Jordan's ICT sector revenues grew tenfold since 2000 — Int@j

AMMAN — Chairman of the Information and Communication Technology Association of Jordan (Int@j) Eid Sweis on Saturday said that the Kingdom's ICT sector has witnessed a "qualitative" shift over the past decades, during which its revenues have increased nearly tenfold since the beginning of the millennium.

Sweis noted that this growth has made the ICT sector a “pillar” of the national economy and reflects Jordan's "success" story in independence and development, coinciding with the Kingdom's celebrations of its 79th Independence Day.

He said that this progress would not have been achieved without the Royal directives and continuous support of His Majesty King Abdullah, who has directed, in various forums, to boost Jordan's position as a "regional centre" in the ICT field, develop digital infrastructure and stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation.

Sweis added that His Majesty pays special attention to youth and digital entrepreneurship as the "true" gateway to the economy of the future.

He said that these visions have been translated into "clear" executive policies and integrated cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Sweis pointed to the "diligent" follow-up and high-level efforts exerted by HRH Crown Prince Hussein in supporting the digital and technology sector.

He referred to the Crown Prince's continuous monitoring of digital transformation projects, and his directives on the necessity of empowering youth in the digital economy and innovation, which have enhanced Jordan's "attractiveness" for technology investment and provided an incubator environment for startups.

Sweis noted that the number of employees in the sector has reached over 46,000, compared with only about 10,000 in 2000, marking a growth of more than 4.5 times, including about 10,000 employees working in the "outsourcing" sector for local, regional and international companies that base their operations in Jordan.

He said that the sector's revenues have jumped from about $320 million in the early 2000s to over $3.6 billion today, recording a more than tenfold increase, reflecting the sector's "vitality and its ability" to directly contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In the education field, he said the number of graduates in ICT and engineering majors from Jordanian universities has increased from less than 1,000 per year at the beginning of the millennium to some 7,000 per year currently, 40 per cent of whom are female.

Sweis announced that over 39 universities, both public and private, offer specialisations in the sector, enhancing qualified human capital.

He noted that the Kingdom currently has three telecom companies providing 4G services in all regions and 5G in major cities, with a plan to reach 50 per cent 5G coverage by 2028 as part of enhancing the digital infrastructure.

Regarding startups, he indicated that a total of over 450 startups are operating in various sectors, mainly financial technology, e-learning, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, block chain, electronic games and tourism, with support from specialised business accelerators and investment funds.

The sector's exports of IT services and products have increased from less than $50 million two decades ago to over $300 million today, constituting a nearly six-fold increase, he pointed out.

Sweis said that the telecom sector's total revenues amounted to JD1.2 billion, while investment in the sector in 2023 amounted to around JD347 million.

He said that 45 telecom service companies are licensed, and the percentage of fixed internet subscriptions has reached 7 per cent, around 800,000 subscribers, while the internet coverage rate of cellular networks has reached 67 per cent.