Creating Opportunity for Women in ICT

1. Creating Opportunity for Women in ICT Dr.Olfat Abdel Monsef NTRA Egypt

2. Background Statistics • Women in Egyptian Society • ICT coverage and Teledensity • Cities • Rural areas Olfat Monsef

3. Objectives • Awareness • Access to Information • Participation in ICT activities • Education • Improving quality of life • Personal Development • Social Development • International Exposure Olfat Monsef

4. Awareness Identification of the problem and the need for change Olfat Monsef

5. Access to Information • New initiatives for narrowing the digital divide • Free Internet • Computer for every home • Universal service • Teledensity and Teleaccessability • Tariff Regulation • Telecom Sector Development Olfat Monsef

6. New initiatives for narrowing the digital divide:Free Internet PC for Every Home Access to Information

7. Free Internet Revenue-Sharing Model • Free Internet User pays only the cost of the local call no subscription fees are required. • Direct access to the internet is hence insured through free dial-up numbers • The user is billed through TE fixed telephone bill • TE and the ISPs have agreed on a Revenue-Sharing Model of 30%:70% in case of offloading • In Greater Cairo and Alexandria: • ISP receives 70% of a call’s revenue when directly serviced by its RAS equipment in the same local exchange • ISP receives 30% of a call’s revenue when serviced by its RAS equipment in another local exchange • ISP tends to cover more exchanges in a region to maximize its revenue share • In Areas outside Cairo and Alexandria: • Within one governorate, ISP receives 70% of all calls’ revenues, when installing its RAS equipment in the main local exchange Access to Information Olfat Monsef

8. PC for Every Home Initiative • Affordable High-Quality Local-Brand PCs to Meet Local Demand • Paid on Monthly Installments • Every Phone Owner is Eligible • Outlets located at selected TE central offices • Suppliers accredited and samples approved by MCIT • Project to Develop a Strong Local Manufacturing and Assembly Industry Access to Information Olfat Monsef

9. Universal Service • Universal service obligations • Support to high cost rural areas • Support to low income consumers • Basic telephony and low speed data and fax services. • Access to emergency services • Internet access to schools, telecenters.. (bridging the digital divide) Access to Information Olfat Monsef

10. Teledensity and Teleaccessability • Country specific parameters and national targets • Difficulty of access • Rural coverage economic barriers • Densely populated areas economic barriers • Relation to tariff policy, interconnection and universal service Access to Information Olfat Monsef

11. Tariff Regulation • Maximize market efficiency while keeping tariffs close to cost • Rebalancing of existing tariffs • Identification of an appropriate costing methodology • Universal service coordination and progressive implementation of tariffs policy Access to Information Olfat Monsef

12. Participation in ICT activities Telecom Sector Development • Telecommunications sector growth • Enabling investments • Encouraging SMEs • Increasing Sector Efficiency • Consumer Protection • Transition to Fully Competitive Environment Olfat Monsef

13. Education • Cultural Exposure • E-learning Olfat Monsef

14. Improvement of Quality of Life • Tele-medicine • E-Government • E-Commerce Olfat Monsef

15. Personal Development • ICT is gender neutral technology • Instantaneous access to news and events • Exposure to international norms • Development of modern work practices • Development of independence and self confidence Olfat Monsef

16. Social Development • Gender based activities • Promotion of Equal Opportunity Society • Promotion of Non Governmental Associations and Consumer Protection entities Olfat Monsef

17. Participation • Open the door for active participation in society • Involvement in problem solving • Development of decision making skills on personal, social and political levels Olfat Monsef

18. International Exposure • ICT as literacy tool and access to information • ICT as a tool for professional competitiveness in all areas ( engineering, medical, planning, educational, industrial, economic, management etc..) • ICT as an international presence language Olfat Monsef

19. National Telecommunication RegulationCatalyst for growth and gender development • Access to Information • Technical Impact • Commercial Impact • Social Impact • International Exposure Olfat Monsef

20. Mile Stones for Telecom Liberalization Setting up a model sector based on competitiveness, efficiency, transparency and full accessibility and connectivity • Monopoly • Liberalization • Creation of the Regulatory Authority • New Telecom Law- NTRA mandate • WTO BTA end of 2005 • Deregulation Olfat Monsef

21. Technical ImpactNew services and technologies • Opening new horizons liberalization of services allow introduction of new applications and new technologies as a direct consequence, and leading to growth in kind and in volume. • Example; the introduction of 2 GSM operators in a competitive way led to a substantial growth in the telecommunication market, about 4.5 million mobile subscribers were introduced in the telecom market with a parallel growth in the fixed line subscriber base due to balanced regulatory policy.. It also led to the introduction of new services related to mobility and affected the work practices and the quality of life in the whole country in a way that helped growth in all sectors not only the telecommunication field. Olfat Monsef

22. Commercial ImpactThe Regulator is an enabler • Creating a healthy telecommunication environment ensuring to increase the profitability of existing operators and service providers and encourage the introduction of new players. • A fair competition environment encourages the entry in the market for new investments. Small and medium companies can work in a healthy environment with insurance of no anticompetitive practices by companies with market power or incumbent operators practices such as cross subsidies and price wars. Olfat Monsef

23. The Regulatory System As Market StimulatorFor Economic Development • The regulatory system also has a role as market stimulator, by continuously monitoring the telecom sector performance and analyzing economic indicators, the regulator can plan for the introduction of new services or license new players to introduce value added to existing services to satisfy consumer demand but also to use the market elasticity to create new demand. • Introduction of more competition, together with a cost based tariff strategy lead to a balanced tariff structure and growth Olfat Monsef

24. Social impact • ICT development and bridging the digital divide • efficient work and management practices • non governmental associations • consumer protection • Gender related impact Olfat Monsef

25. Liberalization, regulation then deregulation will take the telecommunication sector in Egypt towards a totally liberalized market environment by the end of 2005 leading the country into this new era. • Integration of telecommunication and information services will definitively be the next step forward where the shape of the ICT environment in the world will develop very rapidly in the rather near than far future. Olfat Monsef

26. The flexibility in using the regulatory role to adjust to international trends and changes will decide on whether the society will be able to narrow the digital divide and sustain enough growth to be able to exist and interact in the new environment. • The challenges faced when dealing with gender issues are even greater, and efforts are to be multiplied to take our society safely to long term political and economic stability. Olfat Monsef

27. Contacts : • Telephone : +(202) -3315 665 • 3377711 • Fax : +(202) - 3373300 • E-mail address : tra@tra.gov.eg • - Website : www.tra.gov.eg Olfat Monsef