#ictqatar

Photo for illustrative purposes only. With reporting from Chantelle D’mello and Heba Fahmy Shopping online and receiving packages from Qatar merchants at home is expected to become easier once a new strategy aimed at increasing e-commerce in the nation takes effect. The policy, announced today, involves permitting private courier companies to compete against state-owned Qatar Post to deliver…

IctQatar calls for more local telecom service providers

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

A recent report has said Qatar’s government wants more competition in the country’s telecommunications sector in the coming years.

In its wide-ranging 2013-14 annual report, released last week, Qatar’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ictQatar) said “introducing new service providers into the market at the infrastructure or service…

Survey: WhatsApp tops the list of Qatar's favorite social media http://dohane.ws/1BsoAhb

WhatsApp

WhatsApp has become the social media of choice in Qatar, overtaking Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as the favored means of getting news and sharing photos, according the results of a new poll.

Qatari nationals in particular have embraced the technology and are using it for more than just sending simple messages to friends, with 98 percent of those polled confirming they were aware of…

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Large swathes of non-personal government data are expected to soon be released to the public in Qatar, following the recent adoption of a new open data policy.

Under the policy, government ministries and other bodies would be required to gather raw data that is not confidential or subject to privacy or security considerations and post it online in an…

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Poor network coverage on mobile phones is among the most common complaints that residents in Qatar have when it comes to telecom services, according to the nation’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA).

Established earlier this year by Emiri Decree, the CRA is an independent regulatory arm of the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ictQ…

New code cracks down on "misleading and unfair" telecoms adverts http://dohane.ws/1vnwjsy

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In response to customer complaints, Qatar is rolling out a new advertising code that makes it harder for telecommunications providers to use “misleading and unfair” marketing methods.

The Advertising Code has been issued by the recently-established Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA).

The CRA is an independent regulatory arm of the Ministry of…

Ooredoo, Vodafone cut local calling rates to 10 Dhs/min until October http://dohane.ws/1o25Nxt

Qatar’s two telecom providers, Ooredoo and Vodafone, have simultaneously announced a new promotion for customers, lowering the cost of phone calls to 10Dhs/min until around Eid Al Adha.

Ooredoo’s discount applies until Oct. 12, to landline and mobile phone users who call other Ooredoo users.

Vodafone’s discount ends on Oct. 11, but its customers can call people using either provider.…

Qatar residents advised to protect themselves from phone scams http://dohane.ws/1uJrasW

As the number of complaints from Qatar residents about phone scams increases, the nation’s telecom providers and ministry is advising mobile users to take extra precautions to protect themselves.

This week, an Al Raya article discussed the increasingly common “one-ring scam,” in which mobile users receive a missed call from an unknown international number.

Those who call the unknown number…