Saudis to surf Internet by year-end

13 Aug 98 17:03:07 +1100

And you thought we had it tough here in Australia!.

Cheers
David
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Saudis to surf Internet by year-end

August 11, 1998 Webposted at 2:47 PM EDT
http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9808/11/saudi.internet.reut/index.html
DUBAI, (Reuters) - Saudis should finally be able to get local access to the 
Internet by year's end now that the authorities have put in place 
"firewalls" barring access to sites they deem offensive.

The Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) was 
due to decide in September which firms should be issued with service 
provider licences, Fahad al-Hoymany at the institute's Internet department 
said on Tuesday.

At present, people living in Saudi Arabia can only access the Internet by 
making expensive international calls to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in 
neighbouring states, like Bahrain.

"The service is expected to be provided by the end of the year...and that's 
when the public can dial up to their ISP and use the service," Hoymany told 
Reuters by telephone.

He said it was still undecided how many firms from a total of 71 that had 
been prequalified would receive a licence.

Analysts said opening up local access to the Internet in Saudi Arabia had 
been delayed due to concerns that users could access pornographic sites or 
others deemed harmful to the kingdom's conservative traditions.

Hoymany said KACST, which is to act as the kingdom's gateway to the 
Internet, had set up "firewalls" that would block access to sites considered 
sensitive.

Other Gulf Arab states where the Internet is already available block access 
to certain websites deemed offensive.

Analysts have suggested there could be further delays because Saudi Arabia's 
creaky telephone system may not be able to cope with the new demands by 
Internet users.

Hoymany said Saudi Telecommunications Co, a newly established private 
company, was setting up servers across the country to handle the data 
traffic.

email:     david.goldstein@aba.gov.au
phone:    +61 2 9334 7938     fax:     +61 2 9334 7799
URL:        http://www.aba.gov.au
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