SYRIA

According to وزارة الاتصالات والتقانة إحداث مديرية تنظيم الاتصالات والبر (at the Syrian Telecom Establishment website, all in Arabic), a "Directorate of Post and Communications" was created in the Ministry of Communications to manage the radio spectrum, Internet domain names, phone numbers, etc. It started functioning in February 2006. It may be taking over frequency management functions of the STE's Radioelectric Coordination Department.
Profile of the Information Society in the Syrian Arab Republic by Rakan Razzouk, Nibal Idlebi and Imad Sabouni, UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, 2003: "The Syrian Telecommunication Establishment (STE) is the only telecommunication operator, with 'full authority to monopolize wired and wireless telecommunications all through Syria..."
"The Syrian Internet market currently has two main service providers: The Syrian Telecommunication Establishment (STE) and the Syrian Computer Society (SCS- Net). The SCS net started actual operation and service provision in August 2000 to segments that were not served by STE at that time. In April 2005, it obtained an ISP license and currently provides Internet services to the public and is no longer restricted to certain segments of the market. However, it still does not use the infrastructure of the PDN project. The Internet market became a bit more competitive in 2005, as Best Italia Holding obtained a license and started providing satellite Internet services in January 2005. Another two providers have obtained licenses to provide Satellite Internet services... STE owns the Internet and datacomm backbone and the international backbone. The STE is expected to remain the monopoly operator for datacomm services through 2010..." --"Syria's Internet market: Brighter times ahead," press release from the Arab Advisors Group, 10 July 2005.
From Syria's answers to an ITU questionnaire on national frequency management (2002): "What legal or regulatory texts govern your national spectrum management processes? Law No. 451 dated 1957 Are any actions planned to change these legal texts or regulations? YES ...Has there been any spectrum redeployment in your country or has a need for spectrum redeployment been identified? NO..."

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