The enormous investments in technology that Jordan has experienced over the past decade have helped the country become competitive within the international technological atmosphere. Investments in ICT have gained momentum because it is an area in which Jordan believes it can achieve a competitive advantage.
Jordan established a strong digital infrastructure, which coupled with smart talent, supportive policies and relative economic and political stability, made the country an attractive business environment. Jordan’s ICT sector is a free market with international agreements in place, including bilateral agreements and favorable protocols with more than 20 countries. Jordan is also a regional gateway to the Arab world, with over two-thirds of its exports going to Gulf States. The country’s top five export markets for ICT comprise of KSA, USA, UAE, Iraq and Oman.
The success of Jordan’s ICT sector can be attributed to the country’s competitive cost structure; industry-focused, well-educated and highly trained ICT workforce; investor-friendly business environment; modern infrastructure with an open telecommunications market, incentives and business parks; and near-shore location, which makes it a prime gateway to the Middle East.
Jordan’s ICT sector has four main stakeholders: Ministry of Information & Communication Technology (MoICT), Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), National Information Technology Center (NITC) and Information & Communications Technology Association – Jordan (int@j). These stakeholders have been integral to ICT’s success in the country, and subsequently the broader region. They have accumulated the knowledge and skills to effectively export complete ICT solutions and services to neighboring markets and beyond. Various companies in Jordan have built significant intellectual property, particularly software solutions and content creation, which allows them to successfully penetrate the US and Europe in addition to regional markets.
Despite Jordan’s achievements, the ICT sector has several weaknesses. Notably, there is some inconsistency between the outputs of academia and industry requirements; universities are not fulfilling a knowledge quota. Additionally, legal and regulatory obstacles, as well as low levels of research and development by global standards, further weaken the ICT sector. Jordan has also experienced economic frustrations, which have taken their toll on the country. Regardless, our motivated youth remain unhindered, a promising outlook for the next generation of vibrant and ambitious entrepreneurs.
About the Author
Fadi Qutaishat serves as Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Globitel. In this role, he oversees the Globitel sales team managing the sales strategy, and business development for the company. Mr. Qutaishat is responsible for positioning Globitel’s growth strategy and cultivating opportunities in new and existing markets through market and customer insight, corporate positioning, branding, and advertising, as well as marketing of products, solutions, and partners.
Mr. Qutaishat brings to his roles nearly 2 decades of solutions-based marketing and extensive sales, sales management and strategy expertise in IT and telecom solutions, and was awarded several trophies in recognition and appreciation of his hard work, and countless results.