QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS AND INDIVIDUALS
1 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
2 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figures ...... 5 List of Tables ...... 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 8 Connectivity On The Go, Anytime, Anywhere ...... 9 Build On The Momentum Of Advanced Services Usage ...... 9 Focus Areas Of Study ...... 9 Challenges ...... 10 BACKGROUND ...... 11 Qatar’s Demographics ...... 12 Research Objectives ...... 13 Research Framework ...... 14 Primary Research...... 14 Secondary Research...... 15
REPORT DETAILS...... 15
1. ICT USAGE IN QATAR ...... 16 1.1: PENETRATION OF ICT DEVICES ...... 16 1.1.1 Household ICT Devices Penetration ...... 17 1.1.2 Household Computer Penetration Benchmarking ...... 20 1.1.3 Household ICT Devices Ownership ...... 20 1.1.4 Household Advanced Digital Devices Penetration ...... 22 1.1.5 Household TV Subscriptions ...... 23
1.2: INTERNET CONNECTIVITY...... 24 1.2.1 Internet access among the households ...... 25 1.2.2 Type of internet connection in the households ...... 26 1.2.3 Internet speed among the households ...... 27 1.2.4 Average household expenditure on ICT related products in Qatar ...... 28
1.3: ICT USAGE AMONG INDIVIDUALS ...... 30 1.3.1 Usage of personal computers among the individuals ...... 31 1.3.2 Internet usage by individuals ...... 34 1.3.3 Mobile phone ownership...... 40
1.4: SATISFACTION WITH MOBILE AND INTERNET SERVICES ...... 42 1.4.1 Satisfaction with mobile and internet services ...... 43 1.4.2 Satisfaction with mobile phone services on various parameters ...... 43
2: FOCUS AREAS ...... 46 2.1: e–Commerce ...... 46 2.1.1 State of the e-Commerce market ...... 46 2.1.2 Online Purchase patterns...... 47 2.1.3 Key Drivers for online purchases ...... 50 2.1.4 e-Commerce payment systems ...... 50 2.1.5 Key reasons for not shopping online ...... 52
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
2.2: ONLINE BANKING ...... 53 2.2.1 Internet banking landscape in Qatar ...... 54 2.2.2 Reasons for using online banking ...... 54 2.2.3 Satisfaction with online banking...... 56
2.3: ONLINE SAFETY, SECURITY AND PRIVACY ...... 57 2.3.1 Online safety perception by nationality ...... 58 2.3.2 Key concerns while using internet ...... 59 2.3.3 Online safety measures ...... 60 2.3.4 Child safety online ...... 60 2.3.5 Reporting authority for cyber incidents ...... 62 2.3.6 Guidance /Suggestions for online safely ...... 63
2.4: e–GOVERNMENT...... 65 2.4.1 Means of communicating with government...... 65 2.4.2 Satisfaction with the availability of online information about government ser- vices, polices and legislations...... 66 2.4.3 Awareness and usage of Hukoomi services...... 67 2.4.4 Satisfaction with services on Hukoomi portal...... 68
2.5: Q-POST SERVICES...... 69 2.5.1 Q-Post services usage...... 69 2.5.2 Satisfaction with the Q-post service...... 70 2.5.3 Awareness of Q- Post online services among non-users of Q-Post services...... 70
3: NEW DIGITAL SERVICES – INTEREST AND USAGE...... 71 3.1 Interest in new digital services...... 71 3.2 Use of emerging digital services...... 73
4: CONCLUSIONS...... 76
APPENDIX...... 78 Research Methodology...... 78 List of Definitions...... 80 List of Abbreviations ...... 81
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: QATAR POPULATION BY GENDER, 2018 ...... 12 Figure 2: QATAR POPULATION BY AGE GROUP, 2018 ...... 12 Figure 3: QATAR POPULATION BY MUNICIPALITY, 2018 ...... 13 Figure 4: ICT DEVICES PENETRATION AMONG HOUSEHOLDS IN QATAR, 2018 ...... 17 Figure 5: TREND OF ICT DEVICES PENETRATION AMONG HOUSEHOLD, 2013–2018....18 Figure 6: PENETRATION OF ICT DEVICES AMONG HOUSEHOLDS BY NATIONALITY...... 19 Figure 7: PENETRATION OF ICT DEVICES AMONG HOUSEHOLDS – PRESENCE OF CHILDREN...... 19 Figure 8: COMPUTER PENETRATION AMONG HOUSEHOLDS – BENCHMARK ...... 20 Figure 9: AVERAGE NUMBER OF ICT DEVICES PER HOUSEHOLD, 2015 - 2018 ...... 20 Figure 10: AVERAGE NUMBER OF ICT DEVICES PER HOUSEHOLD BY NATIONALITY...... 21 Figure 11: AVERAGE NUMBER OF ICT DEVICES PER HOUSEHOLD BY HOUSEHOLD SIZE...... 21 Figure 12: PENETRATION OF ADVANCED DIGITAL DEVICES IN HOUSEHOLDS BY NATIONALITY...... 22 Figure 13: PENETRATION OF ADVANCED DIGITAL DEVICES IN HOUSEHOLDS - PRESENCE OF CHILDREN...... 23 Figure 14: HOME TV SERVICE SUBSCRIPTIONS BY NATIONALITY ...... 23 Figure 15: INTERNET PENETRATION BY NATIONALITY AND HOUSEHOLD SIZE ...... 25 Figure 16: TREND OF HOUSEHOLD INTERNET PENETRATION, 2010–2018 ...... 25 Figure 17: REASONS FOR NOT HAVING INTERNET AT HOME ...... 26 Figure 18: INTERNET PENETRATION AMONGST HOUSEHOLDS – INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARK...... 26 Figure 19: TREND OF TYPE OF INTERNET CONNECTION IN THE HOUSEHOLD, 2015- 2018...... 27 Figure 20: HOUSEHOLD INTERNET CONNECTION SPEED ...... 27 Figure 21: TREND OF HOUSEHOLD INTERNET CONNECTION SPEED, 2010–2018 ...... 28 Figure 22: ANNUAL AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE ON ICT PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND REPAIRS (QAR) ...... 29 Figure 23: PERSONAL COMPUTER USAGE AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITHIN LAST THREE MONTHS BY NATIONALITY AND GENDER...... 31 Figure 24: PC USAGE AMONG INDIVIDUALS BY TYPE OF DEVICE AND BY AGE GROUP IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS ...... 32 Figure 25: FREQUENCY OF PERSONAL COMPUTER USAGE AMONG INDIVIDUALS BY NATIONALITY AND AGE GROUP IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS ...... 33 Figure 26: TREND OF ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT ON PERSONAL COMPUTERS AMONG INDIVIDUALS IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS, 2015-2018 ...... 33 Figure 27: INDIVIDUAL INTERNET USAGE DURING LAST THREE MONTHS, SINCE 2012...... 34
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 28: TRENDS OF DEVICES USED BY INDIVIDUALS TO CONNECT TO INTERNET IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS...... 34 Figure 29: TREND IN LOCATION OF INTERNET ACCESS AMONG INDIVIDUALS IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS, 2015-2018 ...... 35 Figure 30: FREQUENCY OF INTERNET USAGE BY NATIONALITY, GENDER AND AGE .....36 Figure 31: TASKS PERFORMED ONLINE BY INDIVIDUALS IN QATAR IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS...... 37 Figure 32: TYPE OF INTERNET ACTIVITIES PERFORMED BY INDIVIDUALS IN QATAR BY AGE GROUP ...... 38 Figure 33: FREQUENCY OF SOCIAL NETWORK APPLICATIONS USAGE AMONG INDIVIDUALS IN QATAR ...... 38 Figure 34: TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS USED AMONG THE INDIVIDUALS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, BY AGE GROUP ...... 39 Figure 35: AVERAGE NUMBER OF MOBILE PHONES OWNED BY INDIVIDUALS IN QATAR...... 40 Figure 36: MOBILE TARIFF PLAN BY NATIONALITY AND GENDER ...... 41 Figure 37: SATISFACTION WITH INTERNET AND MOBILE PHONE SERVICES BY NATIONALITY ...... 43 Figure 38: TREND OF SATISFACTION WITH MOBILE AND INTERNET SERVICES, 2010–2018 ...... 44 Figure 39: SATISFACTION WITH MOBILE PHONE SERVICE ON VARIOUS PARAMETERS ...... 44 Figure 40: SATISFACTION WITH FIXED AND MOBILE BROADBAND CONNECTION ON VARIOUS PARAMETERS ...... 45 Figure 41: E-COMMERCE PENETRATION BY NATIONALITY, GENDER AND AGE ...... 47 Figure 42: E-COMMERCE BY TYPE OF PRODUCTS PURCHASED ...... 48 Figure 43: FREQUENCY OF ONLINE PURCHASE ...... 50 Figure 44: REASONS FOR SHOPPING ONLINE BY GENDER ...... 50 Figure 45: PAYMENT METHODS USED FOR ONLINE PURCHASES ...... 51 Figure 46: KEY DRIVERS FOR CASH ON DELIVERY BY GENDER AND NATIONALITY ...... 51 Figure 47: REASONS FOR NOT SHOPPING ONLINE ...... 52 Figure 48: ONLINE BANKING BY NATIONALITY AND GENDER IN THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS ...... 54 Figure 49: REASONS FOR USING ONLINE BANKING, 2013 VS 2018...... 55 Figure 50: REASONS FOR NOT USING ONLINE BANKING ...... 55 Figure 51: SATISFACTION WITH ONLINE BANKING BY GENDER AND NATIONALITY ...... 56 Figure 52: FEELING SAFE WHILE CONNECTING TO INTERNET BY OVERALL AND NATIONALITY ...... 58 Figure 53: FEELING SAFE WHILE CONNECTING TO INTERNET BY AGE GROUP ...... 58 Figure 54: TREND OF FEELING SAFE WHILE CONNECTING TO INTERNET, 2013-2018...... 59
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Figure 55: CONCERNS WHILE USING INTERNET BY GENDER ...... 59 Figure 56: CONCERNS EXPERIENCED WHILE USING INTERNET IN THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS ...... 60 Figure 57: CHANGES IN ONLINE SAFETY BEHAVIOR ACROSS THE YEARS ...... 61 Figure 58: HOUSEHOLDS HAVING CHILDREN SUBJECTED TO CYBER CRIMES ...... 61 Figure 59: TREND OF MEASURES TO ENSURE CHILDREN’S SAFETY WHILE ACCESSING INTERNET, 2013-2018 ...... 62 Figure 60: REPORTING AUTHORITY FOR THE CYBER THREATS ...... 62 Figure 61: GUIDANCE/ SUGGESTIONS RECEIVED TO BE SAFE ONLINE BY NATIONALITY AND GENDER ...... 63 Figure 62: SOURCES OF GUIDANCE/ SUGGESTIONS RECEIVED ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY...... 64 Figure 63: MEANS OF COMMUNICATING WITH GOVERNMENT ...... 66 Figure 64: MEANS OF COMMUNICATING WITH GOVERNMENT BY NATIONALITY AND GENDER...... 66 Figure 65: SATISFACTION WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ONLINE BY GENDER AND NATIONALITY...... 67 Figure 66: AWARENESS OF HUKOOMI PORTAL AND ITS E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES BY NATIONALITY...... 67 Figure 67: SATISFACTION WITH HUKOOMI SERVICES BY NATIONALITY ...... 68 Figure 68: TREND OF SATISFACTION WITH HUKOOMI SERVICES, 2013-2018 ...... 68 Figure 69: Q-POST SERVICES USED IN THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS ...... 69 Figure 70: TREND OF SATISFACTION WITH Q-POST SERVICES, 2013-2018 ...... 70 Figure 71: AWARENESS AND INTENTION TO USE Q-POST ONLINE SERVICES AMONG NON-USERS OF Q-POST SERVICES ...... 70 Figure 72: INTEREST IN NEW TECHNOLOGY BASED SERVICES ...... 72 Figure 73: INTEREST IN NEW TECHNOLOGY BASED SERVICES BY NATIONALITY ...... 72 Figure 74: INTEREST IN NEW TECHNOLOGY BASED SERVICES BY AGE-GROUP ...... 73 Figure 75: USAGE OF EMERGING DIGITAL SERVICES BY NATIONALITY ...... 74 Figure 76: USAGE OF EMERGING DIGITAL SERVICES BY AGE GROUP ...... 75
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: QATAR’S RANKING ON INTERNATIONAL INDICES ...... 11 Table 2: TYPE OF PRODUCTS PURCHASED ONLINE BY GENDER AND NATIONALITY ....49 Table 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...... 78 Table 4: COUNTRIES FOR BENCHMARKING ...... 79
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2019: Households and Individuals report examines ICT access and usage behavior and pattern of individuals in the state of Qatar and is based on a study by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC). The inputs of the report not only aid to frame relevant policies and programs but also cater to the data for the core ICT indicators with international organizations.
Qatar has made significant advancement in ICT development over the past decade and this report demonstrates further progress in the year 2018. That is, in addition to achieving 100% in mobile phone usage, the broadband services of Qatar have increased significantly. Also, from the results of 2018 Households and Individuals Survey, the spread of internet usage established that 94% of the population in Qatar has access to internet, compared to 38% in 2008. Thus, the country continues to reap the benefits of solid infrastructure base that enhanced the ecosystem for online services.
The survey findings indicate that all the segments of Qatar’s population have access to internet-enabled ICT devices. While the basic devices such as mobile phones are accessed by 100% population, the adoption of smart devices such as smartphones, smart TVs, and smart wearables have increased significantly among the households of Qatar, with penetrations 99.7%, 56% and 12%, respectively. Yet, the computer penetration among households in Qatar is observed at 88% in 2018, keeping the country ahead of the benchmarked countries such as Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. The devices that are leading in the computer adoption are the portable devices like laptops and tablets, at 80% and 59%, respectively.
The report also reveals that there is an increased adoption of portable and smart devices among the households of Qatar. The increased smart device adoption has resulted in high usage of mobile internet and Wi-Fi through fixed broadband which are the most commonly used internet connection types among households in Qatar. Thus, the internet penetration at household level in Qatar reached to 94%, which placed the country ahead of many benchmarked countries, including Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sweden and the UK.
The ascent in internet connectivity is also established through the survey. Ninety-five percent of households that have internet use internet connection with speeds of 8 Mbps or more, whilst 34% of households are connected to speeds of 16 Mbps or more. The percentage of households connected to high speed internet (4 Mbps or more) has increased from 16% in 2013 to 96% in 2018 as an outcome of the ICT thrive.
An interesting observation is that 100% of individuals have accessed internet in last 3 months. While the most popular online tasks among the population of Qatar continues to be participating in social networking and sending/receiving emails. Also, the usage of advanced online services has observed to have a significant increase, with e-commerce services leading in terms of usage. 38% of the population use e-commerce services while 31% use online banking services. Largely, this extent of digitization has become possible due to various initiatives such as Digital Inclusion Strategy, Digital literacy, ICT skills development, Qatar’s e-commerce program implemented by MOTC for enhancing the
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online security and privacy ecosystem in Qatar. This is also reflected in the higher level of confidence expressed by Qatar’s population, with more than 60% feeling secure while browsing the internet.
Apart from the above significant observations, the ICT landscape survey also yielded two important aspects pertaining to ICT artefact, while analyzing the results from current and previous years across households and individuals in Qatar - i) connectivity on the go, anytime, anywhere ii) build on the momentum of advanced services usage.
CONNECTIVITY ON THE GO, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
With the increased penetration of mobile phones and laptops and greater acceptance of mobile broadband as a medium to connect to the internet, the “need to be mobile” is on the rise in Qatar. It is noticed from the study that ninety-seven percent of internet users in Qatar use a smartphone and 70% use laptops to be online. For laptop usage, the preferred mode of connection is Wi-Fi, because of the convenience. With the increase in smartphone penetration, the demand for mobile broadband has also skyrocketed. According to the survey, household mobile broadband penetration is 65%, compared to fixed broadband connectivity at 95%. Qatar is in line with the global trend demanding more mobility in their connectivity options. The “on-the-go” usability of today’s devices allows people to access online services anytime and from any location. Consumers in Qatar increasingly aspire for the ability to log on to the internet “anytime, anywhere” and such requirement can give birth to new technologies requiring everywhere connectivity.
BUILD ON THE MOMENTUM OF ADVANCED SERVICES USAGE
With the general access to ICT devices and technologies the focus should be on driving advanced services usage, further. The Households and Individuals study portray that the usage of e-Services has improved significantly, and the usage of the e-Services like online banking and e-Commerce services is largely driven by Qatari nationals (70% and 61%, respectively). Hence, to bolster this momentum in the country, more secure and reliable network is the need of the hour. Also, improving awareness about the benefits and convenience of e-services through education campaigns can increase the adoption of advanced services.
FOCUS AREAS OF THE STUDY Some of the key areas of interest identified in the survey have made significant progress over the years
• About 38% of individuals in Qatar claim to use e-Commerce and this has increased from 32% in 2013. In terms of goods and services purchased category, more than eight in ten individuals who shop online, spend on clothes, footwear and sports goods. While the preference for physical shopping still reigns the market, the lure of lower prices is increasingly driving individuals towards online shopping in Qatar.
• Thirty-one percent of individuals use internet banking services and Qatari nationals are leading the adoption, with seven in ten using online banking services. The key drivers for this proportion of internet banking services are shorter time required coupled with the feel of being secure while performing bank transaction, than traditional methods.
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• In Qatar, more than 60% of people feel secure while browsing the internet (63% for mobile broadband services and 62% for fixed broadband services), which is driven by higher confidence levels among Qatari nationals and younger generation users. The cyber safety campaigns through social media, workshops and web media appear to have played a key role in this ascent.
• Sixty-two percent of Qatar’s population have interacted with the government, mostly through the MOI website (39%). While the awareness about Hukoomi services is at 59%, the satisfaction with usage of Hukoomi services has increased to 80% in 2018.
• Forty-four percent of Qatari residents are already using cloud storage services, with Qatari nationals leading at 73%. There is a healthy usage in new services like mobile app-based taxi and mobile and website-based hotel booking service across all age groups, particularly among 55 years and above, indicating that there is no longer inertia towards digital services amongst older people.
CHALLENGES
While the report highlights many positive ICT-related developments, the Households and Individuals study also identifies some key barriers to be addressed. For instance, one of the impediments to achieve a digital society is the lack of advanced ICT skills and knowledge among the population. The digital literacy and IT skills programs that are currently being implemented by the Ministry should go a long way towards addressing this problem.
Privacy concerns is another major obstacle to widespread usage of advanced ICT services. Continued education of consumers about various means to safeguard themselves against privacy, cyber threats and fake news along with institutional measures taken by banks, corporations, the government and others can mitigate such concerns over time.
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BACKGROUND
Qatar’s economic indicators reveal the status of multi-faceted growth witnessed in the country. According to a statement issued by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) estimates of gross domestic product at current prices during the first quarter of 2019 amounted to QR168.78 bn compared to QR166.36bn in the same period last year1. Qatar’s progress in the area of ICT infrastructure development, enabling access and utilization is reflected in the country’s ranking on global ICT-related indices. Qatar features amongst the high performing countries with respect to many international indices (refer Table 1).
The world is shifting to a new era of innovation and digital transformation. With dramatically reduced costs of collecting, storing and processing data along with greatly enhanced computing power, digitalization is transforming economic activities around the world. Although the speed of digital transformation differs from country to country, all of them need to adapt and implement policies in order to remain competitive.
Globally, digital economy creates new opportunities for trade and development. It helps smaller businesses and entrepreneurs in developing countries to connect with global markets more easily and opens new ways of generating income.
Following the suit, Qatar has also leveraged the ICT and its applications to promote entrepreneurship. Furthermore, technology has enabled empowerment of women as entrepreneurs, supported for productive activities, decent job creation by fostering creativity and innovation. These factors of encouraging entrepreneurship make mobile and digital solutions contribute effectively towards greater financial inclusion.
1 https://thepeninsularqatar.com/article/05/07/2019/Qatar%E2%80%99s-GDP-grows-at-annual-rate-of-1.5-in-first-quarter-of-2019 2 http://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2017/index.html 3 http://reports.weforum.org/global-information-technology-report-2016/networked-readiness-index/? doing_wp_cron=1541903379.225037097930908 2031250 4 https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Reports/UN-E-Government-Survey-2018
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In order to monitor Qatar’s progress and its upgrade to the changing ICT landscape, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) commissioned Memac Ogilvy and Kantar AMRB to conduct a large-scale research study. To achieve the objectives of the research study, a comprehensive research design is developed and adopted to represent the cosmopolitan population of Qatar.
QATAR’S DEMOGRAPHICS
Qatar is the second least populous country among the Gulf States. The population of Qatar is 2.67 million in 20185. Qatar’s demographic structure is characterized by the large share of the working age group (85% of population), the majority of whom are expatriates. The population of Qatar is quite unique with more than 85% expatriate population and almost 75% male population. These unique demographics have an impact on the access and usage of ICT (refer Figure 1 and Figure 2).
Furthermore, the population of Qatar is also distributed in a skewed manner in terms of geography, with Doha and Al Rayyan municipalities having 65% of the population. Other municipalities have quite low population (refer Figure 3). So, the research design of the study considers these unique demographics of Qatar for getting representative data for the entire population.
Figure 1 Figure 2 QATAR POPULATION BY GENDER, 2018 QATAR POPULATION BY AGE GROUP, 2018
1% =65 Years
13% 15 Years
73% 25 - 64 Years 25% Female 13% 15 - 24 Years
75% Male
Source: PSA Statistics https://www.mdps.gov.qa/en/statistics/Statistical% Source: PSA Statistics, https://www.mdps.gov.qa/en/statistics/Statistical% 20Releases/General/QMS/QMS_MDPS_60_Jan_2019.pdf 20Releases/General/QMS/QMS_MDPS_60_Jan_2019.pdf
5. Ministry of Development, Planning and Statistics, website and population first section 2016 https://www.mdps.gov.qa/en/statistics1/StatisticsSite/pages/population.aspx
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RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The Ministry of Transport and Communications aims to achieve national goals in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. The Ministry is committed to hard and diligent work through projects and programs that aim to build land, maritime and aviation transportation system based on the latest and emerging technologies and best practices in the sector.
The ministry also performs a critical and far-reaching role in overseeing the development of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. Thus, the development of the ICT sector makes the country more vibrant and advanced, creating a diversified economy that benefits the people of Qatar. The ministry also works towards developing e-Government programs, TASMU program, digital inclusion program and boosts capacity and digital literacy to foster a technology-friendly environment. This in turn helps to introduce innovative approaches and lifestyles.
Accordingly, the ministry monitors the overall progress of access and usage of ICT amongst the key target sectors such as Business, Government and Households and Individuals. In this regard, the present study is conducted to achieve the ministry’s goal and to monitor the ICT landscape amongst households and individuals in Qatar. This is to ensure that ICT initiatives cater to the needs of the population.
Hence, the objectives of this research study are to: • Measure and analyze the usage of ICT amongst households and individuals in Qatar. • Study the trends in ICT access and utilization • Identify the key barriers to ICT usage • Benchmark Qatar’s ICT performance with the regional and developed countries
The study not only supports the measurement of ICT usage, but also contributes towards tracking ICT progress over the years. It also provides an understanding of the ICT Landscape in Qatar along with advancement towards achieving the goal of developing a world class ICT market and society.
Figure 3 QATAR POPULATION BY MUNICIPALITY, 2018
2.3% Al Daayen 8.4% Al Khor and Dhekra 3.8% Umm Slal
25.2% Al Rayyan
39.8% Doha
0.4% Al Shamal
12.4% Al Wakrah 7.8% Al Sheehaniya
Source: PSA Statistics https://www.mdps.gov.qa/en/statistics/Statistical% 0Releases/Population/Population/2018/Population_social_1_2018_AE.pdf
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RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
In order to address the study objectives, a three-pronged research approach has been adopted and is illustrated below:
Extensive secondary research of published data with MOTC as well as other sources, such as PSA, ITU and others Primary research large scale sample Exploratory sessions based survey among through in-depth households and interviews with key individuals in Qatar stakeholders within (face-to-face different departments interviews) of MOTC
ICT landscape among households and individuals
Primary Research
Cognizant of the background characteristics of Qatar, a large-scale sample-based survey is conducted in such a way that study sample considered is representative of the households and individuals of Qatar.
Target Group
The target group for this research comprises of households and individuals. 1. Households • All the households in Qatar are considered for the survey. Within the household, any member of at least 15 years of age qualifies to participate in the survey. All the questions pertaining to ‘household section’ of the survey are responded by one member of the household only. The responses are sought at the overall household level and not at the individual level. 2. Individuals • All individuals residing in Qatar, above 15 years of age qualify as respondents to the survey. Individuals of the selected household responds only to the questions related to ‘individuals section’ of the survey questionnaire. The responses are sought at personal level, without considering the ICT usage of other members within the household. The findings are reported only for those individuals who are staying in households in Qatar.
Survey Methodology
Face-to-face interviews are conducted with the respondents who meet the above criteria. The data is collected during July and August 2018.
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Sample Distribution
A sample of 2,008 households and individuals is interviewed for the study. This sample provides findings at an overall confidence level of 95% with ±3% margin of error. To represent the demographics appropriately, the sample is spread across: 1. Households • Size of household (number of members) • Geographical location 2. Individuals • Age group • Gender • Nationality (Qataris and non-Qataris) Quota sampling method is adopted to ensure adequate sample coverage amongst all the above-mentioned categories. At the same time, parity with the research methods/ standards of international and national entities such as ITU (for data collection methodologies) and Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA), Qatar (for population census) is maintained throughout the report. The sample distribution for each parameter is furnished in the Appendix.
Weighting Approach To represent the population, the sample data is weighted separately for households and individuals using relevant parameters: 1. Households • Geographic location (municipality) 2. Individuals • Age group • Gender The weights are derived using the most recent population census published by PSA in 2015.
Secondary Research The total population of Qatar along with the population distribution by age-group, gender, nationality and key ICT initiatives are collected. The secondary research is instrumental in the development of sampling frame, weighting approach and other aspects.
The inputs from the key stakeholder’s organizations such as MOTC and PSA are also considered at all stages for the successful execution of the study.
REPORT DETAILS The report presents the findings of households, as well as the individuals that are part of the household. To understand the trend of ICT spread at various levels, the data is segregated by age group, nationality, gender, household size and presence of children (below 15 years of age) among the households, depending on the relevance of parameters.
Also, to understand the relative growth of ICT sector in the State of Qatar, data from previous Households and Individuals Surveys of 2010, 2013 and 2015 has also been presented in the report. Subsequently, Qatar’s performance is also compared with the key indicators of regional and other ICT developed economies as per the possibility and is furnished in respective sections. The rationale for the selection of the countries for benchmarking is mentioned in the Appendix.
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1. ICT USAGE IN QATAR 1.1: PENETRATION OF ICT DEVICES
Computer penetration among households in Qatar is 88% in 2018, placing the country ahead of benchmarked countries such as Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore
The penetration of portable computers (laptops and tablets) is high among households in Qatar at 80% and 59% respectively, whereas desktops are less prevalent (24%). It is also observed to be common for households in Qatar to own multiple laptops and tablets, with an average number of 2 devices per household.
The mobile phone penetration is at 100% and Smartphone penetration is marginally lower at 99.7%.
Smart TV penetration among the households is at 56%, with an average number of 1.6 Smart TVs per household in Qatar.
The prevalence of ICT devices, as well as the average number of the devices in Qatari households is higher than non-Qatari households across all the ICT devices.
The penetration of ICT devices is high among households where children below the age 15 years are present. This is not only true for products geared for children, (e.g. game consoles and portable gaming devices) but also for Tablets, Smart TVs and Smart wearable devices (e.g. smart watches).
For households with more members, an increase can be seen in the average number of ICT devices, except for fixed telephones and radios.
The most substantial rise is in the average number of Smartphones: Among households with one to three members, there is an average of two devices, whilst in households with ten or more members, this toll increased up to eight.
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The significance of ICT device The present study also established that the TV penetration penetration is 96% among the households in Qatar and within this category, smart TV is present in every second household Examining the penetration of ICT devices gives an idea (56% have at least one smart TV). The presence of smart of the basic access to ICT for the country’s population. TV in household demonstrates that citizens / residents The presence of digital devices is a pre-requisite for the of Qatar are eager to explore alternate media on their adoption of digital and online services in the country. TV sets beyond the traditional broadcasted content. The In order to meet the national objective of developing a overall computer penetration among households in 2018 world-class digital society, it is crucial to ensure that ICT (88%) has remained steady as compared to 2015, while devices and their applications are available and accessible the desktop penetration continues to decline among to every member of the society. Thus, measuring the the households (66% in 2013, 31% in 2015 and 24% in penetration of ICT devices among households and 2018). The television penetration at 96% in 2018 has individuals is essential. Basic ICT devices comprise of significantly increased from 78% in 2015 (refer Figure 5). personal computers, telephones (mobile and fixed), television, internet and radio.
Figure 4 1.1.1 Household ICT Devices ICT DEVICES PENETRATION AMONG HOUSEHOLDS Penetration IN QATAR, 2018 Figure 4 shows that 88% of households in Qatar have Computer- Any type access to at least one type of personal computer. Laptops 88% are the most prominent category of personal computers, Desktop with presence across 80% of the households. This is 24% followed by tablet PCs, which are present in 59% of the households in Qatar. The share of desktops has Laptop 80% continuously decreased over the period from 2013 (66%) to 2018 with only 24% of households having a desktop. Tablet The preference towards portable devices clearly indicates 59% the increased desire for mobility while carrying out Mobile Phone (Smart & Basic) computer-related activities, which is further supported 100% by the prevalence of mobile phones. It is optimistic about the spread of ICT to observe that mobile penetration is Smart Phone 100% 100%, which means that every household in Qatar is owning at least one mobile phone. However, penetration Fixed telephone Line of smartphone is 99.7%, which is marginally lower than 77% the basic phone penetration among the households. TV Set By and large, the high penetration rates for mobile 96% phones, especially smartphones, further reinforce the growing importance of mobile communication among the Smart TV 56% households in Qatar. Smartphone penetration and usage of online services go hand-in-hand. The popularity of Radio Set online applications creates need for smartphone and the 19% availability of smartphone in the household motivates people to explore more online services. The high Source: Households and Individuals Survey, 2018 Households n=2,008 penetration of smartphones among households in Qatar demonstrates the availability of online services in Qatar and the readiness of the population to make use of those services.
17 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
1.1.1.1 ICT devices penetration by nationality 1.1.1.2 ICT devices penetration among the households with and without children Qatar’s population comprises of a substantial number below 15 years of age of expatriates (around 85%) and thus there is a need to It is revealed from the survey that the presence of understand the ICT device penetration by nationality. children (aged below 15 years) has an impact on the Other parameters, like the size of the household and prevalence of ICT devices in the household. That is, presence of children in the household has an impact on households with children less than 15 years old have the usage of ICT devices. Hence, it is essential to assess high penetration rates for all ICT devices except for the ICT device penetration across different profiles of radio. In particular, substantial variation can be seen households. This will ensure that the benefits of ICT reach between the households with children and without all strata of society. children below 15 years of age for desktop PCs (33% vs. only 18%), tablet PCs (82% vs. 40%) and smart TVs Figure 6 demonstrates that, the penetration of ICT devices (71% vs. 45%) (refer Figure 7). is much higher among Qatari households compared to non-Qatari households. With the exception of desktops The relationship between the presence of young (52%) and radios (22%), penetration figures for all ICT children and high ICT penetration among the households device categories among Qatari households are above reflects the rising role of ICT in education and learning. 95%. Almost all households contain Smartphones, but Children these days rely heavily on digital devices in other categories the difference in penetration rate and online resources to gather information, learn between Qatari households and non-Qatari households is new things, play games and for other entertainment substantial. Smart TV penetration is 97% among Qatari purposes. Although IT introduces children to the wider households but only 50% among non-Qatari households. world and assists them in gaining knowledge beyond In the case of tablet PCs, the variation is much higher, 97% geographical boundaries, it also exposes them to the of Qatari households have tablet PCs, whereas expatriates threat of cyberattacks. (Refer the section ‘Online Safety, have only 53%. The availability of laptops and fixed Security and Privacy’ for further details). telephone lines demonstrate a smaller variation (20% for laptops and 23% for fixed telephone) between Qatari and non-Qatari households.
18 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
19 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
95% 91% 91% 90% 89% 88% 87% 86% 81% 81% 75% 69%
53%
Bahrain Germany UAEU KQ Sweden atar Singapore Australia Hong Japan S. Korea KSAE gypt Kong
1.1.2 Household Computer Penetration Benchmarking
The household computer penetration in Qatar is on par with the benchmarked economies such as Singapore, Sweden and Australia. Qatar is performing better in terms of computer penetration among households than some of the regional benchmarked countries, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia (refer Figure 8).
1.1.3 Household ICT Devices Ownership
In addition to laptops (80%) and tablet PCs (59%) being present in a greater number of households in Qatar, it is common to have multiple ICT devices in the household. In Qatar, the average number of laptops and tablet PCs per household is approximately two (refer Figure 9., 1.8 is rounded) for each. In contrast, the average number of desktops is only one (1.2 is rounded) per household.
In addition to being found in almost every household higher among smartphones (4.1 in 2015 to 3.8 in 2018) in Qatar, the average number of smartphones per and tablet PCs (2.1 in 2015 to 1.8 in 2018). This is more household is higher than any other device. On an of optimization of the device ownership and usage than an average, a household has four (3.8 is rounded) actual decline. smartphones, whereas the average number of other 1.1.3.1 Household ICT Devices Ownership by Nationality devices per household is less than two. It is revealed from the study that, Qatari households not The average ownership of ICT devices has seen a slight only have high ICT device penetration rates, but also have decline from 2015 to 2018. In particular, the decline is high average number of ICT devices (refer to Figure 10).
20 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
The most visible difference lies in the possession of number of smartphones per household: non-Qataris have an average of 3.3 smartphones per household, whilst Qataris have approximately seven. Minor variation can also be observed regarding the possession of other ICT device categories between Qataris and non-Qataris such as laptops (2.7 among Qatari and 1.6 among non-Qatari households), tablet PCs (Qataris - 2.6 per household and non-Qataris-1.5) and TVs (3.3 among Qatari households and 1.3 among non-Qataris). One of the reasons for this variation could be the difference in average household size: Qatari households have more members than that of non-Qatari. There is almost no variation for desktop and fixed telephone possession by nationality.
21 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
Figure 12 demonstrates that there has been a limited uptake of advanced digital devices by the households of Qatar, with less than 50% penetration. In Qatar, game consoles are observed to be the most popular new ICT devices that are considered by the respondents of the study, whose penetration rate is 32% at overall household level. Other devices like Portable MP3 players (12%), smart wearable devices (12%) and portable gaming devices (9%) have been possessed by certain households only. Furthermore, there has not been a substantial uptake of e-readers (2%) and media streaming devices (2%). So, it appears that population in Qatar possessed various advanced digital devices based on their need and product appeal. There can be acceptance of advanced technology if and only if the tangible benefit is accrued, which is not provided by basic ICT devices. Thus, the adoption of smartphone technology appears to imply that smartphones are compensating majority of utilities of new ICT devices.
1.1.3.2 Household ICT Devices Ownership by 1.1.4.1 Advanced digital devices penetration by household Size nationality
Despite the overall low penetration of advanced digital As demonstrated in Figure 11., the general trend is that devices, the Qatari households demonstrate high if more number of people are living in a household (i.e. penetration rates than non-Qatari households. As per household size is larger), the presence of ICT devices Figure 12, a substantial variation can be observed in will also be more. The survey response revealed that, game console ownership with 83% for Qatari households this trend is more prominent for smartphones, tablet and only 24% for that of non-Qataris. The ownership of PCs and laptops. The average number of smartphone Smart wearable devices also has a considerable variation. possession ascents from two in households with 1-3 Overall, only 12% of households in Qatar have smart members to eight in the households with 10+ members. wearable devices, but when considering Qatari households, Similarly, the average number of tablet PCs increased this figure is 44%. The current study reveals that, there from 1.1 to 3.2 and laptops increased from 1.2 to 3.4 as seems to be more openness to new ICT devices amongst the household size increases from 1-3 members to 10 Qatari households compared to non-Qatari households. or more. However, certain new ICT devices that can be replaced by 1.1.4 Household Advanced Digital Devices smartphones (e.g. e-readers) demonstrate low penetration Penetration rates across the board.
The above section described the access of ICT 1.1.4.2 Advanced digital devices penetration among the devices among the households of Qatar. Above and households with and without children beyond these ICT devices, a country’s technological below 15 yearsof age advancement and future direction of ICT growth is Similarly, the penetration rates for portable gaming indicated by uptake of advanced digital products devices and game consoles are higher in households with and services by its citizens and residents. In order to children when compared with those without children (refer understand this aspect, it is necessary to monitor the Figure 13). Other new ICT devices are less adopted by the penetration of a few advanced digital devices in the households with children, possibly because their target households. audience are adults.
22 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
1.1.5 Household TV Subscriptions
The Direct-To-Home (DTH) television services are telecasted over the television (TV) with the help of a conventional cable or through broadcast formats. The DTH offers the audience a wide variety of streaming channels with decent quality and they are readily available irrespective of the type of internet connection.
In Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), the television media content is delivered through internet using Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Nowadays, TV channels, audio / video songs are being delivered using the broadband connection.
In Qatar, DTH / Dish (76%) and IPTV (52%) are the two most commonly subscribed home TV services for the media and entertainment purposes. Usage rate of other type of TV services is marginal among the households in Qatar. On the whole, DTH / Dish mode is more favored by both Qatari (91%) and non-Qatari households (73%). Only a small number of households (2%) are not subscribed to any kind of TV services (refer Figure 14).
23 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
1.2: INTERNET CONNECTIVITY
Internet penetration in Qatar among the households is 94%, which places Qatar ahead of many benchmarked countries, including Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sweden and the UK.
The key barrier that is preventing the households from not connecting to the internet in Qatar is high cost of internet service (44%) and high initial cost of equipment to access internet (33%).
Fixed broadband (95%) and mobile broadband (65%) are the most popular modes for connecting to internet and both have seen significant increase in 2018 as compared to 2015.
Ninety-five percent of the households are using internet connections with speed of 8 Mbps or more, whilst 34% of households are connected to speeds of 16 Mbps or more. The percentage of households connected to high speed internet (4 Mbps or more) has increased from 16% in 2013 to 96% in 2018 (at the time of the survey).
On an average, a household in Qatar spends approximately QAR 24,086 annually for purchasing ICT related products, services and repairs. Of the total amount spent on ICT, 79% is for ICT related services, while 21% is for ICT products and repairs.
A consistent presence of ICT devices in the household is a pre-requisite for building ICT access throughout the country. In order to reap the full benefits of the ICT devices, it is essential to ensure universal internet connectivity. Unless all the households have access to the internet, the digital services and applications will be of limited value to the society. Given the importance of internet access, it is necessary to examine the distribution of internet access among households in Qatar. This section is aimed to do so along with discussing the trends in internet access, key barriers for not having internet and so on.
24 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
1.2.1 Internet access among the as among non-Qatari households, the internet households penetration is 93%.
Figure 15 demonstrates the internet access in There is also a variation observed in internet access Qatar by nationality and household size. The chart based on the household size. That is, households with describes that, in total 94% of households in Qatar ten members or more have 100% internet penetration has access to internet. However, when considering in Qatar. However, the internet penetration is 90% for only Qatari households, toll is 100% whereas the households with one to three members.
The internet penetration among the households in 2018 is at 94% and has slightly decreased from 2015 (96%). Understanding the reasons among non-subscribers can highlight the ways to further increase internet penetration (refer Figure 16).
It is established from the study that even in 2018, around six percent of households are still not connected to the internet. The most common reason cited for not having internet connection at home is high monthly cost of internet services (44%) and high initial cost of internet (33%). Other reasons for not having internet are - having access to internet elsewhere (16%), whilst 10% do not feel the need to use the internet at their homes (refer Figure 17).
There is hardly any household in Qatar which did not subscribe to internet service because of the stability (4%). Initiatives to improve awareness about the benefits of using the internet are likely to help in encouraging more households to subscribe for internet services in the country.
25 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
International benchmarking demonstrates internet 1.2.2 Type of internet connection penetration in a comparative context. That is, with 94% in the households of the households with internet connectivity, Qatar is ahead of many developed nations like Australia (88%), Figure 19 indicates different types of internet connections Germany (91%), Singapore (91%), UK (91%) and Sweden available in Qatar. Fixed broadband accessed through (92%). Qatar is also on par with other countries in the various means (Wi-Fi routers, wired, terrestrial) is noticed Arab region: KSA (95%) and UAE (94%) (refer Figure 18). to be the most common type of internet connection (95%)
26 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
among the households in Qatar, followed by mobile Figure 20 broadband (through SIM card orpersonal hotspots or HOUSEHOLD INTERNET CONNECTION SPEED USB or router devices connected) at 65%. The access of internet has significantly increased for both fixed broadband and mobile broadband among households from 2015 to 2018.
The type of internet connection correlates with the devices being used to access the internet. As demonstrated in the previous section, portable devices such as smartphones, laptops and tablet PCs have high penetration rates among the households in Qatar: 99.7%, SLOW FAST 80% and 59% respectively. Given that usage of desktops SPEED among the households in Qatar has gradually declined in recent years (24%, 2018), fixed wired broadband (31%) 8 Mbps is no longer a necessity for most devices to access the UP to 8 Mbps to 16 Mbps internet. Therefore, the usage of Wi-Fi (79%) and mobile 5% 95% internet (63%) has become more common, compared to other type of internet connections. Source: Households and Individuals Survey, 2018 Households with Internet connection at home, n=1,894
Figure 19 TREND OF TYPE OF INTERNET CONNECTION IN THE 1.2.3 Internet speed among the households HOUSEHOLD, 2015- 2018 The speed of internet connection has a considerable impact on the usability of various online applications. Media content and other data intensive services cannot be 95% 88% availed without a high-speed internet connection. This is principally because advancements in camera hardware and 65% extensive creation of high-definition media content have 51% increased the size of data accessed online by multi-fold in the past few years. So, it is essential that, the speed of internet connection be available in the country to keep pace with these developments.
At the time of the survey, around one-third (34%) of Fixed Broadband Mobile Broadband households in Qatar have connections with speeds higher than 16 Mbps. Another 61% of households have 2018 2015 connections with speed between 8 Mbps and 16 Mbps. Source: Households and Individuals Survey, 2018 Households with Internet connection at home, 2013 n= 1821, 2018 n=1,894 That is, only five percent of the households in Qatar has connections with 8 Mbps or lower speed (refer Figure 20).
27 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
Figure 21
96%
56% 69% 48%
45% 28% 20%
8% 16% 4% 11% 0%
2010 2013 2015 2018
Source: Households and Individuals Survey 2010, 2013, 2015, 2018 Households with Internet access, 2010 n=1,176 2013 n=1,877, 2015 n=1,821, 2018 n=1,894
Further, the service providers in Qatar have recently It is understood from the study that, on an average, a increased the minimum speed of fixed broadband household in Qatar spends QAR 24,086 annually for service from 15 Mbps to 50 Mbps. This change in the purchasing ICT related products, services and repairs. speed of internet connection available to the consumers Qatari households spend four times more than that of non- in Qatar will certainly lead to many developments. Qatari households on ICT products, services and repairs (QAR 65,750 by Qatari households, compared to only QAR The proportion of households connected to high speed 17,428 by non-Qatari). In addition, Figure 22 reveals that internet has risen considerably over the years. 96% households with children below 15 years of age have of households in Qatar are connected to 4 Mbps or higher ICT annual expenditure (QAR 31,327) compared to higher during the survey period, compared to only 16% those households without children below 15 years (QAR in 2013. The improvement in internet speed available 18,343). One possible reason for this could be the higher in the country enables usage of a plethora of online likelihood of purchasing/ repairing the new ICT devices applications. Applications requiring high bandwidth, such as game consoles, portable gaming devices and so on. including games, media content and streaming services get a major boost in Qatar with high internet speeds Of the total ICT expenditure per household in Qatar, 79% is (refer Figure 21). spent on purchasing ICT related services (including mobile voice, mobile internet, fixed broadband internet, additional spent on other devices, streaming services etc.). This 1.2.4 Average household expenditure on proportion is relatively consistent across the demographic ICT related products in Qatar segregations such as nationality and possession of
Measuring the expenditure on ICT devices and related children in the household. Out of the total ICT expenditure services including repairs of the ICT products at spent on ICT products, services and repairs, households household level allow to draw conclusions about the without children below 15 years have the highest ICT willingness to embrace new technologies. related services expenditure (83%) and Qatari households spend mostly on purchasing ICT related services (76%).
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29 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
1.3: ICT USAGE AMONG INDIVIDUALS
Eighty-four percent of individuals in Qatar stated that they had used personal computer (PC) at least once in the last three months. Also, eighty four percent of individuals use a PC once a day.
Sending emails with file attachment and copying/ moving files are the most popular activities conducted on the computers by PC users.
Laptops are the most popular type of PC, with 87% of individuals used recently, while only 21% of people used a desktop.
The internet usage is universal with 100% of the population having accessed internet in the last 3 months. The most popular device to access the internet is smartphone (97%).
Despite the increase in the use of smartphones to access the internet in Qatar, the primary location for accessing the internet is home (98%).
Popular activities performed on the internet by the population of Qatar are accessing the social network sites (74%) and sending or receiving emails (66%).
WhatsApp is the most popular social networking application in Qatar. 75% of individuals in Qatar use WhatsApp more than five times a day and it has the highest usage across all age groups.
It is more common among mobile phone subscribers to have a prepaid mobile tariff plan (56%) than a postpaid plan (38%).
Although Qatar demonstrated high ICT penetration statistics among households, it is equally important to examine how often individuals are using the ICT devices.
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1.3.1 Usage of personal computers among from 87% in 2015 to 84% in 2018. The reason for this the individuals descent could be the technological advancement of mobile phones to replace the PCs in performing most of Figure 23 explains the usage of personal computers (PCs) the activities. in the last three months by the individual. Overall, 84% of individuals in Qatar have used PCs at least once in last Figure 24 shows the segregation of different types three months. Further, 94% of Qataris have used PCs in of personal computer usage across the age groups in the last three months, whereas only 82% of non-Qataris the last three months. Among the personal computer used PCs. (Desktop, Laptop and Tablet PC) users in Qatar, laptops are the most commonly used devices. That is, laptops This difference in numbers could be due to the availability (88%) are observed to be the most popularly used device, of PCs at their homes. In addition, personal computer followed by tablet PCs (33%) and desktops (21%). usage in 2018 is high among females than males (89% and 79% respectively). Usage of tablet PCs is particularly high among the youth (15-24 years) in Qatar with 47% used it in the last three Globally, the usage of personal computers has decreased months. Individuals of 55 years and above age group are across the years and similar pattern is observed in Qatar. least likely to use desktops (12%) but they use laptops The PC usage among the individuals in Qatar has reduced (92%) on par with other age-group individuals to perform daily activities.
Figure 23 PERSONAL COMPUTER USAGE AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITHIN LAST THREE MONTHS BY NATIONALITY AND GENDER
94% 89% 89% 87% 86% 84% 82% 80% 80% 79%
OverallQ atari Non Qatari Male Female 2018 2015
Source: Households and Individuals Survey, 2018 Overall population n=2,008
31 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
In terms of PC usage by nationality, Qataris As seen in Figure 26, the most common activities carried demonstrated marginally high usage of various type of out on PCs in the last three months by the individuals PCs than non-Qataris. in Qatar are sending e-mails along with attachments (68%) and copying/moving files (67%). Surprisingly, only Overall, 83% of individuals in Qatar who have used six percent of PC users use them for writing computer a personal computer in the last three months, used program. The most common activities conducted by PC it daily. This figure remains consistently high across users remains almost the same in 2015 and 2018. An nationality and age distribution. At an overall level, important change observed is the increase in percentage it is observed that there is only a small proportion of of individuals connecting/installing new devices from individuals in the country who used PCs less frequently 31% in 2015 to 40% in 2018. (three percent) (refer Figure 25). Relatively the percentage of Qataris using the personal computer daily is higher at 92% as compared to non-Qataris (81%). Further, percentage of younger population (15-24 years) using personal computer daily is less at 80% as compared to older population.
32 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
Figure 25 FREQUENCY OF PERSONAL COMPUTER USAGE AMONG INDIVIDUALS BY NATIONALITY AND AGE GROUP IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS
4% 5% 6% 6% 6% 2% 4% 1% 6% 3% 1% 3% 2% 4% 2% 1% 2% 5% 1% 1% 7% 2% 2% 8% 7% 5% 8% 8% 13% 13% 21% 15% 19% 20% 17% 25% 27%
64% 79% 61% 63% 66% 66% 61% 57%
Overall Qatari Non Qatari 15-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55 years and above
1-4 times a Day At least once per day At least once per week At least once per month Less frequently Never used
Source: Households and Individuals Survey, 2018 Those who used a personal computer in last 3 months n=1,784
33 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
1.3.2 Internet usage by individuals
The growth in internet usage can be seen at individual level. The usage of internet in the last three months has steadily grown since 2012. There is an increase of 7 percentage points from 2015 (93%). The growth can be attributed to the growth in smartphone penetration among the population in Qatar (refer Figure 27).
Majority of the ICT devices are capable of connecting to internet and among those, smartphone is observed to have the fastest growth over the years in Qatar. In 2010, only 35% of internet users have accessed the internet using smartphone. By 2018, this number grew to 97%, with a significant increase of 177%. This shift in the pattern of devices being used to access the internet exemplifies how the applications are designed for and used by consumers. The proportion of tablet PC users accessing the internet Thus, mobile-first is a key factor to be considered by the has also seen a rapid rise in Qatar, from 13% in 2012 to telecom service providers and application developers, 32% in 2018. On the other hand, the use of desktops given the sharp increase in the use of smartphones for accessing the internet has continuously dropped and as the popular device for accessing the internet (refer accounts for only 20% in 2018, compared to 70% in 2010. Figure 28). Access to internet through laptops have also seen a slight decrease. Although the proportion is steady at more than 80 % until 2012, has fallen to 70 % in 2018.
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Despite the increase in the use of smartphones to 1.3.2.1 Frequency of Internet usage access the internet in Qatar, the primary location for Figure 30 reveals the frequency of internet access by the accessing the internet in the last three months through individuals in Qatar. Overall, 96% of individuals in Qatar any device is observed from the survey is the home access the internet daily at least once. This high usage (98%). This indicates the availability of internet access proportion is consistent across nationality, age group and in the households in Qatar. The next two main internet gender. Notably, all the Qataris use internet at least once access points in Qatar are work place (62%) and other’s in a day and even the oldest age group (55 years and home (54%). Further, it is also established that half above) is also active (93%). As expected, 97% of female of the internet users in Qatar access the internet in access the internet daily at least once whereas 95% of mobility (while being mobile). male access the internet daily. The low usage of community and commercial internet access proportions (31% and 32%, respectively) could indicate the limited availability of internet or high internet cost at these places (refer Figure 29).
35 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
1.3.2.2 Tasks performed on the internet from the survey that, the more common online activities When surveyed regarding the activities carried that are performed by the individuals in Qatar are either out by the internet users in Qatar, the survey recreational or work related (refer Figure 31). respondents indicated that participating in social networks is their most common online activity Figure 32 shows that participating in social networks is (74%) in the last three months. This is followed by the most common online activity among the internet users communication via e-mail (66%) and streaming/ in Qatar. The survey respondents revealed that, among the downloading media content (60%). social networking applications, WhatsApp is the top most accessed application in Qatar (96% use it daily). Some of the least (below 15%) common online activities that are performed by the individuals in This is followed by YouTube and Facebook (83% use it Qatar are: interacting with government organizations daily) and Instagram (68% use it daily). However, only (13%), searching for jobs (13%), educational 19% of the individuals accessed the LinkedIn application purposes (12%), using software run over the internet daily. Three quarters of the social network users access for editing text documents (12%), selling of goods WhatsApp more than five times in a day, whereas only and services (11%) and making an appointment seven percent accessed LinkedIn application more than with a healthcare practitioner via website (10%). five times a day. Despite YouTube being the second most This indicates that although many services are popular social network, only 29% of users accessed the now offered online in Qatar, there has not been an video-sharing site more than five times in a day (refer uptake of some of the services. It can be understood Figure 33).
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1.3.2.3 Social Media usage Three quarters of the social network users access WhatsApp more than five times in a day, whereas Figure 32 shows that participating in social networks only seven percent accessed LinkedIn application is the most common online activity among the internet more than five times aday. Despite YouTube being users in Qatar. The survey respondents revealed that, the second most popular social network, only 29% of among the social networking applications, WhatsApp is users accessed the video-sharing site more than five the top most accessed application in Qatar (96% use it times in a day (refer Figure 33). daily). This is followed by YouTube and Facebook (83% use it daily) and Instagram (68% use it daily). However, only 19% of the individuals accessed the LinkedIn application daily.
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38 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
Understanding the social media usage further from the survey by the age groups reveals that, the usage of Instagram (84%) and Snapchat (75%) is substantially high among younger age groups after the WhatsApp (95%). Facebook usage is considerably lower among 15-24 years segment (63%) as they are active on alternative social media networks.
Yet, LinkedIn usage by the individuals at least once in a day has increased gradually along with age (31% for above 55 years whereas only 13% for 15-24 years). This is more likely due to the mounting need to engage among professional networks at later stages of individual’s career.
Of all the social networks, WhatsApp is observed to be the most consistently used social network in Qatar across all the age groups, with proportion between 93% and 96% (refer Figure 34).
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1.3.3 Mobile phone ownership between Qataris and non-Qataris: 67% of Qataris are subscribed to a postpaid mobile tariff plan, while only As displayed in Figure 35, it is common to the population 32% of non-Qataris did so. This could be due to the of Qatar to own more than one mobile phone to connect fact that, some of the expatriate community tend to with their friends, relatives and to perform online sign on to short term packages as they intend to stay activities. Overall, the average ownership of mobile phone for short term or there is a lot of flexibility in pre-paid in Qatar is 1.22; however, this number is 1.64 for Qataris subscriptions. and the possession is substantially higher than that of non-Qataris (1.14). Also, there is no significant variation Among the male mobile phone subscribers, there is between the male and female in terms of mobile phone only a small variation noted between postpaid (47%) ownership (1.23 and 1.21 respectively). and prepaid (44%) tariff subscribers. However, among female mobile phone subscribers, there is a significant At the overall level, it can be noted to be more common difference between the possession of prepaid (68%) among mobile phone users to have a prepaid mobile tariff and postpaid (29%) subscribers (refer Figure 36). plan (56%) than a postpaid plan (38%) in Qatar. However, a significant difference in this aspect can be observed
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41 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
1.4: SATISFACTION WITH MOBILE AND INTERNET SERVICES
57% of the mobile phone subscribers are satisfied with the services in Qatar and this proportion has increased from 2013
Satisfaction with internet services is relatively higher with 64% of the individuals, satisfied with fixed broadband services and 60%, satisfied with mobile broadband services.
Satisfaction for internet services, both mobile and fixed, has increased significantly over the time from 2013 to 2018.
Qataris demonstrated a high level of satisfaction than non-Qataris for all the internet services.
The greatest satisfaction for mobile phone services is due to the availability of services (57%), On the other hand, people are more dissatisfied with value for their money (44%).
The satisfaction of fixed broadband services scored the highest with respect to reliability (61%), whilst that of mobile broadband did the best in speed in services (56%) along with speed and efficiency of complaint handling (56%).
Thus far, the report considered access and usage of ICT devices among individuals to draw conclusions about the status of digital utilization in Qatar. Further, it is equally important to examine customer satisfaction for the services and identify the areas of high performance along with possible room for improvement of services.
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1.4.1 Satisfaction with mobile and internet 1.4.2 Satisfaction with mobile phone services services on various parameters
Addressing the above cited, the study results revealed Also, the satisfaction among the mobile phone service that the overall satisfaction with fixed broadband users in the State of Qatar is measured on various internet connection is 64% among the individuals in parameters such as coverage and quality of calls, Qatar, which is slightly higher than mobile broadband customers support after sales and so on. internet connection (60%) followed by mobile phone services (57%). There is a visible difference in terms It is noticed that, regardless of the nationality, 54% of the of satisfaction levels by the nationality as Qataris customers of mobile phone services are satisfied with the reported high satisfaction for all the three services (fixed ‘availability of information about the services’, followed broadband (79%), mobile broadband (72%) and mobile by ‘mobile data coverage, speed and reliability’ at 53%, phone (70%)) rendered by the telecommunication service ‘self-care: ability to change the service as per preference’ providers in Qatar and the satisfaction scores of non- with 52% and ‘coverage and quality of calls’ with 52%. It Qataris are: fixed broadband (61%), mobile broadband can also be noted from the survey that the mobile phone (57%) and mobile phone (55%) (refer Figure 37). service customers are least satisfied with ‘value for money that they paid’ (44%) and ‘the customer support after The satisfaction levels for fixed, mobile broadband and sales’ (45%). By and large, the mobile phone services mobile phone services have increased across the years. satisfaction scores are between 44% and 54% and could It can also be noticed that, the overall satisfaction for be the reason for overall satisfaction with mobile phone fixed broadband internet connection has increased from services being relatively lower than internet services (refer 50% in 2013 to 64% in 2018 and satisfaction for mobile Figure 39). broadband connection has also gone up significantly from 40% in 2013 to 60% in 2018. Mobile phone service As already demonstrated, customers rated higher satisfaction level has increased from 50% in 2013 to satisfaction for fixed broadband internet connection (64%) 57% in 2018, which demonstrates that there has been than for mobile broadband internet connection (60%). an improvement in the services provided by the telecom service providers in the country.
Figure 37 SATISFACTION WITH INTERNET AND MOBILE PHONE SERVICES BY NATIONALITY
79% 72% 70% 64% 60% 61% 57% 57% 55%
Overall users Qatari Non - Qatari
Fixed Broadband Mobile Broadband Mobile Phone Services
Note: Satisfaction refers to percentage of respondents rating 6 or 7 on a 7-point scale Source: Households and Individuals Survey, 2018 Individuals with subscription to services, Mobile broadband n=1,261, Fixed broadband n=1,801, Mobile phone users n=2,008
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64% 60% 57% 50% 47%
45% 40%
2010 2013 2018 Fixed broadband service Mobile broadband service Mobile phone service
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A comparison is made regarding various parameters to But, only one in two fixed broadband users are measure the satisfaction levels of mobile broadband and satisfied with the customer support after the sales fixed broadband internet connection services in Qatar and (51%). the results are presented in Figure 40. Fixed broadband Mobile broadband subscribers are more satisfied users are more satisfied than mobile broadband users with regarding the parameters - speed of internet and respect to all parameters except for speed and efficiency the speed and efficiency of complaint handling (both of complaint handling and the customer support after 56%). The mobile broadband satisfaction scores the sales. for various parameters lie between 52% and 56% The subscribers of the fixed broadband internet and this marginal variation demonstrates that, the connection in Qatar are more satisfied with respect to satisfaction is consistent across the board, with room the parameters - reliability of internet (61%), cost of the for improvement for all the measured parameters. services (60%) and the speed of internet services (59%).
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2: FOCUS AREAS 2.1: e–Commerce
At an overall level, slightly more than one third (38%) of individuals in Qatar have purchased online.
Clothes, footwear and sports goods are the most popular products purchased online, at 80%. This proportion is consistent regardless of gender and nationality.
Among the online shoppers in Qatar, 18% of individuals shop on monthly basis and 60% of individuals shop for every three months.
The most commonly cited reason for shopping online is better prices (67%). On the other hand, the most widely stated reason for not shopping online is the preference for shopping in person (62%).
2.1.1 State of the e-Commerce market
Opportunity and potential are the words synonymous with are connected to fixed broadband internet connection. the current state of Qatar’s e-Commerce market, which is The average e-Commerce transaction value of Qatar is valued at $1.2billion USD in 2015, making the country the estimated as $260USD in 2015. 7th largest e-Commerce economy in the MENA region6. As depicted in Figure 41, more than one third of The country enjoys a favorable environment for individuals (38%) residing in Qatar claimed to have e-Commerce adoption, including the population with high made an online purchase in the past. 61% of Qataris level of disposable income, high-speed internet, availability shop online which is significantly more than that of 5G and 4G mobile broadband and 95% of the households of non-Qataris (34%). Further understanding of the
6 http://www.ecommerceqatar.qa/home
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proportions by gender reveals that female in Qatar are 2.1.2 Online Purchase patterns more active in e-Commerce space (49%), whereas only 28% of male claim to have purchased online in the past. While it is noted above that the e-Commerce penetration Further, on segmenting the online purchase pattern by is moderate in the country, the nature of online purchases age, it is observed that the younger population have varies among the sections of population in Qatar. As higher propensity to purchase online as compared to older indicated in Figure 42, the categories - clothing, footwear, population. 57% of 15- 24 years individuals claim to have sports goods or accessories (80%) and cosmetics (49%) are purchased online, while this reduced to 28% among 35- 44 the most commonly purchased products/ goods through years old individuals. online mode in the past twelve months. On the other hand, the less significant categories are the travel arrangements (23%), purchasing entertainment tickets (14%) and holiday accommodation arrangements (13%).
Source: www.motc.gov.qa
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The survey results also revealed that, the online purchase possible reason for this could be the high incidence of Computer equipment or parts (hardware) (7%), books, of Qatari family outings than that of non-Qataris. magazines and newspapers (7%) and e-learning material Another interesting observation is in the category (2%) are relatively low in Qatar. of movies, short films and image, with non-Qataris having a proportion of 13%, while only three Table 2 segregates the online purchase patterns in percent for Qataris. This could be attributed to the Qatar by nationality and gender. The category Clothing, high inclination of non-Qataris to search for better footwear, sports goods and Cosmetics continues to convenience for movie tickets purchase. be the most popularly products ordered online by both Qataris (87%) and non-Qataris (77%). However, Further, Table 2 also reveals interesting facts differences persist in online purchase of certain about the online purchasing pattern by gender in categories of products by nationality. For example, Qatar. Both male (61%) and female (91%) make the 28% of Qataris have booked hotels through online, most purchases online in the category - clothes, whereas only 7% of non-Qataris have done so. A footwear, sports goods and the female purchase
Figure 42 e-COMMERCE BY TYPE OF PRODUCTS PURCHASED
e-learning material 2%
Video games software 5% Financial products (Shares, Insurance, etc.) 5%
Food or groceries, Tobacco / Cigarettes 5%
Books, Magazines, Newspapers 7%
Cameras, Mobile phones, telecommunication equipment 7%
Computer software excluding games 7%
Computer/Computer parts 7%
Music products / Songs / Music content 8%
Telecommunication services 8%
Video/Computer games 8%
Medicine 8%
10%
Household goods 10%
Holiday accommodation (Hotal etc.) 13%
Entertaintment Tickets 14% (Sport, Theatre, Concerts, Movies, etc.) Other travel arrangements 23% (Flight tickets, card hire)
Cosmetics 49%
Clothes, Footwear, Sports goods 80%
Source: Households and Individuals Survey 2018 e-Commerce users among the overall population n= 567
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Table 2: Type of products purchased online by gender and nationality
online products more than their counterpart. In addition, Further, it can be noticed from the study results that it is also observed that the female purchase cosmetics 60% of the e-Commerce users make an online purchase mostly through online mode (64%) and male’s second at least once in the last three months. In addition, there highest online purchase category is booking flight tickets is a considerable proportion of users who make an online (44%). Neither male nor female show any inclination to purchase at least once in a month (18%), indicating the purchase food, groceries, tobacco/ cigarettes, financial frequent online purchase pattern of the people of Qatar products, video game software and e-learning materials (refer Figure 43). through online.
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2.1.3 Key Drivers for online purchases
Among the online shoppers in Qatar, the main drivers for making online purchases are observed to be: better price (67%), ease of purchase (52%) and convenience (52%) (refer Figure 44). Online buyers also cited need- based purchase (43%) as the reason for making online purchases in scenarios where certain products or brands are unavailable in Qatar.
By and large, the reason for online shopping among the male is their inclination for seeking more convenience. Female appear to prefer online shopping for the ability to seek out better price options (70%).
2.1.4 e-Commerce payment systems
Most of the online shoppers in Qatar prefer online payment through credit cards (69%), internet banking (22%) and online payment through debit cards (12%) (refer Figure 45). However, cash on delivery is also
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observed to be the second most popular payment method Figure 46 splits down the key reasons for using cash (39%), albeit the low usage proportion than credit card on delivery for the online purchases instead of digital payments. While looking at the online purchased product payments. The main reasons for using cash on delivery are categories, it can be noticed that the online buyers - supplier accepts only cash on delivery (69%) and wanting in Qatar are inclined to make online payments not for to get product delivered before making payment (37%). all goods and services. This could partly be driven by This trend is consistent across gender and nationality. It supplier’s terms and conditions, but it is encouraging to is interesting to note that, among male who use cash on see the increasing role of online payments compared to delivery mode for online purchases, want to get products previous years, where cash on delivery is the primary delivered before making payment (57%), which is another means of payment in e-Commerce in the year 2014. driver for preferring to pay cash.
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2.1.5 Key reasons for not shopping online prefer to shop in person (62%). At the same time, it is welcoming to observe that, the proportion of those who The current research study also highlights that the main feel that online shopping is not secure is relatively low reason for not shopping online is the preference to shop (15%) and thus the barriers are primarily to encourage the in person, since the purchase needs are being better purchase behavior of individuals along with addressing the met in store. That is, most of the Qatar’s population concerns with the e-Commerce security (refer Figure 47).
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2.2: ONLINE BANKING
At an overall level, less than one third of people in Qatar used online banking in the past 12 months, whereas the nationality wise segregation reveals that 70 percent of Qatari nationals used online banking.
The attractive features for using online banking are the speed of performing transactions (81%) followed by the security provided for transactions (59%).
The key reasons for the customer’s non-preference of online banking are to speak to someone in person while banking transactions (30%) and having lack of knowledge to use the online banking services (20%).
Satisfaction with internet banking is high at overall level, with users rating their satisfaction at 82%.
Internet banking services (IBS) have become crucial to the development of the banking industry, globally. So, needless to say that the role of digital banking increased globally and in Qatar too. IBS offers opportunities to create service processes that require few internal resources, and thereby lowering the bank’s operational cost. In addition, IBS provides wider availability of banking services and make it possible to reach more customers. From the customer’s point of view, digital banking should allow customers to have easier access to their accounts and manage financial services from anywhere which saves their time. So, measuring the adoption of IBS and understanding the reasons for adoption as well as hindrance allows the policy makers to address the respective issues.
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2.2.1 Internet banking landscape in Qatar
The current research study reveals that, less than one-third of population in Qatar used online banking (31%) in the past twelve months. The use of online banking has significantly increased from 16% in 2013 to 31% in 2018, a 94% increase in online banking usage. Figure 48 segregates the internet banking usage proportions in Qatar by nationality and gender. Male are more inclined to use the internet banking (36%) than female (26%). As expected, Qataris are more inclined to use online banking than non-Qataris (70% versus 23%).
2.2.2 Reasons for using online banking
The figure 49 portrays the main reasons for customers’ usage of online banking in the State of Qatar. The top two highly rated reasons for using internet banking are - the speed of performing transactions (81%) and the security provided for transactions (59%). Customers also mentioned that the reason for using online banking is to keep themselves updated with the new technology (42%). The least cited reason by the survey respondents is that online banking is less expensive than other To stimulate the trust of online banking customers, it banking options (14%) indicating that convenience is equally important to analyze responses of non-users and security are the driving factors for switching to of online banking. The highly rated reason for not using online banking than cost involved. online banking is the customer’s preference to speak to someone in person at the bank (30%). In addition, lack of As demonstrated above, speed of performing the knowledge is rated as the second highest reason (20%). transactions has retained its position as the main Yet, sixteen percent of respondents mentioned that not reason for using online banking and it has increased having a bank account as the reason for not performing significantly over the years (69% in 2013 to 81% banking transaction through online, but, another 16% in 2018). In the same vein, feeling secured while are happy with their current banking methods. However, performing the transactions has also increased it must be noted that lack of trust is rated fifth (11%) significantly from 39% in 2013 to 59% in 2018. among the reasons. To increase number of online banking However, it can be noted that the proportion of online customers, banks should work on a two-fold approach: banking users who use because of the convenience firstly, educating their customers about the benefits of of access has remained the same between 2013 and internet banking and secondly, establish trust on the 2018 (36%). This implies that convenience of access systems, so as to encourage the customers. Only six can drive the adoption of online banking only up to percent of respondents cited price as the reason for not certain extent. Hence, to boost the online banking using online banking, indicating that cost involved is not usage further, banks could focus on improving privacy an obstacle to use internet banking (refer Figure 50). so as to engender the trust of their customers (refer Figure 49).
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Figure 49 REASONS FOR USING ONLINE BANKING, 2013 vs 2018
81% 69%
59%
48% 45% 42% 39% 41% 39% 41% 36% 36% 36% 37% 31% 30% 26%
14%
Speed Secured New Privacy No queues Can access More Cost Technology anytime control effective
2013 2018
Source: Households and Individuals Survey 2013, 2018 Online banking users, 2018, n=656; 2013, n=308
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2.2.3 Satisfaction with online banking high satisfaction rate than non-Qataris (86% Vs 80%) and in gender category, male are slightly more satisfied than It is positive to observe that the users of online banking female (84% versus 80%). This information can be used as in Qatar are highly satisfied with the services provided by launchpad to reach out to the non-users and thus expand the banks. Across all profiles, 82% of the online banking the proportion of online banking users in Qatar (refer users have rated their satisfaction as high. Qataris have Figure 51).
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2.3: ONLINE SAFETY, SECURITY AND PRIVACY
In Qatar, 63% of the people feel safe while browsing net on mobile, while 62% of people feel secured while browsing the internet through fixed internet.
The feel of safety while accessing the internet is much higher among Qataris as compared to non-Qataris
Respondents of the survey shared that the feel of security while connecting to internet has considerably increased during past five years (2013 to 2018). The increase in safety perception is quite significant among the internet users in Qatar, rising from 7% and 6% in 2013 to 63% and 62% in 2018 for mobile broadband and fixed broadband internet connections respectively.
There is a slight, but noticeable decrease observed in the feel of security while connecting to internet with increase in age: younger generations feel more secured than older generations.
Viruses /malware (40%) and inappropriate content (38%) are the key concerns of the internet users in Qatar
69% of internet users have not faced any concern in the last twelve months.
Over the years, people have become more aware of cyber threats and the possible risks for children.
Globally, cyber threat is on the rise, as more internet-based services are available to the users. The previous two sections have dealt with proportion of online purchasers and online banking users in the State of Qatar. The present section examines the online safety, security and privacy perception levels of the people in Qatar, the measures took to encounter the security threats and the role of government to support in mitigating the security risks.
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2.3.1 Online safety perception by nationality
It is welcoming to observe that more than or equal to 60% of the internet users have expressed that they feel safe while connecting to the internet in Qatar, regardless of whether they access the internet through mobile cellular phone or fixed broadband. The feeling of safety while accessing the internet is stronger among Qataris, particularly while connecting via mobile cellular phone (83%) as against fixed broadband internet connection (76%). Non-Qataris response in this regard is consistent across both mobile phone and fixed broadband (59% each) internet connections (refer Figure 52).
As demonstrated in Figure 53, there is a slight variation in perception level about the internet safety based on the age of the respondents. That is, the younger generation (15-24 years and 25-34 years) feel more safer while accessing the internet than their counterpart. Also, it can be observed that, there is minor variation between the perception of the above two age groups of respondents about safety of internet through mobile phone (66% and 65% respectively). Older generations feel relatively less safe while connecting to the internet: age group 45-54 years (55% feel safe while accessing the internet via mobile and 56% feel safe via fixed broadband connection). This toll further decreased to 53% among the age-group 55 years and above, with respect to both mobile and fixed broadband internet connections.
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The perceived safety while connecting to the internet has increased significantly during the last five years, from 2013 to 2018. In this period, internet usage has increased by manifold and the safety has played a critical role in expanding the scope of activities that are being performed over the internet. Thus, the increase in safety perception is quite significant among the internet users in the Qatar, rising from 7% and 6% in 2013 to 63% and 62% in 2018 for mobile broadband and fixed broadband internet connections respectively (refer Figure 54).
2.3.2 Key concerns while using internet
Though around two-third of internet users feel safe, there are few potential concerns associated with internet usage that people have expressed in the survey. The possibility of virus/ malware attack is the biggest concern (40%), followed by exposure to inappropriate content (38%), privacy concern on sharing the personal information (38%) and misuse of personal information on
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the internet (37%). These concerns have the potential the password (58%) and this behavior has increased to cause financial loss especially while performing from 2013 (47%). Other safety measures taken by the digital banking transactions. It is critical for the population in the Qatar while accessing the internet e-Commerce companies, banks and the government to includes, purchasing anti-virus software (30%) and address these security risks and build secure internet ceasing to post personal information on the social in order to stimulate the trust of the customers (refer networking sites (22%). It can even be observed that Figure 55). drastic measures such as ceasing to make online purchases (7%) or usage of credit cards online (4%) In general, as it can be seen in Figure 55, female have have become significantly less frequent. more security concerns while connecting to the internet. There is a difference of nearly 20% points in their level 2.3.4 Child safety online of concerns while accessing the internet across various The respondents of the survey mentioned that, cyber aspects, which means that female are more cautious security concerns for the children are negligible in about the internet services. Qatar. Hardly any household with children has reported that their children being victims of cybercrime in Qatar. Despite the concerns demonstrated while accessing However, only 2% of households with children are the internet, only 31% of internet users claim that they exposed to inappropriate content (refer Figure 58). have encountered at least one concern during the last twelve months. The security concerns are of varying However, it is praiseworthy to note that there is high nature, 20% of internet users in Qatar have experienced awareness about the potential security threats while virus attacks on their laptops/desktop or mobile phones, accessing internet by the children and parents have followed by exposure to inappropriate content (14%) taken proactive measures to avoid negative impact (refer Figure 56). on their children. Most popular measures taken by the parents in Qatar for online safety of children are 2.3.3 Online safety measures supervising their children while accessing internet Figure 57 explains the most common security measures (37%), tracking online activities of their children (30%). that the internet users took while accessing the Moreover, 26% of survey respondents shared that they internet in Qatar. Most popular among them is changing discuss internet safety with their kids. On the other hand, least popular measures undertaken by the parents
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are random checks of kids’ e-mail (9%), installing content filters (7%) and agreeing with house rules about the use of internet (5%). It is also observed that only eight percent of households in Qatar did not take any measures to ensure their children’s safety while accessing the internet (refer Figure 59).
The comparison between the measures taken by the parents to ensure children’s safety online in Qatar from 2013 to 2018 is presented in Figure 59 . It can be noticed that the measures have increased significantly in 2018 compared to that of 2013. Also, in the year 2013, there is 38% of parents who did not take any measure to protect their children from online threats and this proportion has reduced to eight percent in 2018. Similarly, in 2018, 37% of parents supervised their children’s online activities, whereas only 23 % in the year 2013.
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Figure 59
37% Supervised use 23%
Track kids activity on the computer 30% 26%
26% Discuss Internet safety with kids 18%
23% 19%
Turn Safe Search On 21% 15%
16% 30%
15% Prevent dicks on malicious sites 19%
9% 8%
7% 8%
5% Agreeing house rules on use of Internet 10%
No measures 8% 38%
2013 2018
Source: Households and Individuals Survey, 2013, 2018 Households with Internet and children 2013 n=566, 2018 n=890
2.3.5 Reporting authority for cyber incidents
Individuals in Qatar believe that the police department is the concerned authority to be reported about any incidence of cyber-threat (70%) in the country. It is revealed that 23% of respondents are not aware of the authority to report to, if any such incident occurs (refer Figure 60).
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2.3.6 Guidance /Suggestions for online safely Among the people who received guidance or suggestions about online safety in the last twelve months, 73% It can be noticed from Figure 61 that only 21% of have received through social media applications. While individuals in Qatar have acknowledged the receipt of 30% of internet users received the guidance through guidance or suggestions about online safety in the last government websites. So, a suitable source needs to twelve months. This is relatively higher among Qataris be identified or developed to reach out more people. (28%) as compared to non-Qataris (20%). In this regard, However, it is to be noted that along with reaching more the government of Qatar should take initiatives to increase people ensuring that the communication guides the the awareness of online safety. This initiative can help internet users for appropriate actions can make their to address the concerns among the people about using online activities safer (refer Figure 62). internet services and reduce the incidents of cyber-attacks caused by negligence or lack of awareness among the internet users.
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2.4: e–GOVERNMENT
Sixty-two percent of the population in Qatar have interacted with the government for various services. The most common means of such communication is through Ministry of Interior (MOI) website (39%).
60% of the individuals are found to be satisfied with the availability of online information about government services, policies and legislations.
81% of Qataris are aware of services on Hukoomi portal.
Eighty percent of people are satisfied with the Hukoomi services (increased since 2013).
2.4.1 Means of communicating with government
Sixty-two percent of the population in Qatar have interacted with the government for various services. The Ministry Of Interior (MOI) website is the most commonly used means of communicating with the government (39%). 23% of respondents have accessed the Hukoomi portal (wherein all the e-Government services are offered), to avail the government services. Yet, physical visits to government offices/ departments is also preferred by nearly one in four (23%) individuals (refer Figure 63).
The figure below deals with segregation of means of communication with the government by nationality and gender. The services of MOI website and Hukoomi website are particularly popular among Qataris (63% and 48% respectively). Non-Qataris mostly prefer MOI website services and physical visit to the respective government offices for communicating with government (34% and 22% respectively).
Incidence of physical visit to the government departments is more among male than female (31% and 15%). The female mostly prefer to call the customer care helpline number than men (20% and 15%) to get the government services (refer Figure 64).
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2.4.2 Satisfaction with the availability of online information about government services, polices and legislations
60% of the population of Qatar are satisfied with the availability of online information about government services, polices and legislations in the country. However, the satisfaction is substantially high among Qataris, compared to non-Qataris (86% and 55%). From the Figure 65, it can be observed that satisfaction is consistent regardless of gender (Male 61% and Female 59%).
It can also be noted that, there is an opportunity to improve the satisfaction (55%) among non-Qataris. One of the recommendations is to improve the online information availability for the services specific to expatriates along with offering the information in English language.
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2.4.3 Awareness and usage of Hukoomi services
Figure 66 portrays the awareness levels of e-Services on Hukoomi portal by nationality. Qataris are more aware of Hukoomi e-Services (81%) than non-Qataris (54%). Similarly, Qataris are more inclined to use the e-Services on the Hukoomi website (54%) than non-Qataris (22%).
It can also be noted that majority of those who are not aware of e-Services on the Hukoomi portal are interested in knowing about the services (Qataris–15% and non-Qataris-26%). In order to increase the use of e-Services, it is therefore vital to raise awareness about the usage and benefits of e-Government services. 20% of non-Qataris are neither aware nor interested to know about Hukoomi portal and its e-Services (refer Figure 66).
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2.4.4 Satisfaction with services on Hukoomi portal
Among those who have used e-Government services via Hukoomi website, 80% are highly satisfied. Also, the satisfaction score is high for both Qataris and non-Qataris, although the satisfaction is relatively higher among Qataris (89%) than non-Qataris (76%) (refer Figure 67).
The satisfaction level with e-Government services through Hukoomi website has improved significantly from 2013 (68%) to 2018 (80%). The percentage of users dissatisfied with the usage of e-Government services has reduced to zero in 2018 from five percent in 2013 (refer Figure 68).
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2.5: Q-POST SERVICES
49% of individuals in Qatar claim that, they have used Q-Post services in the past twelve months. The most frequently used service is the posting service including parcel, EMS (25 percent).
Among the people who used the Q-Post service, 65 percent are satisfied with the services, which is a significant increase from 2013 (47%).
The awareness about Q-Post online services, among Q-Post services non-users in the country is 43%. While another 21% of non-users of Q-Post services are not aware of online services but are interested in using them.
2.5.1 Q-Post services usage services and others to the individuals, businesses and government organizations. Fifty-one percent of individuals The Qatar Postal Services (referred to as Q-Post), offers an in Qatar indicate that they have not used Q-Post services array of mail, related services, including letter and parcel in the past 12 months. Among the users of the Q-Post mailing, P.O. Box rental, issuing stamps, e-Government services, posting services like Express Mail Services (EMS)
. .
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/ parcel and others (25%) and premium services (19%) are 2.5.2 Satisfaction with the Q-Post services the most frequently availed services. It can also be noted from the survey that the use of other services such as Among the individuals who used the Q-Post services, parcel tracking, renewal of resident permits and checking sixty-five percent are satisfied with the services rendered the items in P.O Box or renewing the P.O. Box online are by the Q-Post and 35% of users are neutral. It is revealed relatively low, at 11%, 10% and 5%, respectively (refer from the study that none of the users have expressed Figure 69). dissatisfaction with Q-Post services.
The satisfaction with Q-Post services has improved significantly in 2018 compared to 2013. That is, the proportion of satisfied users has increased from 47% to 65%. On the other hand, the proportion of dissatisfied users has reduced to zero in 2018 from 10% in 2013 (refer Figure 70).
2.5.3 Awareness of Q-Post online services among non-users of Q-Post services
Among the Q-Post services non-users, the awareness about Q-Post online services in the country is 43%. But, it is to be noted from the survey that, there is lack of awareness and willingness to learn regarding Q-Post’s online services. Of the non-users of the Qatar postal services, fifty-seven percent state that they are not aware of the Q-post online services and 36% report that they are not aware and not interested in using the web- based services.
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3: NEW DIGITAL SERVICES – INTEREST AND USAGE
Moderate interest in adopting new technology-based services is observed among the people of Qatar. Money transfer (26%) and mobile wallet (24%) have relatively higher adoption interest.
Qataris are particularly interested in mobile wallet and home energy management (25%), whilst non-Qataris exhibit similar interest levels across all new services.
There is a healthy interest towards new digital services across all age groups, particularly 55+ years, indicating that there is no longer inertia towards digital services amongst older people.
44% of population are already using cloud-based services; this number increased to 73% when considering only Qatari nationals.
Interest in new technologies is high among the youth (15-24 years).
3.1 Interest in new digital services This demonstrates that there is a considerable interest in new digital services in Qatar. Figure 72 explains the level of interest in new technology-based services in Qatar. The interest is fairly By segregating the interest in new technology-based consistent across all the new technological services. services by nationality, slight variation in the interest can The survey respondents mentioned that, they are more be seen towards new digital services. Qataris have shown likely interested for the service - money transfer via relatively high interest in mobile wallet and home energy mobile and money collection by showing SMS (25%). management services (25% each) and are least interested The services mobile wallet and tracking children in tracking children vaccination through mobile app (14%). vaccination through mobile app scored 24% and 23% On the other hand, non-Qataris have expressed similar respectively, whilst both home energy management and level of interest across all the new digital services (21- medical consultation via the internet have scored 22%. 25%) (refer Figure 73).
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72 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
Figure 74 further explains the likelihood of subscribing 3.2 Use of emerging digital services the new technology-based services by age-group. It can It is more optimistic to observe that in addition to the be understood from the graph that, there is a relatively interest of the people to use new technological services, consistent level of interest towards subscribing the there is already an established market for such services new technology-based services across the age-groups in the country. That is, forty-four percent of the people in (18%-24% among 15 – 24 years; 21%-26% among 25- Qatar are using cloud storage for the personal purposes 34 years; 19%-25% among 35-44 years and 23%-25% (Examples of cloud storage are Dropbox, Google Drive, among 45-54 years). Surprisingly, the oldest age-group One Drive, Apple iCloud, etc.) and around one third (31%) (55 and above years) is found to be more enthusiastic are using mobile app for booking taxis. However, the to subscribe the new digital services across the board proportion of individuals who book hotel through mobile (27%-33%). app or website for an accommodation in a hotel / guest house / private house is considerably low (16%) in Qatar (refer Figure 75).
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Figure 75 also details the usage rates of emerging decreased as the age increased (59% among 15-24 years digital services by nationality. A variation can be to 26% among 55 years and above). observed in the usage of emerging digital services between Qataris and non-Qataris. It can be observed However, for other emerging digital services (mobile-based from the chart that, cloud storage is the most commonly taxi booking and mobile or website -based hotel booking), used emerging digital service; however, the usage rate the usage rate is approximately same across the age is substantially high among Qataris (73%) compared to groups. This behavior could be due to the need to use the their counterpart (39%). Qataris exhibit high usage rates booking services. Taxi booking and hotel booking services for booking hotels using mobile app or website (45%), are the most common requirements, whereas cloud storage and non-Qataris more commonly book taxis through is relatively a discretionary service. It can be perceived that mobile app (33%). adoption of need-based services is same among all age groups, in contrast to discretionary services where high The use of cloud storage service is observed to be age groups are less likely to participate in (refer Figure 76). high among younger age group and it has gradually
74 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
75 QATAR’S ICT LANDSCAPE 2019: HOUSEHOLDS & INDIVIDUALS
4: CONCLUSIONS
The report, Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2019: Households and the rapidly growing demand among consumers in Individuals highlights many encouraging developments Qatar to be able to log on to the internet “anytime and in the country that emphasizes Qatar’s significant anywhere”. progress in ICT adoption and usage. The research In order to continue building an advanced information clearly demonstrates that Qatar has made significant society and a true knowledge-based economy, Qatar advancement in ICT development over the past decade must maintain its focus in building the next-generation and this report demonstrates further progress in the year infrastructure that can bring high-quality, high-speed 2018. That is, in addition to achieving 100% in mobile and affordable broadband to the nation. Qatar has subscription coverage, the fixed and mobile broadband already initiated these steps with the launch of internet services of Qatar have grown well. commercially available 5G infrastructure for general The giant strides made in recent years in the areas such use. The country must also continue to address other as usage of ICT devices and internet penetration indicate barriers such as high ICT costs, as well as cost of that MOTC’s policy initiatives are effective and have internet, equipment to connect to internet and the need created an environment that encourages the adoption for more advanced ICT knowledge and skills across all and usage of various technologies among the citizens demographic groups. and residents of Qatar. The research indicates that the Indeed, increased ICT education and training for all in mobile phone penetration in Qatar is 100%, and adoption Qatar can not only lead to universal penetration but also of smart devices such as smartphones, Smart TVs and drive the adoption of advanced and next-generation wearables is also very high at 99.7%, 56% and 12% internet-based services. Most commonly internet is respectively. At the same time the computer penetration accessed to connect to the social networks and emailing in the State is at 88%, significantly above many other by a significant proportion of the population, which benchmarked countries including Australia, Hong Kong, also uses it for more advanced needs such as online Japan and Singapore. Further the portability feature of shopping and e-Commerce. It is observed that about the devices is impacting the computer adoption with 38% of the population use e-commerce services while laptops’ penetration at 80% and Tablets at 59%. The 31% use online banking. portability factor can further play an important role in defining the penetration of computers over the coming This level of usage is achieved largely due to various years. In addition, 100% of the population has accessed initiatives such as Digital Inclusion Strategy, Digital internet in the last three months, with majority of them literacy, ICT skills development, Qatar’s e-Commerce accessed through fixed broadband internet services. program implemented by MOTC for enhancing the online Population accessing the internet via Mobile broadband security and privacy ecosystem in Qatar. With more than has significantly improve but can further improved given 60% of Qatar’s population feeling secure while browsing
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the internet, it’s a reflection of their confidence in the digital initiatives of the country. This is also reflected in the higher level of confidence expressed by Qatar’s population, with more than 60% feeling secure while browsing the internet (63% for mobile broadband services and 62% for fixed broadband services). This, in turn can encourage innovation and success for both ICT market and the economy, in general.
Moving forward, this households and individuals survey underpins the necessity to focus on the increasing interest in mobile-based services. The “on-the-go” usability of today’s devices allows people to access online services anytime and from any location. Consumers in Qatar increasingly aspire for the ability to log on to the internet “anytime, anywhere” and such requirement can give scope to new technologies providing everywhere connectivity.
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APPENDIX
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The survey is conducted with a focus on collecting data regarding established and emerging ICT indicators among the Households and Individuals and has employed quantitative research method. The samples chosen for the survey is representative of people living in Qatar and is selected to ensure proper representation across the factors like gender, nationality, marital status, professional status, age and municipality. The survey analyzes the data at two levels: household and individual. The study considers the fact that even if digital devices or services available in a household, not necessarily everyone in the household uses them.
Following the international best standards and practices, the study defines the ICT penetration amongst individuals as the percentage of respondents who have used an ICT device or service in the last three or twelve months (depending on the category). For households, it is the percentage of households that own an ICT device or have access to ICT service.
Qatar, like most of the Middle Eastern countries, has attracted a large number of expatriates in recent years; this group includes professional workers along with their families and a large base of transient labor force who stay in the country for short period of time. This means that Qatar’s population fluctuates. The population of the study comprises of Qataris and expatriate residents of Qatar and age 15 and older, who reside in households (shared or otherwise).
Table 3: Research Methodology
Sample/Target Group Total: 2,008 respondents Age 15 years or older Male and Female
Methodology
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A household includes individuals who occupy a housing unit that is intended for year-round and not seasonal or migratory use. The occupants may be a single family or any other group of related or unrelated people, who share the living facility.
A broad-level cross-country comparison is also included in the report to have a macro view of the economy and high- level benchmarking based on various ICT parameters. The comparison is based on secondary research from a range of additional resources, including that of international organizations, such as International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations (UN) and World Economic Forum (WEF) that analyze ICT-related country data. The countries that are selected for this comparison are listed in the table below along with the rationale of selection.
The countries chosen for the overall comparative analysis for Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2019: Households and Individuals are mostly based on the Network Readiness Index (NRI) ranking. The NRI rankings are based on the Global Information Technology Report 2016, published by the World Economic Forum. The selection criteria includes a mix of high-GDP and high-ICT-penetration countries. Thus, a developed market perspective is provided in the report by comparing Qatar with other countries like Sweden, UK and Germany. GCC comparison is made with UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The following countries: Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea provides insights about developed economies yet being small Asian countries. Data from previous years’ surveys and international reports has also been used to execute trend analysis for suitable ICT indicators. Qatar’s ICT Landscape reports 2010, 2013 and 2015 have been used to conduct trend analysis.
Table 4: Countries for benchmarking
Country Networked Readiness Rationale Index Rank (2016)
Australia 18 High ICT penetration Bahrain 28 Regional comparison (GCC) Germany 15 High GDP (EU) Hong Kong 12 High GDP Asian city-state Japan 10 High ICT penetration S. Korea 13 High ICT penetration KSA 33 Regional comparison (GCC) Singapore 1 High GDP Asian city-state Sweden 3 High GDP economy, High NRI rank UAE 26 Regional comparison (GCC) UK 8 High GDP economy, High ICT penetration
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LIST OF DEFINITIONS
Includes analogue modem (dial-up via standard telephone line), ISDN (Integrated Services Fixed (wired) narrowband Digital Network), DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) at advertised download speeds below 256 K network bit/s, and other forms of access with an advertised download speed of less than 256 K bit/s
Refers to technologies at advertised download speeds of at least 256 Kbit/s, such as DSL, Fixed (wired) broadband cable modem, high speed leased lines, fiber-to-the-home/ building, powerline and other fixed network (wired) broadband.
Satellite broadband network Satellite broadband network (via a satellite connection), at advertised download speeds of at least 256 Kbit/s.
Mobile broadband is the term for high-speed wireless Internet access through a portable Mobile Broadband modem, mobile phone, USB wireless modem, tablet or another mobile device.
Mobile Internet refers to the access to the World Wide Web, that is using browser-based Internet services from a handheld mobile device, such as a smartphone, feature phone, or Mobile Internet other mobile device (tablet) connected to a mobile network or another wireless network. Technologies used could be 2G, EDGE, 3G, 4G LTE, etc.
Also known as m-Money, where consumers can use their mobile phones to purchase goods Mobile Wallet and services. Usually, the mobile phones are linked to the consumer’s bank accounts.
Smartphones Apple iOS, BB OS, Android or Windows feature phones enabling the user to connect to the Internet via mobile Internet, and Wi-Fi through OTT applications.
Includes the population of the State of Qatar across all ethnicities, age-groups (over 15 Overall Population years), type of employment and education levels.
Population staying Includes the population in the State of Qatar who are staying in Housing units. in household
Emerging Digital Services include a variety of technologies such as educational technology, Emerging Digital Services information technology, nano technology, robotics and Aritificial Intelligence to name a few.
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Abbreviation Full form
FTTH Fiber-To-The-Home
GCC Gulf Cooperation Council
GDP Gross Domestic Product
ICT Information and Communications Technology
IPTV Internet Protocol Television
IT Information Technology
ITU International Telecommunication Union
MBB Mobile Broadband
PSA Planning and Statistics Authority
MOI Ministry of Interior
MOTC Ministry of Transport and Communications
OTT Over-The-Top application
NRI Network Readiness Index
PC Personal Computer
QAR Qatari Riyal
Report Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2019: Households and Individuals
Survey Households and Individuals Survey, 2018
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motc.gov.qa 82