VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #2782/01 2790518
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050518Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3612
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 6078
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 2921
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3799
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 3983
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 2029
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1349
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH 0834
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 5185
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC

UNCLAS AMMAN 002782 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECPS EINT EINV TINT JO
SUBJECT: BROADBAND COMPETITION STILL SLUGGISH BUT FUTURE CAPACITY 
GROWTH COULD ACCELERATE INDUSTRY 
 
REFS:  A) AMMAN 2490, B) 07 AMMAN 4717 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: An estimated 21% of Jordanians use the internet 
but only 3% of the population subscribes to an internet service. 
Jordan is currently served by 20 internet service providers (ISPs) 
which resell service from Jordan Telecom Group/Orange (JTG). 
Jordan's broadband service remains expensive and slow in spite of 
the recent launch of two WIMAX competitors.  Prices are expected to 
fall significantly when a second submarine cable becomes operational 
in 2009 which will triple capacity and end JTG's monopoly over 
international access.  Internet service from the National Electrical 
Company (NEPCO) could further increase competition.  End Summary. 
 
 
21% of Jordanians Use the Internet but Just 3% Subscribe 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Department of Statistics reports that Jordan has 1.2 
million Internet users in a country with a population of 5.7 million 
for a 21% penetration rate.  The number of internet subscribers is 
far lower and estimated at approximately 170,000 (3%).  The study 
further estimates that 33% of homes have computers but only 16% of 
them are connected to the Internet.  Ministry of Information and 
Communications Technology Acting Secretary General Afram Jamil told 
EconOff that internet penetration is low in Jordan for four reasons 
that he thinks will not change quickly: cost of internet service; 
low computer ownership rates; insufficient Jordanian content in 
either Arabic or English; and least important, some social and 
ethical concerns about the Internet and its content. 
 
Former Telecommunications Monopoly Still Dominates Internet 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Al-Ansari Al-Mashagbah, Director of the Regulatory 
Department of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC), 
explained that while internet service in Jordan has been liberalized 
with 20 service providers, the data lines themselves remain the 
property of Jordan Telecom Group/Orange (JTG).  As a result, all 
ADSL and dial-up ISPs in Jordan rely upon Orange's local fixed-line 
loop infrastructure for interconnection.  This reliance on Orange's 
infrastructure has long been blamed for the high price of Internet 
access and the slow adoption of broadband services within Jordan 
(ref B).  JTG is required to provide access to licensed ISPs and TRC 
has the responsibility to resole disputes between JTG and the ISPs. 
 
 
¶4. (U) A September report by Arab Advisors Group estimated that JTG 
has a 50% market share in internet service and earned $12 million 
from internet revenues in the first half of 2008.  This is a 30% 
increase from the same period in 2007 but is still tiny compared to 
revenues from mobile and fixed line services which are both ten 
times greater (ref A).  Ibrahim Akinci, Marketing Director of Zain, 
said that his company and others share the rest of the market with 
similar internet products since they all re-sell the same JTG 
services. 
 
Quality of Broadband Limited by Capacity 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Raed Bilbessi, CEO of Int@j, Jordan's information 
technology industry association, said that although the government 
has named 2008 "the year of broadband" that broadband service in 
Jordan remains slow and expensive.  He said Jordan has significant 
network capacity challenges and that JTG will not lower its 
broadband prices because it does not have the bandwidth to serve 
additional customers.  Ghiath Sukhtian, executive Vice Chairman of 
VTEL, agreed and said Jordan's current capacity will be further 
challenged by an increase in Blackberries and other internet-enabled 
devices and especially from increased online video downloads. 
 
WIMAX Has a Wi-Minimal Impact 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) TRC officials had hoped that the launch of WIMAX, an 
Internet technology that uses fixed, local radio cells to provide 
high-speed wireless Internet access, would increase competition and 
significantly lower prices but this has not yet happened (ref B). 
Mamoun Balqar, Vice-Chairman of TRC, said that the first WIMAX 
launch by Umniah had serious technical problems which hurt the 
technology's reputation and limited sales.  He said that while ATCO, 
 
the second WIMAX service provider, had a smoother technical launch, 
the overall reputation of WIMAX continues to suffer and hurt sales. 
Akinci said that WIMAX in Jordan has struggled because of poor 
indoor signal quality but added that if the service quality 
improves, JTG will be forced to improve its service or lower prices. 
 Al-Mashagbah said that three additional WIMAX providers have 
received licenses and are expected to begin offering service soon. 
 
 
New Capacity from Submarine Cable 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) VTEL is currently planning to build an optical fiber 
network in Jordan with a capacity of 64 STM-1s which will more than 
triple Jordan's current network capacity.  This new network will 
have international gateway access by connecting to the recently 
commissioned Falcon cable system and via connections with Iraq, 
Syria, and Israel.  Sukhtian predicted that most telecommunications 
companies in Jordan would buy VTEL capacity for either primary 
services or back-up redundancy. Sukhtian predicted that this second 
submarine cable will be operational in September 2009. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Bilbessi was optimistic about the opening of a second 
international gateway as a means of lowering broadband prices since 
it would break part of JTG's monopoly.  He expressed some concern 
that lowered prices will lead to increased use and that without an 
investment in telecommunications infrastructure that speed and 
quality will plummet further.  Jamil said that the negotiations for 
this cable were extensive and difficult because Jordan's small 
market size makes it difficult to justify a large investment in 
telecommunications infrastructure.  Sukhtian predicted that 
broadband prices could fall 80% once all of the new capacity is 
operational and opined that "JTG is making a bundle today." 
 
Hey, You Guys!  Internet from the Electric Company 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶9. (U) Another form of competition may also come from the National 
Electricity Company (NEPCO) which is working to develop a "dark 
fiber" offering.  This would provide internet service through the 
existing national electricity network.  An agreement was signed this 
summer between NEPCO and Hadatha Investment Company.  Broadband over 
power lines (BPL) is a technology being tested worldwide to extend 
broadband service to remote geographical areas with existing 
electrical service where the cost of laying fiber or cable is not 
financially viable.  Existing power grids are modified with the 
addition of broadband equipment.  Internet data is then transmitted 
via radio frequency energy on the same line as the electrical 
current but because they vibrate at different frequencies the two do 
not interfere with one another.  Comment: At this time, it is not 
known whether this service, which is designed to provide NEPCO with 
an additional revenue stream, will strain Jordan's already 
over-burdened electric grid.  End Comment. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Website at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
BEECROFT