitants using the services, or 6.5

per 100 if the transient labor population is excluded.

Both percentges are still significantly lower than Finlands,

where as many as 72 percent of residents reported using

Internet banking services (Figure 23).

About 18 percent of the entire population in Qatar, which

is equivalent to almost half the Internet user population,

accesses Qatari government websites. According to survey

findings, 6 percent of the entire population access the


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Residents 1


Figure 25: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for Interactingwith Government Authorities (in %)


Locations of Internet UseExcluding the transient labor population, 63.3 percent of

residents in Qatar use the Internet from their homes, higher

than the EU-15 at 51 percent. Qatars performance is close tothat of Germany and the UK, where 64 percent of residents

indicated using the Internet from home. Qatar remains behind

Scandinavian countries including Iceland, the top performer

with 84 percent of residents using the Internet from home

(Figure 26).


Figure 26: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet from Home (in %)

Figure 27: Benchmark of Residents using Internet from Work(in %)


skills, which include using the Internet for communicating

(e-mail, chat), for obtaining or downloading software, for

researching and validating information, and for using the

computer for processing and creating presentations andspreadsheets.

On a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 indicating no confidence in ability

and seven indicating great confidence, the average score

among the PC-literate population in Qatar is 6.13. However,

when considering the total population of Qatar (including PC

literate and non-PC-literate residents), digital literacy then

falls to 2.3.

Table 1 shows the score of each skill and also displays two

values. The overall average column measures the literacylevel of the entire population of Qatar, while the other column

displays the values among the PC-literate population. The

highest confidence levels among PC users are registered

in the respondents ability to use e-mail (6.54), to research

(6.48), to use word processing software like MS Word (6.18)

and to participate in chat rooms (6.18).

Table 1: Digital Literacy Scores for Residents

Source: Residents Survey. 2008 * Score on a scale o 17

Digital Literacy Skill

E-mail

Chat Room

Creating Personal Web Page

Downloading Software

Researching

Validating Information

Word Processing

Presentation

Spreadsheet

Average


2.6

2.3

1.8

2.2

2.5

2.3

2.4

2.3

2.3

2.3

Overall

Average *

6.5

6.2

5.6

6.0

6.5

6.1

6.2

6.1

6.0

6.1

Average among

PC Users *

Qatars performance falls behind the leading benchmark

countries in terms of residents accessing Internet from work,

with 23.8 percent (or 39.7 percent excluding transient labor)

indicating doing so. Iceland again registered the highest

performance in this indicator, with 56 percent of its residentsusing Internet from work, followed by Denmark (43 percent),

Finland (39 percent), UK (32 percent) and Germany (30 percent)

(Figure 27).

Digital LiteracyDigital Literacy is an index comprising a series of survey

questions asking respondents to indicate confidence in their

ability to use various forms of digital technology. The score

is the average of the confidence levels on all the measured


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Respondents expressed the least amount of confidence in

their ability to use spreadsheets (6.0), download software

(5.96), and create a personal web page (5.57).

Barriers to Internet/PC UseThe strongest barrier limiting Internet and PC use by residents

in Qatar is the high cost to connect to the Internet, with 42

percent of respondents recognizing it as a barrier.

Other prominent barriers cited by residents were lack of

Internet accessibility at work, lack of skills, and lack of

Internet access at home (Table 2).

Reasons related to lack of Internet access at schools, lack of

Internet cafes, and lack of Arabic websites were least cited

among the barriers.

Table 2: Assessment of Barriers Limiting Internet/ PC Use by Residentsin Qatar

Source: Residents Survey. 2008

Barrier to ICT Adoption

Percent of

Respondents

High cost of Internet connection

Internet not available at work

Lack of skills

Internet not available at home

Risk of viruses too high when using

the Internet

Maintenance cost

Technology is too complicated

Lack of trust

Not secure to do business/purchase

transactions over the Internet

Not enough websites in Arabic

Internet cafes are hard to nd and reach

Internet not available at school

42.0

33.2

32.8

26.3

21.3

20.2

18.8

16.8

14.2

8.0

6.8

6.7


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Chapter II: Business


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Business 2


BackgroundThis chapter assesses ICT adoption by businesses in both the

private and public sectors and across major industries.

In October 2008, there were approximately 41,600 businesses

in Qatar, employing 983,582 individuals. Data from 2004

shows that the number of businesses in Qatar has grown at

an average rate of 12 percent and its employed population

has increased by 18.8 percent annually over the past four

years (Table 1).

In this study, business size is determined by the number of

employees. To enable benchmark comparison as well as inter-

sector analysis, businesses were grouped by both the number

of companies and the number of employees in each size

category as a percentage of estimated totals. Table 2 presents

the percentage of businesses in Qatar by each size category.

The nomenclature used for each size category, such assuper large, is not necessarily used by the Qatar Statistics

Authority, but is adopted for the purpose of this study.

A sample-weighting technique was adopted to eliminate any

bias against each indicators value, as there are variations

between the number of companies in a given size category

and the total number of employees working in that category.

For instance, while super large enterprises constitute less

than 0.5 percent of all enterprises in Qatar, they employ more

than 30 percent of all workers.

Thus, ICT usage by the employees of super large enterprises

should contribute more than 30 percent to an indicator that

measures employees ICT usage across the business sector in

the country.

Source: Madar Research, Qatar Statistics Authority, 2007

Enterprises

Employees

Micro(< 10 employees)

82.7%

17.9%

Small(1049 employees)

13.7%

20.1%

Medium(5099 employees)

1.8%

8.8%

Large(100499 employees)

1.5%

22.7%

Super Large(500+ employees)

0.3%

30.5%

Table 2: Distribution of Businesses and Employees in Qatar Based on Company Size

Key Findings

Micro enterprises (fewer than 10 employees) dominate

the business sector by sheer number, as they constitute

around 80 percent of all enterprises in Qatar. However,

they employ 18 percent of the total workforce. Enterpriseswith more than 100 employees (large and super large

companies) constitute only 1.84 percent of all companies,

but they employ as much as 53 percent of Qatars

workforce.

While Qatars business community has in recent years

increased its ICT adoption to assume a leading position

among developing countries, micro enterprises (found

largely in the retail arena, catering directly to consumers)

have fallen far behind in ICT adoption measurements.

They trail the rest of business-size segments in all

indicators, including: e-business infrastructure, broadband

Internet connectivity, web presence, and Internet

utilization to interact with government agencies and

financial institutions.

One-quarter of all enterprises in Qatar use advanced

Internet services such as e-commerce, e-banking, and

e-government services compared to an average of almost

two-thirds in EU countries. While it is expected that an

early Internet adoption in Europe should position EU

countries ahead of Qatar in terms of advanced use, the

gap may be explained by factors such as lack of ICT

training of employees in advanced Internet use.

PC Usage in BusinessesPC penetration for all large and super large businesses (100

or more employees) in Qatar is at 100 percent, since they

all reported using computers. A comparable PC penetration

rate is recorded for small and medium businesses, at 98

percent and 99 percent, respectively. However, 60 percent of

micro businesses (fewer than 10 employees) reported using

computers (Table 3, next page).Table 1: Total Number of Business Establishments

and Employees in Qatar

Source: Madar Research, *Qatar Statistics Authority

24,921*

40,000*

41,600

12%

March 2004

October 2007

June 2008

October 2008

CAGR (20042008)

444,133*

827,583*

983,582

18.85%

No. of

Employees

No. of

BusinessesPeriod


26/68

Overall, the ratio of businesses that use computers in Qatar

is 67 percent; 30 points less than the average found in EU-15

countries (Figure 1).

Business Network ConnectivityThe percentage of businesses in Qatar connected to

the Internet is well over 90 percent for all except micro

businesses, where only 41 percent reported Internet

connectivity. The overall score for this indicator is 50 percent.

The percentage of businesses connected to a local area

network (LAN) range from a low of 16 percent among micro

companies to 92 percent among super large companies

(Table 4). LAN is a computer network technology designed

to connect multiple computers separated by a short distance

together to share information. LAN can be connected to the

Internet and can also be configured as an intranet. Intranet

Figure 1: Benchmark of Businesses Using Computers (in %)

Source: Business Executive Survey, 2008; Eurostat, 2007

and extranet connections are less ubiquitous among micro

to large companies, but maintain a greater presence among

super large companies. Overall penetration rate for LAN,

intranet and extranet in Qatars businesses are 23 percent, 8

percent, and 5 percent, respectively.

Figure 2 indicates that Qatars overall performance in

businesses network connectivity is consistently lower than

the average in the most developed countries, such as the

EU-15.

Internet Usage by EmployeesIn Qatar not all employees who use a computer are issued an

official e-mail address. For example, 43 percent of employees

in large and super large companies use a computer, but only

35 percent are provided with a business e-mail address. The

difference is even wider for micro-, small-, and medium-

sized companies where only 36 percent of employees have a

business e-mail address compared to 56 percent who use a

PC.

This practice does not necessarily hinder employees fromFigure 2: Benchmark of Network Connectivity

Among Businesses


Source: Business Executive Survey, 2008


% of businesses using PCs

% of employees using PCs

Micro(< 10)

Small(1049)

Medium(5099)

Large(100499)

Super Large(500+)

Overall

60

50

Table 3: PC Usage in Businesses

Indicator

98

64

99

49

100

52

100

36

67

49

Table 4: Business Network Connectivity



% of businesses with Internet

% of businesses with LAN

% of businesses with intranet

% of businesses with extranet

Micro(< 10)

Small(1049)

Medium(5099)

Large(100499)

Super Large(500+)

Overall

41

16

5

3

Indicator

93

58

19

12

99

60

22

16

100

81

39

35

99

92

71

55

50

23

8

5


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Business 2


using web-based e-mail at work, as evidenced by the fact that

more employees report using e-mail than having a business

e-mail address (Table 5).

The number of employees using a PC, Internet, or e-mail in

businesses that lie in the extreme size categories (fewer

than 10 employees and 500 or more) is lower than the rest of

businesses (10499 employees). In micro businesses (fewerthan 10 employees) this is due to a weak presence of PCs

(only 60 percent have a PC), while the most likely explanation

for a lower rate of PC and Internet usage by employees in

super large enterprises (with 500 or more staff members)

is that these companies tend to have larger percentages of

junior employees who use computers rarely or not at all.

Speed and Type of Internet ConnectionBroadband Internet access is eclipsing the use of

narrowband among businesses in Qatar, especially among

the larger business-size categories. Broadband subscription

is approaching saturation among large and super large

businesses, where the penetration rate is close to 96

percent. Meanwhile, nearly 33 percent of micro to medium

companies in Qatar have yet to shift from narrowband to

broadband connectivity (Table 6).

Figure 3: Benchmark of Businesses with Broadband Connection (in %)


The overall percentage of businesses with a broadband

connection is 38 percent, significantly lower than the EU-15

average of 82 percent.

ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line), which refers to fast

two-way data connections over ordinary telephone lines, is

by far the most common type of Internet connection among

businesses in Qatar, used by 40 percent of all businesses in

the country. Other types of Internet connections differ among

companies of different sizes (Table 7). For example, leased

lines have a penetration rate of more than 20 percent among

Table 5: Employees with Access to Internet and E-mail



% of employees using Internet

% of employees with ofcial

e-mail address

% of employees using e-mail

Micro(< 10)

Small(1049)

Medium(5099)

Large(100499)

Super Large(500+)

Overall

39

24

38

Indicator

60

45

53

47

40

42

49

40

40

34

30

31

45

35

40

Table 6: Business Internet Connection Speed


% of businesses using broadband

% of businesses using narrowband

Micro(< 10)

Small(1049)

Medium(5099)

Large(100499)

Super Large(500+)

Overall

28.1

12.4

Internet Speed

80.7

12.5

92

8

96.7

3.3

95.2

4.7

38

12



% of businesses with ADSL

% of businesses with dial-up

% of businesses with leased line

% of businesses with other types

Micro(< 10)

Small(1049)

Medium(5099)

Large(100499)

Super Large(500+)

Overall

31

9

1

0

Table 7: Business Internet Connection Type

Internet Connection Type

84

5

6

5

89

9

5

2

88

1

20

2

71

5

33

6

40

8

2

1


28/68

large and super large enterprises, but the penetration is only

about 5 percent among small and medium companies. Note

must be taken that not all ADSL connections in Qatar are

broadband as defined internationally.

Business Online Activity

Enterprises of all sizes, save those classified as micro,display consistency in terms of utilization of several basic

online activities. Between 84 percent and 88 percent of

small to super large companies use (send or receive) e-mail,

compared to only 32 percent of micro companies. Accessing

the Internet for business information shows a similar trend:

between 71 percent and 85 percent of small to super large

companies acknowledge using the Internet to obtain business

information, compared to 27 percent of micro companies

(Table 8).

Another basic use for enterprises is promoting their businessover the Internet. Only 7 percent of Qatari micro companies

use the Internet for promotion, whereas between 38 percent



% of businesses receiving sales

orders online

% of businesses providing customer

service and support online

% of businesses using online banking

or other nancial services% of businesses placing orders over

the Internet

% of businesses interacting with

government organizations/public

authorities online

% of businesses making online

bill payment

Micro(< 10)

Small(1049)

Medium(5099)

Large(100499)

Super Large(500+)

Overall

20

18

17

18

21

9

Table 9: Businesses using Internet for Advanced Activities

Advanced Online Activity

64

48

49

49

53

26

47

44

41

45

71

25

53

52

47

38

71

25

54

60

47

42

79

31

27

23

23

23

27

12



% of businesses using e-mails

% of businesses accessing

Internet for business information

% of businesses promoting

products over the Internet

Micro(< 10)

Small(1049)

Medium(5099)

Large(100499)

Super Large(500+)

Overall

32

27

7

Basic Online Activity

84

76

38

84

77

39

87

71

39

88

85

46

41

36

12

Table 8: Businesses Using Internet for Basic Activities

and 46 percent of companies within the small to super large

categories do so.

Advanced use of the Internet is less common among all

enterprises in Qatar. Small enterprises are more aggressive

than their counterparts from all other sizes in e-business

activities, specifically in terms of receiving or placing ordersfor sale of goods or services online. More than 64 percent of

small enterprises receive sales orders online, compared to

47 percent of medium-sized companies, 53 percent of large

companies, and 54 percent of super large companies (Table 9).

Furthermore, more than half of all small to super large

companies in Qatar use the Internet to interact with

government organizations and public authorities, while one-

fifth (21 percent) of micro companies reported doing so.

Benchmark of Business Online ActivityOnline activities such as Internet banking, e-commerce,

and interaction with public authorities are still in their early


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Business 2


adoption stage among businesses in Qatar when the EU-15

average is taken as a reference. Less than a quarter of all

businesses in Qatar conduct Internet banking and e-commerce

(placing or receiving orders over the Internet), compared to 83percent and 44 percent, respectively, in the EU-15.

Additionally, 27 percent of Qatari businesses reported

interacting with public authorities over the Internet compared

to approximately two-thirds of businesses that do so in the

EU-15 (Figure 4).

ICT Training in BusinessesOnly 1 percent of employees in large enterprises received ICT

training (such as ICDL, Microsoft Office, etc.) in the 12-month

period ending Q3 2008. The proportion is relatively higheramong small enterprises (4.63 percent), but is less than 1

percent among micro businesses (0.44 percent).

Small businesses outperformed large and super large

businesses in retaining IT staff as a percentage of total

employment, with 4.99 percent of employees within small

businesses specialized in IT. Due to a relatively small staff,

the presence of a few IT staff in micro, small, and medium

Figure 4: Benchmark of Percentage of Businesses Conducting

Advanced Online Activities


Table 10: Businesses Providing ICT Training (in past 12 months)


% of businesses that trained at least one

employee on ICT in past 12 months

% of employees that received ICT training

in past 12 months *

% of employees specialized in IT *

Micro(< 10)

Small(1049)

Medium(5099)

Large(100499)

Super Large(500+)

Overall

0.8

0.4

3.3

ICT Training Indicator

13.5

4.6

5.0

14.0

1.3

3.8

13.9

1.0

2.1

25.9

0.2

1.1

15.2

1.4

2.7

* calculated as % rom total employees excluding unskilled labor

businesses allow them to perform better in this indicator

compared to large and super large businesses

(Table 10).

Enterprises with Web PresenceThe vast majority of large and super large enterprises in

Qatar 83 percent and 87 percent respectively have a

web presence (either their own website or web pages on an

affiliated website). Around 60 percent of small and medium

enterprises have a web presence, compared to approximately

18 percent of micro businesses. Overall, the findings show

that about 26 percent of businesses in Qatar have a web

presence.

Sweden has the worlds highest percentage of enterpriseswith a web presence (85 percent). The average score of the

EU-15 is 66 percent, well ahead of Qatars performance in this

indicator (Figure 5).

Key Factors limiting ICT Usage in QatarPerceived lack of benefit emerged as the primary barrier to

Qatari businesses use or increased use of ICT. Approximately

34 percent of all respondent businesses cited this factor as an

Figure 5: Benchmark of Percentage of Businesses withWeb Presence



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Table 11: Perceived Barriers to ICT Use by Businesses (in % of businesses)

Lack of benet

Cost of Internet connection

Low level of importance on ICT

Cost of buying/renting PCs

Lack of skills

Complexity of the technology

No potential for reducing

business costs by using ICT

Security of business/purchase

transactions over the Internet

Not enough websites in mother language

Lack of trust (security/privacy)

Micro(< 10)

Small(1049)

Medium(5099)

Large(100499)

Super Large(500+)

Overall

31

34

29

24

22

13

10

9

9

7

Perceived Barrier

46

23

20

19

24

14

11

9

5

13

35

28

22

11

17

11

16

15

10

17

52

12

22

8

16

8

7

6

2

6

56

11

22

2

9

8

4

8

2

2

34

32

27

23

22

13

10

9

8

8

important limitation. More than half of large and super large

enterprises in Qatar recognize this apparent lack of benefit as

a barrier to increasing ICT use.

This indicates lack of understanding of the role of ICT in

increasing the efficiency, productivity, and profitability of

enterprises, which demonstrates the need for a widespread

awareness and education campaign.

Other factors such as the cost of Internet connection and

low importance associated with ICT were perceived as

secondary barriers (Table 11).


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Chapter III: Governmen


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Government


BackgroundThis chapter assesses the level of technology adoption and

integration of ICT in government processes and operations in

Qatar. This study covers government organizations such as

ministries, councils, and authorities.

Government companies and enterprises and their

employees are excluded from the study (Figure 1).

Civil servants or government employees comprise

approximately 15 percent of the active workforce in Qatar

(Figure 2). According to the Qatar Statistics Authority, Qatari

nationals constitute almost 50 percentage of government

staff, while non-Qatari staff, mainly of Arab, Asian and

Western nationalities comprise the remaining government

workforce.

Male employees working for the Qatari government outweighfemale employees by almost 3 to 1, with males at 73

percentage and females at 27 percent.

Key Findings

The government has been aggressive in its ICT adoption

in several areas including ICT training of staff and the

ratio of PCs to employees which stands at 88.2 PCs per

100 employees.

A significant number of government services have yet to

be transformed into e-services to encourage widespread

use of e-government in Qatar.

The percentage of IT staff vis--vis total staff in the

government sector is low compared to the world average.

Nevertheless, the government sector outperformed the

business sector on all indicators, from the number of ICT

training hours provided for employees to PC and Internetuse.

Figure 2: Distribution of Employees between Governmentand Non-Government Sectors October 2007

Source: Qatar Statistics Authority

Figure 1: Breakdown of Government Employees October 2007

Source: Qatar Statistics Authority

Figure 3: Performance on UN e-Government Readiness Index

UAE World Rank: 32, Qatar World Rank: 53Source: UN e-Government Readiness Index 2008

Performance on UN e-Government IndexOverall, Qatar ranks 53rd in the UN e-Government

Readiness Index in 2008 (Figure 3). This index assesses

how governments are utilizing ICT to improve access to,

and the use of ICT in providing information, products,

and services to residents, businesses, and government

entities. The United Nations e-Government Readiness

Index surveyed 192 countries, 182 of which yielded findings

in all three sub-indices that comprise the Index: humancapital, telecommunication infrastructure, and web measure

(e-services).

Internet and PC UsageThe government sector in Qatar outperformed the business

sector in Internet and PC usage. PC penetration among

government organizations stood at 88.2 per 100 employees,


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compared to 48.9 per 100 in the business sector (Figure 4).

The same observation holds for Internet user penetration at

work, with the government sector performing significantly

better than the business sector, at 60.7 per 100 employees to

44.7 per 100 employees (Figure 5).

The significantly higher performance of the government

sector against the business sector is likely attributed to the

governments overall strategy of placing strong emphasis on

leveraging ICT tools to improve operations.

ICT Professionals in GovernmentGovernment employees in Qatar specializing in IT stand at 3.2

percent of the total government workforce. In the absence of

a global study that provides country-by-country data on this

indicator, the world leader is not known.

A comparison of Qatars data with the world average

published by Gartner (Measuring the Right Things

presentation, Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, Cannes, France,

November, 2007) shows that the percentage of IT

professionals in Qatars total government staff is about half of

the world average (Figure 6).

The low percentage (3.2 perent) of IT staff in Qatars

government organizations relative to the global average is

Figure 4: PC Penetration in Government and Business (in %)

Source: Government Executive Survey and Business Executive Survey, 2008

Figure 5: Internet User Penetration in Government and Business ( in %)

Source: Government Executive Survey and Business Executive Survey, 2008

Figure 6: ICT Professionals as Percentage of Government Workforce

Source: Gartner, 2007; Government Executive Survey, 2008

likely due to the outsourcing of most IT services, thereby

reducing the need for IT staff.

Performance on Other ICT Indicators

Nearly 75 percent of government staff in Qatar have at leastone PC at work, and 66.4 percent have an e-mail account

issued by their organization. However, only 47.1 percent use

e-mail at work. Government staff in Qatar received an average

of 3.5 hours of ICT training in the 12- month period ending Q3

2008 and a longer training duration 4.9 hours is expected

in the succeeding 12 months.

About 85.7 percent of government agencies in Qatar have

automated or are in the process of automating their core

processes (Table 1).


Table 1: Other e-Government Indicators

% of cyber security professionals trained or certied in

Qatars government organizations (from total number of IT

employees)

% of government staff with PC at work

% of government staff using e-mail at work

% of government staff with e-mail address issued by their

organization

Average number of government staff hours of ICT training in

the last 12 months

Average number of expected government staff hours of ICT

training in the next 12 months% of government agencies with automated core processes

Organizations satisfaction with existing G2G services

(On a scale of 17)

Comprehensiveness of public information available online

(On a scale of 17)

The government has a clear and comprehensive

implementation strategy for utilizing ICT (On a scale of 17)

ValueIndicator

17.8

74.7

47.1

66.4

3.5

4.9

85.7

4.0

5.0

4.9


35/68

Government


User satisfaction level in terms of the existing government-

to-government (G2G) services is fair, scoring 3.96 on a

7-point scale. The clarity and comprehensiveness of the Qatar

governments ICT implementation strategy scores a 4.9 on a

7-point scale; the comprehensiveness of public information

available online scores a 5.

Use of Government e-ServicesAround 18.4 percentage of residents (Table 2) have accessed

information on government websites while 12.1 percent have

made transactions on these websites during the 12-month

period preceding the survey (Table 2).

Users satisfaction with online government transactional

services registered high levels, ranging from 5.91 for using

GIS to 6.37 for using online post box to track mail, on a

7-point scale (Table 3).

Value


Indicator

Table 2: Residents Usage of Government Online Services

% of individuals accessing government websites

for information

% of individuals who accessed Qatari government

websites for transactions in the last 12 months

18.4

12.1

*Scale: 1 - strongly disagree, 7 - strongly agreeSource: Residents Survey, 2008

Table 3: Residents Satisfaction Levels with Government Online Services

Applying for Smart Card

Paying bills

Using GIS

Using online post box to track mail

Using business directory

6.23

6.12

5.91

6.37

6.03

Value *e-Service

Value


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Chapter IV: Education


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Education


BackgroundThree surveys conducted with teachers, students, and school

principals in all types and levels of schools in Qatar assessed

ICT adoption in the K12 education sector.

There are four types of schools in Qatar as indicated in

Table 1 and Figure 1 public schools run by the Ministry

of Education (MoE); public schools, known as independent

schools, run by the Supreme Education Council (SEC); private

international schools; and private Arabic schools.

A majority of students 55 percent are in primary schools,

24 percent are in intermediate schools, and 21 percent are in

high schools (Figure 2).

According to data obtained from Qatars Supreme Education

Council, there is one teacher for every 10 students in Qatar,

with the Ministry of Education schools having the best

student-to-teacher ratio at 6.6 students for every teacher

(Table 1).

Source: Supreme Education Council

Figure 1: Student Distribution by Type of School (200708)

Source: Supreme Education Council

Figure 2: Student Distribution by School Level (200708)

Table 1: Distribution of Students and Teachers in Schools

Source: Supreme Education Council (School Year 200708)

MoE (public)

International (private)

Independent (public)

Arabic (private)

Total

Number of Schools Number of Teachers Number of Students Student to Teacher Ratio

118

82

71

32

303

School Type

5,878

4,399

3,294

767

14,338

38,504

52,972

39,521

10,092

141,089

6.6

12.0

12.0

13.2

10.0

Key Findings

Qatars schools have an average of 12.7 PCs per 100

students, the highest in the Arab world.

The average number of PCs available for educational

purposes is only 8.3 PCs per 100 students.

Independent schools have the best ratio among the four

school types at 16.2 PCs per 100 students, significantly

higher than the European (EU-15) average of 12.1.

Unlike the EU countries where the ICT adoption level rises

as the grade level rises, Qatar follows a different pattern.

For example, intermediate schools in Qatar registered a

higher PC-to-student ratio and Internet connected PC-to-

student ratio compared to secondary schools.

Furthermore, the PC-to-student ratio in Europe is almost

1.5 times that of Qatar and the percentage of schools with

PCs in the classroom in Europe is nearly 3.5 times the

percentage observed in Qatars schools.

Availability of PCs at SchoolsLooking at the basic level of computers available at schools,

every school in Qatar has at least one PC, whether used for

administrative, educational, or other purposes. In terms of the

total number of PCs installed at schools per hundred students

Qatar has an average of 12.7 PCs, the highest in the Arab

world (Table 2 and Figure 3, next page).

Regarding the number of PCs available for educational

purposes Qatars schools have an average of 8.3 PCs per

100 students.


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The average ratio in the EU-15 is higher, standing at 12.1 PCs

per 100 students (Figure 4).

Independent schools have the best ratio among the four types

of schools. The average number of computers installed at an

independent school is 16.2 per 100 students significantly

higher than the EU-15 average of 12.1.

A comparison between the remaining three types of schools

in Qatar shows that the MoE and private Arabic schools have

the lowest number of PCs per 100 students, while the private

international schools performed slightly better as indicated

in Table 3. Intermediate schools in Qatar have a higher

number of PCs per 100 students than secondary or primary. In

contrast, secondary schools in EU countries have the highest

ratio (Table 4).

Distribution of PCs at Various Locations in SchoolsComputer laboratories have been the traditional location for

students PC use. However, efforts to integrate PCs in the

educational process are shifting the emphasis to the classroom.

The independent schools have emphasized increasing the

frequency and intensity of ICT use in education since their

inception in 2004. In 2008, 46.5 percent of independent

schools have installed PCs in classrooms. International

schools follow, with 19.6 percent of them using computers inclassrooms.

The rate is lower in MoE and private Arabic schools, where

less than 9 percent of schools use computers for learning in

classrooms.

Overall, Qatars schools are behind almost all European

countries in using PCs in the classroom, while there are more

schools in Qatar using PCs in computer labs than in Europe

(Table 5).

Figure 4: Benchmark of Number of PCs Dedicated to Learning at Schools(per 100 Students)

Table 3: Number of PCs Dedicated to Learning

(per 100 Students) in schools of different types

International

Arabic

Independent

MoE

Average

Number of PCs

per 100 students

6.5

4.2

16.2

5.8

8.3

School Type

Source: School Executive Survey, 2008

Table 4: Benchmark of Number of PCs Dedicated to Learning(per 100 Students) at Different Levels of Schools

Sources: Benchmarking Access & Use o ICT in European Schools 2006, EU InormationSociety Report on Lisbon Strategy 2010 (2006), *School Executive Survey 2008 (Qatar)

Primary

Intermediate

High School

Qatar*

8.9

12.7

8.5

10.2

11.8

16.8

18.6 (Denmark)

25 (UK)

37.3 (Denmark)

EU-15 Best in EUSchool Level

Source: EuroStat 2007, School Executive Survey 2008

Sources: 1 School Executive Survey, 20082 Prole o the Inormation Society - Kingdom o Bahrain - 2003, UNESCWA3 Regional Prole o the Inormation Society in Western Asia - 2007, UNESCWA4 Madar Research, 20085 Regional Prole o the Inormation Society in Western Asia - 2007, UNESCWA

Qatar

Bahrain

Jordan

UAE

Syria

PCs per 100 Students

12.7 1

5.2 2

5.0 3

4.0 4

1.2

5

Country

Table 2: Arab Benchmark of AllPCs at School (per 100 Students)

Figure 3:Arab Benchmark of AllPCs at School (per 100 Students)

Source: UNESCWA, Madar Research and School Executive Survey 2008

Sources: Benchmarking Access & Use o ICT in European Schools 2006, EU InormationSociety Report on Lisbon Strategy 2010 (August 2006), *School Executive Survey 2008

Table 5: Benchmark of Location of PCs Dedicated to Learning withinSchools

Computer Labs

Classrooms

School Library

Other Locations

Qatar * EU-15 Denmark

92.1

19.7

31.2

18.7

Location of PCs

77.5

68.2

32.7

28.5

90.6

71.5

71.0

76.1

UK

79.3

95.0

49.4

31.5

Percentage of All Schools


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Education


Network Connectivity in SchoolsThe majority of schools in Qatar 72.5 percent are

connected to the Internet. This compares with 96.5 percent

Internet connectivity among EU-15 schools in 2007 (Figure 5).

Schools in Qatar are almost on par with the EU-15 in terms of

local area network (LAN) implementation. LAN is a computer

network technology designed to connect multiple computers

separated by a short distance together to share information.

A LAN can be connected to the Internet and can also be

configured as an intranet. Of all schools in Qatar, 52.7 percent

are connected to a LAN, compared with 54.1 percent for the

EU-15 countries (Figure 6).

An equal percentage (35 percentage) of MoE and private

Arabic schools has LAN connectivity. Independent and

international schools are better equipped, with 90.1 percent

and 58.9 percent, respectively, using LAN. Independentschools outrank schools in Denmark, which have the highest

rate of LAN use.

Figure 5: Benchmark of Internet Connectivity in Schools


Figure 6: Benchmark of LAN Connectivity in Schools


Internet-Connected PCs at SchoolsAccording to the School Executive Survey 2008, Independent

schools have 13.4 Internet-connected PCs per 100 students,

higher than the EU-15 average of 10.6 (in 2006) (Table 6 and

Figure 7).

The number of Internet-connected PCs per 100 students in all

school in Qatar, however, is lower than that of the EU-15.

Table 7: Internet-connected PCs (Dedicated to Learning) per 100Students in Schools of Various Levels

Sources: Benchmarking Access & Use o ICT in European Schools 2006, EU InormationSociety Report on Lisbon Strategy 2010 (2006), * School Executive Survey 2008

Primary

Intermediate

High

Qatar* EU-15 Best in EU

5.9

8.3

6.9

School Level

8.2

10.7

12.4

17.9 (Denmark)

23.4 (UK)

37.2 (Denmark)

Table 6: Internet-connected PCs (Dedicated to Learning) per 100Students in Schools of Different Types

International

Arabic

Independent

MoE

Average

No. of Internet-connected

PCs per 100 students

5.3

2.9

13.4

2.5

5.9

School Type

Source: School Executive Survey 2008

Figure 7: Benchmark of Internet Connected PCs (Dedicated for Learning)

per 100 Students in Schools


Speed and Type of Internet ConnectivityAbout 37.1 percent of schools in Qatar utilize ADSL

(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), compared to 13.9

percent that use leased lines to connect to the Internet.

ADSL, which refers to two-way data connections over

ordinary telephone lines, is used most by international

schools (75 percent), while leased lines are utilized most by

independent schools (38 percent).


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Figure 8: Benchmark of Broadband Connectivity at Schools


Schools that use dial-up Internet connection in Qatar are

in the minority, accounting for 8.2 percent. The highest

rate of use noted is among MoE schools (15.4 percent) and

the lowest among independent schools (1.4 percent). In

comparison, about 5.4 percent of schools in the EU-15 used

dial-up connection in 2007.

The percentage of independent and private international

schools in Qatar with broadband Internet connection in 2008

87.3 percent and 82.1 percent respectively (Table 8) is

higher than the EU-15 average in 2007. However, the average

for all schools in Qatar is 58.5 percent, lower than the EU-15

average (Figure 8).

PC and Internet Use by Teachers and StudentsA higher percentage of teachers in Qatar use a PC or the

Internet than students, whether for educational or other

purposes (Table 9). Meanwhile, the average number of total

hours students in Qatar spend on the Internet per week is13.7, with more than twice as much time spent for personal

purposes, such as chatting or downloading software, than for

educational purposes (Table 10).

Table 11: Comparison of Digital Literacy among Students, Teachers, andResidents

Qatars Residents

Students

Teachers

Segment of Qatars Population

Average

(on a scale of 17)

2.29

4.31

4.99

Figure 9: Percentage of Schools with Website


Percentage Using PCs *

Percentage Using Internet *

TeachersIndicator

98.7

92.4

Students

93.4

88.9

Source: Educational (Teacher and Student) Survey * At least once a month

Table 9: Percentage of Teachers and Students Using PCs and Internet

Source: Student Survey, 2008

Table 10: Students Internet Usage (in hours per week)

Educational Purposes

Personal Purposes

Total

4.4

9.3

13.7

Purpose No. of Hours per Week

Digital LiteracyDigital literacy is defined as having the minimum level of

proficiency in using main PC applications (such as word

processor and spreadsheet) and basic Internet functions such

as e-mail and search engines. More than half of all students

in Qatar, 55 percent, have the skills that qualify them tobe considered digitally literate. Digital literacy is higher

among teachers at 65 percent (Table 11).

Table 8: Broadband Internet Connectivity at Schools of Different Types

Source: School Executive Survey 2008

International

Arabic

Independent

MoE

Average

Percentage of Schools with

Broadband Connection

82.1

41.3

87.3

37.2

58.5

School Type

Schools Web PresenceAn estimated 39.8 percent of all schools in Qatar own awebsite, with independent schools registering the highest

website penetration at 76.1 percent, followed by international

schools at 57.1 percent.

In contrast, 62.2 percent of all schools in the EU-15 countries

have a website, and almost all schools 99 percent in

Denmark, the worlds best-performing country in this

indicator, have a website (Figure 9).


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Education 4


ICT Training for TeachersLess than half of all teachers in Qatars schools 44 percent

received any form of ICT training in the 12 months ending

by the end of school year 2007-2008. The training focused on

International Computer Driving License course (ICDL), which

enables teachers to use all basic applications and programs

on a computer such as a word processor or spreadsheet.

Among the teachers who received training in ICDL, the

average number of training hours they completed on the

course in the 12-month period was reported at about 19. This

was followed by training on MS Office, averaging at 11 hours,

Internet training (7 hours), and intranet (3.7 hours), while

pedagogical ICT training averaged at 6 hours (Figure 10).

Source: Teacher Survey 2008

Figure 10: Average Number of Hours Received by Teachers for eachType of ICT Training over 12 Month Period


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Health 4


* Source: Qatar Statistics Authority, 2007** Source: Ministry o Foreign Afairs, 2007

BackgroundThis chapter assesses ICT adoption by healthcare

professionals in various private and government hospitals,

health centers, and clinics in Qatar. Three hundred seventy-

five physicians, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals

participated in a field survey.

Data gathered from the residents survey relating to

individuals use of the Internet for health-related purposes as

well as an online survey of healthcare websites and services

complemented the field survey.

Qatars private and public healthcare sectors include more

than 270 hospitals, clinics, and health centers (excluding

dental clinics), according to the Qatar Statistics Authority.

Complete and updated statistics on the number of healthcare

professionals working in Qatar were not available by thetime this study was completed. However, a QSA report

indicates the government public healthcare sector employed

about 9,524 health professionals as of 2007. The number of

physicians in the private healthcare sector is 1,421 according

to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2007 (Table 1).

Table 1: Number of Health Professionals in Qatar

Physicians/Medical Doctors

Dentists

Pharmacists

Nurses

Other Health Professionals

Total Health Professionals

Government

Sector *

Private

Sector **Profession

1,775

173

442

5,558

1,576

9,524

1, 421

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

_

* As percentage o total number o physicians and nurses working or each acilitySource: Health Proessionals Survey, 2008

Health Centers

Private Clinics

Private Hospitals

Government Hospitals

Physicians* Nurses*Health Facility

94.7%

53.3%

94.3%

95.0%

Table 2: Professionals with Internet Access at Work

77.8%

12.0%

24.1%

78.7%

Figure 1: Health Professionals with Internet Access at Work (in %)

Source: Health Proessionals Survey, 2008

Overall, nearly 70 percent of health professionals in Qatar

have Internet access at work. A significantly higher

percentage of physicians and allied health professionals have

access to the Internet than nurses do (Figure 1).

Internet AccessThis study indicates that government hospitals provide better

ICT infrastructure to healthcare professionals than privately

run clinics and hospitals: about 95 percent of all physiciansand 78 percent of nurses have Internet connection at work in

government hospitals.

Health centers are just as well equipped as they provide 95

percent of physicians and 78 percent of nurses with Internet

access. In comparison, slightly more than half of physicians

and 12 percent of all nurses employed by private clinics have

Internet access at their workplace (Table 2).

Key Findings

The government-run health sector in Qatar is better

equipped to provide ICT tools and infrastructure than

privately run facilities. All told, nearly 70 percent of

health professionals in Qatar have Internet access atwork.

Of Qatars healthcare providers, 15.6 percent have health-

related websites and only 3.1 percent offer transactional

services compared to a community of healthcare

professionals and residents who are proficient in Internet

use. This suggests that Qatar focus on e-health services

to link patients with healthcare providers and services.

Nearly 76 percent of physicians in Qatar were connected

to an online health professionals network as of Q3 2008.Comparatively, 57 percent of nurses and 70 percent

of allied health professionals were connected to such

networks.


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About 89 percent of health centers in Qatar are connected to

the Internet, with government hospitals following closely at

87 percent. In comparison, 34 percent of all private clinics in

Qatar have Internet access (Figure 2).

Online PresenceOut of a random list of 160 healthcare providers contacted

in this study, 15.6 percent had websites. Of these websites,

only 20 percent (equivalent to 3.1 percent at overall level)

provided transactional capabilities in the form of search

options, newsletter subscriptions, and downloadable forms

(Figure 3). No health-related websites were found to offer

e-commerce services in Qatar although there are a few

websites that offer information about their products and

services or a facility to view appointments online.

Figure2: Percentage of Healthcare Facilities Providing Internet

Access to Staff


Figure 3: Percentage of Healthcare Providers with

Website/Transactional Services

Source: Health Web Survey, 2008

Use of Healthcare PortalsAs of Q3 2008, about 76 percent of physicians in Qatar were

connected to an online health professionals network such as

a health practitioners network or healthcare portal, whether

local, regional or international. In comparison, 57 percent

of nurses and 70 percent of allied health professionals were

connected to such networks (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Percentage of Healthcare Professionals Connected toHealthcare Portals


Among healthcare professionals who were not connected to a

healthcare network, 41 percent cited having no time for it, 25

percent said they were not aware of any networks or portals,

and 15 percent indicated that they saw no potential benefit or

value from using them. The rest cited technical or functionaldifficulties as well as lack of participation by their colleagues

or patients.

ICT TrainingOverall, about 15 percent of all health professionals in

Qatar received ICT training in the 12-month period ending in

Q3 2008. Approximately 23 percent of nurses received ICT

training, compared to 7.4 percent of physicians and 6 percent

of allied health professionals. On average, nurses in Qatar

reported receiving 47.7 hours of ICT training in the past 12

months, compared to only 36.4 hours received by physicians(Table 3).

Table 3: ICT Training of Health Professionals

Physicians

Nurses

Allied

Overall

7.4%

23.0%

6.0%

14.7%

36.4

47.7

9

44.84

Health

ProfessionalsReceived ICT

Training

Average No. of Training

Hours (in past 12 months)

End Users of Online Health ServicesAround 38 percent of all residents in Qatar (or 63 percent

when excluding the transient labor population) use the

Internet. This constitutes a large pool of potential users of

future online health services, especially since as many as

14.45 percent of all residents in Qatar (24 percent when

excluding transient workforce) already search the Internet

for health-related information, according to the Residents

Survey findings.


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Chapter VI: Tourism

8/9/201

Documents

Qatar's ICT Landscape Report 2009