REGIONAL CHANNELS
customers are from telecommunications,
governments, manufacturing, financial
services and education.
Leveraging BPO and
digital opportunities
While the ICT industry contributes above 12% of the country’s
GDP and has 600+ tech companies, its growth requires skilled
resources, investment, and wireless connectivity.
J
ordan’s ICT sector remains a success
story amidst regional economic
downturns, employing 1% of the
population, but contributing 12% to GDP.
Jordan’s ICT sector hosts more than 600
active technology companies including
300 startups as part of the 600. Sector
leaders perceive the industry is at a
crossroads as they clamor for legislation to
maintain high growth rates.
The Internet sector remains the
strongest performing sector in the
telecoms market, following an impressive
growth of 51.4% in total subscriptions
during 2013. US firms seeking to provide
IT solutions in Jordan should be prepared
to enter in partnership with Jordanian
firms, and set realistic goals for this small
yet promising sector of the economy.
Competition is strongest in the
broadband and mobile markets. Jordan
has emerged as a regional tech startup hub
due to an ICT-focused educational system,
low startup costs, and business-friendly
environment. Its growing reputation
is increasingly attracting international
capital eager to tap into the region’s
underserved, but growing online market.
Due to the country’s small market, most
start-ups in Jordan either focus exclusively
on, or grow with, the expectation of
expanding into the wealthier markets of
the Middle East Gulf Region.
Despite its prominence in Jordan,
22
the entire ICT sector has been struggling
recently, especially the IT industry.
Total IT industry revenues in Jordan
have fallen from a 2008 high of $962.4
million to $649 million in 2013. Domestic
revenues halved from $735.6 million in
2008 to $313.51.1 million in 2013. IT
export revenues, however, reached record
highs of $324 million in 2013, registering
about 10% increase. ICT businesses are
concerned that increasing domestic
corporate taxation rates and other costs
of doing business will make Jordan a less
appealing place for ICT companies.
Profiles of key in-country players
Polaris Technology
Established in 2010, Polaris Technology
provides services to manage the entire IT
infrastructures from servers and desktops
to applications, data and networks. It
also helps customers throughout the IT
investment lifecycle from initial strategy
development and technology assessment,
through to design, procurement and
implementation. Polaris enables clients to
realise capital and operational efficiencies,
mitigate risk, and optimise performance
across the database, operating system,
virtualisation, management, and hardware
layers of the technology stack. It provides
telephone and onsite support during
business hours, extended business hours,
and round the clock 24/7 support. Its
Optimiza
The Al-Faris National Investment
Group, operating under the trade name
Optimiza, is a publicly listed ICT systems
integrator and digital transformation
solutions provider, based in Jordan
and operating in the MENA region.
Optimiza offers integrated solutions
and services in four main practices:
consulting, technology, outsourcing, and
human capital development. The partner
works in multiple sectors including
healthcare, telecommunications, banking,
government, education, and business.
It is amongst the largest systems
integrators and digital transformation
solutions providers in the region, with
over 35 years of experience, and delivery of
complex projects by 350 skilled employees.
Currently, we operate offices in Jordan as
headquarters, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
and Morocco.
Gheras Trading
Gheras Trading and Investment
established in 1994 and based in
Jordan acts as distributor and system
integrator within the fields of security,
control and automation, low current and
communication systems, communication
and audio video solution for commercial
and industrial projects through joint
ventures. It has Jordan as headquarters,
with offices in Saudi Arabia, Libya, Kuwait,
UAE, Iraq and Syria.
Gheras won a tender with the
UNHCR for the general works of security
improvements of the UNHCR offices
and the registration offices for the Syrian
refugees in Amman which was founded
By MSB Sweden. Gheras and the Gulf
Holding Group won the tender for the Iraqi
and Iranian border with the International
Organisation of Migration development
program. The project was to supply and
install security solution using thermal
cameras, power system, towers, radars and
communication system for the north side of
the Iraqi and Iranian Borders.
(Source Export.gov, International
Trade Administration, US Department of
Commerce; Company web sites)
Issue 16
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS