Mobile phone use is nearly universal in Iraq.
However, the country is served by various phone networks, resulting in a ‘bit
of comical’ situation, many residents carry at least two phones from separate
providers to ensure that they are always connected. So said Raanan Bar-Cohen,
one of nine technology executives led trip on how the war-battered country can
effectively use new media as it rebuilds.
Bar-Cohen represents Automattic, best
known for the blog-publishing application WordPress. Jack Dorsey, the founder
of the micro-blogging site Twitter said, it is to "build upon
anti-corruption efforts, promote critical thinking in the classroom, and
scale-up civil society" among other goals. A social networking service
connects people with common interests, so they meet face-to-face. He and
several members of the delegation are posting their thoughts and photos on
blogs and on Twitter.
Five percent of the country has
Internet access at home, but a larger unknown percentage of Iraqis get online
at Internet cafes. Because of the ubiquity of mobile phones, text messaging is
very popular. "There is also a ton of SMS (short message service) usage
here, which is encouraging as it may provide an alternative means of
interacting with certain services as Iraqis wait for internet broadband to
develop.
The country is working to improve
Internet connections, but efforts have been hampered by "sabotage missions
which disrupt the work" and other factors, he said. "The optimistic
projections are for Iraq to be at around 60 percent broadband penetration in
about 18-24 months if things go according to plan”.
Reviewed
by Shayu Amyna Zakaria
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