QITCOM 2012 Conference to Mull Digitization Policy, Services and Markets

Doha, February 08 (QNA) - Digitization policy development and how it boosts Qatar's economy in the coming decades, integration of digital technologies into routine life, the country's business environment and its readiness to support digitized services will come under sharp focus at the three-day QITCOM 2012 Conference and Exhibition starting March 5 in Doha. The second edition of the annual conference, organised by the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology - ictQATAR and managed by IFP Qatar, will be held at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha. The conference will see the assembly of Information Communications Technology (ICT) policy-makers, professionals like software developers, application architects, cloud computing, virtualization, security, broadband and fiber networks specialists besides management executives, entrepreneurs, investors and exhibitors. QITCOM 2012 will be held in conjunction with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Connect Arab States Summit which will assemble Arab countries represented by ministers and senior officials from the industry, according to the pre-conference brochure released by the organisers. The Connect Arab States Summit endeavours to generate human, financial and technical resources needed to support ICT growth in the Arab World. The discussions at the Summit will focus on following broad areas - accessibility, security and digital content. Topics under accessibility will cover rapid deployment of broadband networks, capacity building of workforce to prepare for broadband enabled economy; ICT applications and services to cater to the needs of persons with disabilities; digital broadcasting to enable mobile television and interactive multimedia services and applications. Digital content is the third key theme of the Summit. The key topic here would be stimulating Arabic digital content through innovative ICT applications and services by youth entrepreneurs, support for Arabic domain names and the creation of digital archives to spearhead e-governenance and to preserve Arab cultural heritage. Digital technology enables data transmission or storage using binary logic expressed in a sequence of 0s and 1s. In layman's terms the process of digitization is conversion of analog information in any form like text, photographs and voice to digital form with suitable electronic devices such as a scanner or computer chips so that the information can be processed, stored, and transmitted through digital circuits, equipment, and networks. Digitization which is at the heart of the ICT is the future since analog era is now obsolete in most parts of the world. Digital technology has enriched consumers lives through gadgets and services spurred by innovation particularly in computing and communications. Qatar is at the forefront of embracing ICT innovation. Consider the figures. Currently around 1.5% of Qatar's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is spent on ICT and project expand in the next few years, according to a 2009 ictQATAR Integrated e-Government White Paper. According to research group IDC's market analysis, in their recently published Special Report on the ICT Market in Qatar in 2011, the ICT market in Qatar is projected to expand at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) to reach a value of US$ 3.64 Billion in 2015. Indeed, Qatar has a burgeoning telecom sector. It has one of the highest rates of mobile users in the world. Its subscription exceed the country's population by 40%, according telecom operators' figures at the end of the year 2010. Computer penetration in Qatar too is high with 89% of household possessing a computer and 84% of users have access to internet connection, according to ICT Landscape 2010 report which also says 70% of households had broadband connections in 2010 compared to 41% in 2008 and 85% of households have a fixed telephone line connection. In the light of the above, this QITCOM 2012 conference is very important for all stake holders since ICT improves the efficiency and, therefore, the quality of socio-economic engagement of people. (QNA) National and regional regulatory policies and frameworks for data privacy, combating cybercrimes, insulating Arab children and youth from inappropriate content available via the Internet are some of the topics that will be discussed under the theme of security.