ESCWA used four maturity levels for each aspect of the information society, whereby level 1 indicates the lowest level of maturity and level 4 shows the highest level of maturity.
The report depicts the status of information societies in the ESCWA region and measures the progress made in building these societies and evaluates the status of each member country.
Lebanon came in Maturity Level 2 in terms of the role of government and stakeholders in building the information society.
It was one of four countries in this category that included Oman, Sudan and Syria.
The report said Lebanon was awaiting the formal approval of e-Lebanon as the national ICT strategy, which has been delayed due to the political situation in the country.
It noted that Lebanon established in 2007 a national coordinating office, which launched, in cooperation with the Partnership for Lebanon, a number of national projects and initiatives, including community telecenters in disadvantaged areas and the National Broadband Strategy. Further, an e-government strategy drafted in 2002 was modernized and updated in 2008 based on a new situational assessment and includes clear and realistic goals.
But it considered the pace of implementation of the nation’s ICT strategy to be “limited,” like the pace in Palestine and Sudan. Seven ESCWA countries are at a more advanced level than Lebanon in this category.
Also, Lebanon is at Maturity Level 2 in terms of ICT infrastructure. It is one of five countries in this category that include Egypt, Oman, Palestine and Syria.
The survey said Lebanon was characterized by average penetration rates of fixed and mobile phone lines, an encouraging environment for widespread use of telecom services by businesses and individuals, a national bandwidth/backbone for voice and data telecommunication undergoing development, and sufficient Internet players in the market. Six Arab countries are at more mature levels.
Further, Lebanon came in Maturity Level 2 in terms of access to information and knowledge. It was one of five countries in this category that included Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria. ESCWA said this maturity level is characterized by a relatively high Internet penetration rate and some development of public information, in addition to limited access to public domain information, sometimes due to censorship. Six Arab countries are at more advanced levels, while three are less advanced than Lebanon.
Additionally, Lebanon is at Maturity Level 3 in terms ICT capacity-building. It is one of five countries in this category that included Egypt, Jordan Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
ESCWA considered that this maturity level is characterized by widespread use of ICT in schools and universities, extensive IT literacy programs, and progress in research and development. It that noted Lebanon advanced one level, as it exhibited developments worthy of moving upward from Maturity Level 2. Only one Arab country is at a more advanced level in this category than Lebanon. – The Daily Star
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Quelle/Source: The Daily Star, 17.04.2010
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