78% of Jordanian SMEs utilize computers, while two-thirds use the Internet, a recently concluded study by Arab Advisors Group reveals.

A comprehensive survey of close to 5% of Jordan's small and medium enterprises across the various economic sectors was concluded in February. The results show a satisfactory adoption of Information and Communication Technologies by Jordanian businesses. Nonetheless, Jordanian SMEs still need to have more focused technology adoption that would better streamline their businesses. The study was commissioned by int@j and funded by NAFES and seven participating organizations and companies.

February 24, 2003 -

Between December 2002 and February 2003, the Arab Advisors Group conducted a comprehensive study and survey of the technology and Internet adoption amongst small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan. On the supply side, the analysis encompassed the vendors and operators for technology, Internet and software products in the market. On the demand side, the study included conducting extensive interviews with 247 small and medium enterprises across the major economic sectors in the country in Jordan's four main cities of Amman, Zarqa, Irbid and Aqaba. SMEs were defined as companies employing 5 to 100 people. The sample was randomly selected and proportionately represented the SMEs in the four cities and across the major economic sectors. The economic sectors covered were tourism (restaurants and hotels), trade, finance, insurance, real estate, construction, manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture.

"The Arab Advisors Group surveyed 247 companies in the four cities. This represents a sample size of 4.7% of the working population which allows for less than 8% margin of error with 99% confidence level." Jawad Abbassi, Arab Advisors Group President said. "The National Fund for Enterprise Support (NAFES) provided the bulk of the funding for the study, which was coordinated by the Information Technology Association of Jordan (int@j). Seven companies and organizations participated in the study and partially financed it. These are Batelco - Jordan, Bidaya Ventures, Global One - Jordan, Jordan Telecom, LINKdotNET, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology and Specialized Technical Services (STS). The study demonstrates a very healthy cooperation between different stakeholders in the ICT sector in Jordan to gain a wider understanding of the dynamics of the market. The Arab Advisors Group is very proud to be part of this endeavour". Mr. Abbassi added.

During the study, Arab Advisors Group assessed the supply side and demand side of the ICT products and services amongst Jordanian SMEs through a primary research and survey-based approach. The Arab Advisors team provided a comprehensive report on the ICT products and services available in the Jordanian market as well as the level of usage of these products and services by the SMEs in Jordan.

The full results of the study (a 40-pages report with over 90 exhibits) can be collected from int@j for a nominal fee. The study covers major aspects of ICT adoption in Jordan and is based on a comprehensive 12 pages questionnaire that was filled through painstaking face to face interviews with the SMEs.

"Analysing the survey results shows that there is a somewhat big disparity between businesses in Amman and those outside Amman in terms of their technology adoption", Mr. Sami Sunna', Arab Advisors Group senior analyst said. "For example, while 95% of companies in Amman had PCs, the ratio was around 70% in Zarqa and less than 25% in Irbid. The disparities are also present across the board in Internet, web pages, leased line and ADSL adoption by businesses in Amman and outside Amman". He added.

The study shows that 22.3% of Jordanian SMEs did not have Personal Computers (PCs). Of the companies that have PCs, 51.6% have a LAN set up in the office.

In regards to Internet use, more than 66% of the companies use the Internet, while this percentage reaches more than 85% of the companies that have PCs. 58.2% of the companies that use Internet started using it more than 3 years ago. 92% of companies in Amman use the Internet, which is far higher than the percentages in Irbid, Zarqa and Aqaba. More than 74.5% of the companies that use the Internet have Internet dialup accounts, with only 15.2% having Internet leased lines, and 15.2% having Internet ADSL. A little more than a quarter of Jordanian SMEs have a web page.

"The Information Technology Association of Jordan (int@j) is very pleased to have been able to facilitate and organize such a detailed and scientific study". Mr. Raed Bilbessi, int@j's CEO said. "Int@J provided the umbrella under which seven organizations participated in the study. I would like to thank NAFES for their support and major financial contribution to the study. The results of the study will help all ICT companies in Jordan to understand the state of ICT adoption by Jordanian SMEs." Mr. Bilbessi added.

"NAFES aims at enhancing the competitiveness and profitability of Jordanian SMEs." Mr. Abdul Raouf Taher, NAFES Manager said. "We are confident that this NAFES funded project will help SMEs and those companies that serve SMEs enhance ICT adoption in the kingdom which would make Jordanian SME's better equipped for an increasingly more competitive global and regional markets". He added.

About NAFES

The National Fund for Enterprise Support aims at supporting Jordanian private small and medium enterprises towards becoming more efficient and capable of competing regionally and globally. Support to SMEs is facilitated through providing financial subsidy for management development projects.
For more information: www.nafes.org.jo

About int@j

int@j (the Information Technology Association of Jordan), is a voluntary non-profit, private organization that represents, promotes, and advances the Jordanian software and IT services industry in the global market.
For more information: www.intaj.net

About Arab Advisors Group

Arab Advisors Group provides reliable research, analysis and forecasts of Arab communications, media and technology markets.

Arab Advisors Group Strategic Research Service is an annual subscription that has five forms of deliverables. The service covers fifteen countries in the Arab World: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Overall, the subscription involves receiving thirty country-specific reports, six industry trends reports, at least fifty two research notes per year in addition to fifteen hours of one-on-one interaction time with the analysts.
For more information, please contact the Arab Advisors Group offices.

The Arab Advisors Group's team of analysts in the region has already produced more than 150 reports on the Arab World's communications markets. The reports can be purchased individually or received through an annual subscription to Arab Advisors Group's (www.arabadvisors.com) Strategic Research Service. To date, Arab Advisors Group has served more than 60 global and regional companies by providing reliable research analysis and forecasts of Arab communications markets to these clients.