First Internet Café in Iraq to use Inmarsat's Regional BGAN

While telecommunication and Internet services in Iraq are still not available for the community at large, satellite based communication services have found their way in and became the way that Iraqis use to communicate with the rest of the world.

As soon as the war in Iraq came to an end, Iraqis needed to get connected with the rest of the world in order to talk to their relatives. They were looking for any communications tool at a time when all communication facilities were cut down except for some satellite phone providers. With the establishment of the "Al Zakira" café, Iraqis have a reliable communications channel to get in touch with their loved ones at an affordable cost.

The Internet café was the brainchild of Ahmed Gholami and Samer Istifo, two electrical engineers working in computer trade. They established the "Al Zakira" office specialising in computer and network services in 1993. Their third partner in the café is a friend, Shawkat Dawood, a former employee of the Iraqi ministry of industry.

"Our project was not commercial. Our goal was to help Iraqis after what they endured during the tough war," said Istifo. Sharing the same thoughts Gholami said: "In addition to that, we wanted to be the first to provide this service after the war, in particular when the government provider, which provides Internet, email services to the Iraqi subscribers, stopped during the war."

They were able to provide Internet and email services using Inmarsat's latest service - Regional BGAN, which they brought to Iraq from Jordan. It was one of Istifo's relatives living abroad who sent it to him.

Inmarsat launched Regional BGAN in 2002, to serve businesses, banks and media, who travel to areas lacking a reliable terrestrial communication infrastructure. The beauty of the service is its simplicity and that was one of the reasons that pushed Istifo to buy it. Simply connecting a laptop or desktop computer to the notebook sized satellite modem provides Internet access to Iraqi people. Regional BGAN technology enables users to send and receive data at speeds of up to 144 kbit/s via a secure shared channel. Pricing is based on data usage, not on the time the browser spends on the net.

In addition to Inmarsat Regional BGAN technology, Istifo provides phone services via satellite using Inmarsat mini-M for reliable cost effective voice communications.

Now, Istifo and Gholami can't wait to contribute in the Iraq construction operation through their office experience (there are 14 engineers and technicians working in that office) to establish communication and computer networks. They hope to collaborate with the global companies in this field.

It is estimated locally that Iraq needs to invest around US$12 billion in the communication and information technology sector, to establish a new communication centre with adequate networks for all 18 Iraqi cites that suffered from damage and old technologies. They also need to establish new terrestrial networks, high bandwidth networks, high-speed fiber optic cables and other tools to facilitate data transfer. We must not forget the need to establish a mobile phone network, which is expected to be from the modern generation (3G) to bridge the gap between Iraq and the world meanwhile. They could rely on Inmarsat satellite technology for years to come.

Many Iraqis feel they are on the verge of a new phase in the reconstruction of their country, including the rebuilding of the communication sector, which was severely damaged during the war. They expect also a major role for satellite communication technology in the reconstruction process especially when construction companies arrive to start working here, and will need tools to keep them connected with their headquarters in the different countries. In addition to that analysts expect that Iraq will become a centre of attention for international and regional media, which also means the need for satellite communication providers.

The decision of the American civilian administration to hold the custom tariff on goods imported into Iraq until the end of this year will facilitate operations. Also it is expected that the new customs law, which will be implemented at the beginning of next year, will encourage the imports of high tech devices and equipment including communication tools, to support investment in this sector, especially after the declaration of American civilian administration officials, for its intention to privatise many of public institutions. Therefore opportunities will open up for Inmarsat to place their footprint in this promising market.