Input to The Yemen Policy Note no. 4. on Inclusive Services Delivery Yemen Information & Communication Technology (ICT) A Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ACRONYMS iv BACKGROUND 1 INTRODUCTION: SECTOR SITUATION BEFORE CONFLICT 1 CONFLICT RELATED IMPACTS AND CHALLENGES 3 KEY PRINCIPLES OF RE-ENGAGEMENT AND RECONSTRUCTION 5 WAY FORWARD: SHORT TO MEDIUM TERM 7 MOBILE MONEY FOR CASH TRANSFERS AND FINANCIAL INCLUSION 8 HEALTH: TELEMEDICINE AND CROWDSOURCING DATA 9 CITIZEN FEEDBACK AND PARTICIPATION MECHANISMS 10 DONOR COORDINATION 13 ANNEX 1. TELECOM SERVICE RETAIL PRICE ANALYSIS 15 List of Tables Table 1. Mobile Phone Market, March 2016 2 Table 2. Yemeni Retail Price Ranking Among 20 Mena Markets And Comparison With Mena 2 Average (June 2015, Us$/Month Ppp With Vat Included, Oecd Methodology And Baskets) 15 Table 3. Actions For Broadband Infrastructure (3g And Faster Speeds) 4 List of Figures 15 Figure 1 16 Figure 2 i ii Acknowledgements The information and communication technology (ICT) note was prepared by Naomi J. Hale- wood, Senior ICT Policy Specialist and Xavier Stephane Decoster, ICT Policy Specialist from the ICT Sector Unit of the World Bank Group. Inputs, comments and guidance were received from Carlo Maria Rossotto, Lead ICT Policy Specialist, and Tim Kelly, Lead ICT Policy Specialist of the ICT Sector Unit of the World Bank Group. iii Acronyms CDMA Code Division Multiple Access EWS Early Warning System GPS Global Positioning System GSM Global System for Mobile Communication ICT Information and Communication Technologies IVR Integrated Voice Recording MoTIT Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology NDC National Dialogue Conference NREN National Research and Education Network PWP Public Work Project SFD Social Fund for Development SMS Short Message Service UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees USSD Unstructured Supplementary Service Data iv Background technology (ICT) sector can be mobilized more effectively to restore public services in a more inclusive manner immediately 1. This note is a part of a series of pol- after the conflict ends Yemen. icy notes prepared by the World Bank in anticipation of a post-conflict transi- tion in Yemen. These notes aim to iden- tify immediate priorities for stabilization, Introduction: sector situation recovery and restoration of services and before conflict infrastructure in the aftermath of Yemen’s current conflict. A subset within these notes 2. Prior to the conflict, the main fo- specifically focused on ways to restore cus of the ICT sector in Yemen was on service delivery in an inclusive manner meeting the demand for basic voice immediately after conflict. As such, these services without expanding into data notes examined short-to-medium-term in- and Internet services. Basic mobile stitutional challenges facing the restora- phone services were gradually becoming tion and improvement of service across widespread with mobile networks reaching sectors. They focused on the immediate about 90 percent of the population (Figure post-conflict priorities and challenges fac- 1). The number of mobile phone subscrip- ing Energy, Water, Telecommunication, tions had increased five-fold from 3 million Education, Health, and Transport sectors in 2006 to 16 million in 2016, leading to an in restoring services while also contribut- almost 56.9 percent penetration for a pop- ing to higher-level objectives of addressing ulation of about 28 million. Still, the mo- systemic inequities and reinforcing trust bile penetration rate is one of the lowest in in the state. These notes make practical the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) suggestions to the Government of Yemen region, the average for which is over 100 and international development partners to percent. Other neighboring countries have provide immediate post-conflict support to achieved a higher mobile penetration: ensure empowerment, accountability, and Afghanistan (GNI per capita1 US$610; better governance in service delivery. 89%); Oman (US$16,910; 172%); Iraq (US$5,820; 91%); and West Bank and The current paper focuses specifically on Gaza (N/A; 82%). how the information and communication Figure 1. 2G/2.5G Mobile Coverage Maps of MTN and Sabafon, 2016 1 GNI per capita, Atlas Method is from 2015. 1 3. Before the conflict, latent demand uncommon for residential customers to for internet-enabled services was be- lease access to their broadband internet coming increasingly evident with con- connection to others. sumers requesting for faster services Table 1. Mobile Phone Market, March 2016 Market No. of Sub- Spectrum Alloca- Operator Technology Ownership Share scribers tions 2x2 MHZ 900MHZ 83%-owned by South MTN Yemen 31.8% million 5.3 )GSM (2G, 2.5G )(mainband Africa’s MTN Group MHZ 824-834 owned by PTC; 59.37% CDMA2000 1x )(uplink 17.13%1 owned by other Yemen )(2.5G 30.8% million 5.1 MHZ, 869-879 government stakeholders; Mobile CDMA2000 10X2 MHZ (down- 23.5% private and indi- )1xEV-DO (3G )link .vidual ownership Al-Ahmar Group (60%+), 3x2 MHZ in E-900 Bahraini Batelco Sabafon 22.7% 3.8million )GSM (2G, 2.5G MHZ (26.942%), others (includ- 10x2 in 1800 MHZ ing Iran Foreign Invest- .)ment Company Mainly Kuwait and Saudi- Y-Telecom based investment firms 8x2 MHZ in 900 (HiTS Uni- 14.9% million 2.5 )GSM (2G and private investors from )MHZ (mainband )tel Yemen, UAE, Saudi Ara- bia, Syria and Kuwait Source: Public Telecommunication Corporation data from 2013, updates from Telegeography. particularly in urban centers. The de- mand for internet-enabled 3G services 4. There were other significant market was growing as Yemenis started switching structure and regulatory issues hinder- from using basic mobile phones to smart- ing competitive growth of the overall phones and computers (i.e., laptop, tablet, internet, data and broadband markets desktop) that require mobile broadband in Yemen. The weakness of the sector speeds and data capacity. Seeing the la- arose from the lack of separation between tent demand and potential growth in rev- policy, regulatory, and operational roles enue, the private mobile operators in Ye- which resulted in a governance structure men were, for several years, requesting Table 2. Yemeni retail price ranking among 20 MENA the government to upgrade their licenses markets and comparison with MENA average (June so they could provide mobile internet ser- 2015, US$/month PPP with VAT included, OECD meth- odology and baskets) vices. Only the state-owned mobile opera- tor, Yemen Mobile was provided permis- sion to provide 3G services. The others only had licenses to offer 2G or 2.5G ser- vices, with 2.5G allowing for very limited data capacity (Table 1). The result was that only 1.7% of the total population was accessing 3G or mobile internet services. Citizens were also coming up with creative Note: 20 markets are considered in the MENA region ways to access the internet and it was not Source: BTRA-AREGNET, 2015 2 that was not conducive for competitive 7. In December 2015, there were an esti- behavior among the operators. The price mated 16.88 million mobile customers in Ye- of telecommunications services remained men, down 4.2% from 17.62 million a year high in Yemen as it ranked last or second earlier and a recent peak of 18.36 million to last among the 19 MENA countries in at the beginning of 20153. The decline was terms of price of phone calls, SMS, data due to the escalating violence in the region, packages, and fixed broadband internet in particular the start of an airstrike campaign services (see Table 2 and Annex A). in late March 2015, which has reportedly had a devastating impact on the nation’s telecom Conflict related impacts and infrastructure. While the impact of conflict on challenges mobile penetration rates is almost immediate, so is the rebound during times of peace. The 5. As witnessed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Soma- political crisis that started in 2011 crisis saw lia the telecommunications market is one that growth of mobile phone subscribers plummet adjusts to fragility and conflict situations and to 7.9% in 2012 from more than in 20% in each continues to provide communication servic- of the preceding two years. Yet, during the es. There is no reason to assume that Yemen stability from late 2012 to early 2014 growth would be fundamentally different. Although rebounded to 15.3% and 12.3% in 2013 and with some limitations, all four mobile opera- 2014 respectively. While a complete picture tors in Yemen and the state-owned fixed in- of damage to the telecom infrastructure is not frastructure telecommunications operator are available, it is likely that operators are falling continuing to provide services. This is despite behind in repairing their networks as many direct attacks on their infrastructure. The re- companies are said to have withdrawn their silience of the telecommunications sector can staff for the duration of the conflict. be attributed to the fact that it remains prof- itable for both, private and public operators even during conflict, and in certain instances 8. The private operators need two more profitable as demand for communica- things to ensure their operations and tions increases. continued investments in their net- works. First, they should be ensured fair 6. The state-owned Public Telecommunica- access to PTC’s nationwide backbone tion Corporation (PTC) in 2014, had 13,000km infrastructure. The path to liberalization of fiber optic running across the country. This and adherence to the telecommunications backbone infrastructure connects Yemen to principles under the World Trade Organi- the international submarine fiber network at zation requires open and transparent rules the ports of Aden, Al Mukalla and Hodeidah to accessing and interconnection of inter- and up runs up to Sa’ dah at the border with operator networks. As there is no inde- Saudi Arabia. While the extent of the damage pendent regulatory authority, transparent is yet to be determined2, fiber optic networks rules of the game are yet to be developed are usually deployed above ground in Yemen in Yemen. Second, as mentioned above, which makes them visible and vulnerable. the three private operators are in need of Furthermore, there were reports in April 2015 license renewal in order to upgrade their that phone lines in Aden had been severed fol- networks for provision of 3G/4G services. lowing fighting. Further damage is expected to The larger operators have been ready to have occurred, and the full picture is not avail- upgrade their networks since 2012. able at the moment. 2 The telecommunications sector has been included in 9. As the second largest government the Disaster Needs Assessment Phase II of the World revenue source, the health of the tele- Bank. 3 Telegeography 3 communications also impacts govern- ment and the economy. While there is 10. Table 3 below lays out the key deci- significant dominance of the state-owned sions and actions that would help the operators4 in Yemen, private participation telecom sector in Yemen not only re- was introduced in 2000 which has led to cover but to expand access, even with the development of a robust mobile market continued conflict. As aforementioned, (specifically for 2G/2.5G which does not mobile operators tend to be agile and con- allow for Internet access) and a relatively tinue to operate in difficult situations. And stable revenue stream for the government. the expansion of higher capacity mobile Prior to 2015, government revenue from broadband services (i.e. 3G/4G) will be the telecommunications industry was said critical if the Government and Donors are to be second largest after hydrocarbons. to provide assistance and services to the Moreover, telecommunications services citizens using more modern and efficient brought in hard currencies into the econ- technology platforms. In light of this, the omy, previously reported in the order of upgrade of networks by all operators is im- about USD300 million, annually. portant for three reasons. First, operators Table 3. Actions for broadband infrastructure (3G and faster speeds) Action Potential lead Impact Timeframe .1 Allow more operators to invest in and MoTIT/ or other Operators have been seek- Immediate provide 3G/4G services (i.e. license entity with executive ing licenses to be able to .)harmonization power upgrade their networks and are ready to deploy. Impact would lead to increased availability of mobile inter- .net services .2 Spectrum management for mobile MoTIT/ or other Spectrum allocations will Immediate internet entity with executive need to be re-evaluated in power order to maximize network coverage and quality of .mobile internet services .3 National fibre backbone infrastructure Public Works Proj- PTC had about 13,000 km Reconstruction expansion ect/Public Telecom- of fibre running across the phase munications Corpo- country. Damage to these ration assets will need to be exam- .ined .4 Allow deployment of fibre via linear Public Works Proj- About 75% of the cost of Reconstruction infrastructure including electricity ect/Multiple minis- laying fibre is in works and phase grids and roads/highways tries digging the tranches for the ducts. The global trend is for fibre ducts to be built alongside construction of electricity grids, highways among other utility infra- .structure Source: World Bank 4 Public Telecommunications Corporation (PTC) owns need to diversify their offerings to include Yemen Mobile and TeleYemen, the internet service the higher capacity services in order to provider and international gateway operator. 4 increase profits and subsequently to rein- foundation to safeguard its terms. There- vest in their infrastructure and ensure ser- fore, any recovery and reconstruction plan vice quality. Second, it is important to the post-conflict would also have to mandato- citizens as the mobile phone, both basic rily focus on reinforcing state institutions— and smartphones, could be used in a myr- while addressing urgent humanitarian iad of ways to maintain livelihoods, access needs—to prevent the slide back into con- information and public services etc. Third, flict. Experiences from around are replete it is important for the Government as the with instances where the singular focus on telecommunication sector is one segment post-conflict humanitarian relief—without of the economy that can be developed regard for institutional transformations— during conflict. have ended up being costly missed oppor- tunities for breaking the cycle of violence. 11. It would be important to determine the entity that would have the execu- 13. There is thus a clear need for new tive powers to issue licenses to the thinking on Yemen to support more sus- operators. Prior to the conflict and ab- tainable and inclusive ways of service sent a regulatory authority, the Ministry delivery during conflict and immediate of Telecommunications and Information post-conflict periods. In this context, the Technology (MoTIT) had issued licenses key challenge for Yemen’s development as well as managed spectrum for the mo- partners is to devise new and innovative bile broadband services. However, as the ways to support the country, to not only existing circumstances unclear, further ex- recognize the fundamental causes and amination of the legislation in place and in effects of conflict and fragility but also, draft could be made to determine how the importantly, enhance the resilience and licenses could be renewed. coping capabilities of communities and • Draft Telecommunications Act of households. Therefore, these notes on 2008 (with amendments in 2014) inclusive service delivery—including the • Republican Decree on Law #38 current note on ICT—propose a new ap- of 1991 Pertaining to Wired and proach that focuses on attending to urgent Wireless service delivery needs in the most affected • Telecommunications Law of 1991 parts of Yemen while also incrementally (with amendments in 1996) enhancing inclusiveness, resilience and thus, the effectiveness of service delivery institutions. Key principles of re-engage- ment and reconstruction 14. ICT solutions can support efforts to curb conflict and facilitate access to a 12. Yemen is trapped in a vicious ‘cy- range of services. Communications and in- cle of conflict’ with chronically weak ternet service options can be made available state institutions directly contributing today at affordable prices, accessible also for to the current round of violence. This low-income populations. The use of applica- violence, in turn, has further undermined tions for mobile banking, credit and insurance state institutions thereby portending even are having unprecedented impact in terms more violence for the future. The contin- of casting a wide net to provide services to ued weakening of national institutions has the masses and to the traditionally margin- also diminished chances of sustainable alized communities. ICT applications can be peace as any peace-agreement would be designed for the illiterate and for people with undermined without a strong institutional sensory disabilities. Access to the internet can 5 be provided through handheld devices (i.e. can also play an important part in smartphones, tablet computers) and through building trustworthy information public computer labs located in universities networks, while some communi- and schools, health clinics and post offices. ties have begun to organize their These technologies and applications have own using mobile phones and ap- made successful contributions in various frag- plications. ile or conflict country contexts (e.g. Afghani- stan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia). b. Resilience enhancing. The ability to communicate and share information across the 15. ICTs are unlikely to be seen by either country in a uniform and unified governments or international agencies manner helps the government re- as the most important factors in sta- establish its government appara- bilization but they can play a signifi- tus at the national, governorate or cant part in helping to ensure it stays the district and village level. The on track. There is therefore a need to build deliberate use of communication understanding among decision makers of the potential value as well as limitations of ICTs and internet services for institu- at different stages of post-conflict reconstruc- tion building could serve Yemen tion. Broadly speaking, ICTs can contribute to in the short-term as well as in the countries in conflict in four ways: in the longer-term effort of nation building. Furthermore, availabil- a. Conflict reducing. Ob- ity of affordable communication taining reliable information is al- services enables individuals to ways important but critical in times rebuild their livelihoods by solv- of breaking with conflict. Misinfor- ing the information problem about mation, propaganda, and rumor resources and inputs available are the result in the absence of at lower costs, social relation- independent media and reliable ships that have been separated telecommunications (which today by conflict, within families and includes digital media outlets). beyond, relationships between Misinformation, propaganda, and home and diaspora communi- rumor are the opposite of what ties. People with mobile phones is needed when rebuilding trusts in the aftermath of violent conflict and stability. The situation does stress particular value in terms of not change overnight when an personal security- increasing their armistice is signed. Donors and ability to assess and avoid risks international intervention forces associated with travel, and to have learnt, from bitter experi- seek help when needed. A global ence, the importance of commu- survey study conducted by Unit- nicating directly and effectively ed Nations High Commissioner with frightened and uncertain for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2014 populations—providing reliable found that after water and food, information to the community refugees and displaced people through officially sponsored radio asked for somewhere to charge stations, and public information of- their mobile phones. The UNHCR fices. Civil society organizations then released a more in depth global study on the use of mobile 6 phones by refugees and internally as a product produced by private displaced people including in Ye- business). men5. c. Market solutions. ICT ap- Way forward: short to me- plications have a catalytic role to dium term play in transforming other eco- nomic and social sectors. Practi- 16. Key Considerations: Increasingly gov- cally speaking, ICTs can be used ernments and donors are looking to new to correct the asymmetry of infor- technologies to enhance and modernize their mation and communication flows, interventions in fragile and conflict states. As reduce the negative impact of dis- the thinking of how ICTs can benefit Yemen tance and remoteness, and bring progresses, the following key considerations may provide as a useful guideline. transparency to the movement of a. First, the impact ICTs can goods, funds and people as well have as an end to itself includes as their mutual interaction. Mobile fiscal impact as well as impact on devices can increase access to fi- private sector development and nance by women and small busi- the economy itself. nesses through mobile cash pay- ments and transfers. b. Second, the impact ICTs can have as a tool or means to an d. Inclusiveness and equi- end includes impact on a broad ty. ICT solutions can facilitate and range of service delivery, whether accelerate inclusiveness. The test through public or private interven- for inclusive service delivery in tions. Yemen will be to ensure that more of the most vulnerable or disad- c. The development of the vantaged, by geography or by so- ICT sector therefore requires both cial criteria, as well as displaced supply-side and demand-side persons, are reached and being stimulation. serviced, helping to improve liveli- hood conditions. Improved access d. Interventions should follow to ICT services could be achieved the “do no harm” principle. While through individual solutions (per- ICTs can spread access to ben- sonal devices), or through vari- eficial information and services, ous forms of collective solutions it can be used as a vehicle to (banks, communities, compa- spread harmful information. nies) where access is provisioned e. Through pragmatic ap- against a fee (on top of the pure proaches, leapfrogging with tech- user fee). The principle would be nology is a true possibility in Ye- a shared use of ICT capabilities, men as it has been in Afghanistan network effects as individual own- or the Democratic Republic of ership of mobile devices could Congo. be costly for the average citizen or family (similar to models of us- ing solar panel generated energy While the mobile broadband market 17. is not where it needs to be, nor where it 5 http://www.unhcr.org/5770d43c4.pdf could be, Yemen still has a mobile network 7 that can be used within the immediate con- ghanistan, Kenya and now in the Democratic flict situation. It is therefore not premature to Republic of Congo where demobilized ex-com- start thinking about how these communica- batants are paid their salaries via the mobile tion tools and technologies could contribute phone as part of a World Bank program sup- to efforts in Yemen such as for re-establishing porting ex-combatants reintegrate in civilian trust and redefining the social contract, im- life. Mobile money allows for the direct trans- proving access to services through the govern- fer of credit to an individual’s personal mobile ment as well as through enhancing commu- phone at very low transaction costs. The per- nity-driven development mechanisms; and in son then can go to an establishment (i.e. kiosk, improving access to markets and livelihoods. post office, market) that is part of the bank’s The section below introduces four ways in network and where customers can cash-out at which mobile phones and applications could the receiving end or to use the credit there. be used in Yemen today. Other services that can be offered include paying bills, transfer money amongst family or other’s accounts and exchange currencies Mobile money for cash transfers in their bank accounts. Furthermore, mobile and financial inclusion money is particularly intensively used in cur- rencies that are effectively dollarized or where 18. Mobile communication has opened inflation is high, such as in Somalia, Zimbabwe the door to Mobile Money, expanding and South Sudan. the payment system linking people to banking services without having a Mobile banking licenses can be ob- 19. bank account. Mobile money has advanced tained in Yemen since 2014. In 2014, the the agenda for inclusion of the unbanked (cit- Central Bank of Yemen issued a Circular No. izen) starting in 2000 in the Philippines, Af- 11 of 2014 A.C allowing for mobile banking li- censes to be awarded to banks. This is hoped Table 4. Key partnerships using mobile money for cash transfers Location Date Details Mirebalais and Nov-Dec 2010 Mercy Corps transferredUS$40 to 5,000 Haitians displaced by the 2010 Haiti Saut d’Eau, Haiti earthquake using Voil’s T-Cash platform Niamey, Niger Feb-May 2013 Save the Children worked with UNHCR and Airtel to transfer mobile money to approximately 312 refugee households, each of which was provided with a .mobile phone and SIM card Tacloban City, December Following Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, UNDP partnered with the Land Leyte, Philippines 2013-present Bank of the Philippines and Smart Communications to provide mobile money transfers to those helping clear ruble and municipal waste from roads, public buildings, schools and hospitals, through the UNDP cash-for-work scheme. Beneficiaries are provided with a Samsung mobile phone, a SIM with PHP 30 in initial airtime, and a Landmark ATM cash card. The goal of the first phase to reach 5,000 beneficiaries and expand over time to reach a target group of 50,000 people, in areas such as Rxas City, Guiuan in Easter Samar, and Ormoc .City in Leyte throughout 2014 North Cebu and January Mercy Corps, in conjunction with innovation firm IDEO, has provided 20,000 Leyte, Philippines 2014-present people displaced by Typhoon Haiyan with SIM cards and approximately $87 .transferred via BPI Globe BanKO’s mobile money service Gihembe camp, January WFP is working with UNHCR, the Bank of Kigali, Visa, MIDIMAR, I&M Bank, Rwanda 2014-present World Vision, and Airtel to provide 3,500 families with mobile phones and .transfers $10 a month to each of the camp’s 14,600 refugees via m-Visa Source: Disaster Response Mobile Money for the Displaced, Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association (2014) 8 Recommended Action #1 Action: Monitoring of ongoing mobile banking pilots in Yemen and expansion of service scope and scale, including household survey of mobile money usage targeting the poorest and most vulnerable segments of the population. Monitoring of number of users, number of transactions would gage adop- tion and effectiveness. Quality of service indicators such as ease of use and reduced transaction costs .can help gage how services can be tailored more to the beneficiary or customer By whom: Central Bank of Yemen, Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology, Yemen Chapter of Internet Society Potential international support: CGAP, IFC, World Bank Beneficiaries: Social Fund for Development, Yemen Post Authority Impact: Improvement towards a tested, secured technology platform for money transfer to individuals, .households and businesses Timeframe: Action can be immediate. The effort to monitor and improve on the pilots can be made .through with the cooperation of the microfinance banks and mobile operators to be a game changer in terms of advancing Value-added banking services such as access the agenda for financial inclusion in Yemen. to credit and crop insurance for farmers are The country ranked the second worst country services taking meaningful traction in other in the world in financial inclusion as measured countries, in particularly in East Africa. This by the Global Financial Inclusion Index 2014 platform could be further developed to be (Global Findex). It is reported that the first able to provide other forms of services that license was awarded to Al-Kuraimi Microfi- could be important inputs for reconstructing nance Bank which is one of the micro finance or improving livelihoods and impact positively institution that works with the Social Fund for eventual longer term development. Development. This is a significant advance- ment for the banking sector in Yemen which was made during the throes of this conflict. Health: telemedicine and crowd- sourcing data 20. The conflict and remaining regulato- 21. Telemedicine could have significant ry weaknesses hinder the development impact on individual lives in Yemen for some of a mobile banking market. Yemen has time to come. The American Telemedicine As- yet to reap the full benefits of mobile banking. sociation, defines telemedicine as “the deliv- There is a need to learn from the implemen- ery of any healthcare service or transmission tati on of this new mobile money platform. of wellness information using telecommunica- Experience from other countries show adjust- tions technology.” Telemedicine services do ments are normally required for the platform not consist only of video interface between to be scaled-up and to introduce or strengthen the doctor and nurse or patient. Mobile tele- competition. For example, the Circular is not medicine solution kits include attachments to clear on the operational and revenue sharing mobile devices for the healthcare worker to arrangements between the banks and mobile conduct first-line patient exams using for ex- operators. Clarity on this question could help ample a bluetooth-enabled stethoscope, eye further investment. Moreover, the offerings fundus scope or ultrasound probe (Figure 6). today are limited to the movement of money. 9 Telemedicine technology is fast-evolving6 pro- roads (Figure 5). This layering of crowdsourced viding completely new ways to deliver basic data enabled the targeting and delivery of as- health services to people and communities sistance and aid and in some instances led to who do not have access to a fully-equipped the dispatch of health workers to prevent and doctors or health clinics. Data gathered from limit the spread of Ebola in certain areas. the device attachments are then stored in a tablet or laptop computer and uploaded to a central digital repository when taken to an 23. New technologies, including inter- area where internet service is available. Back- net and mobile phone based tools (e.g. end information technology (i.e. data bases, camera, video, sensors), were supple- servers, cloud computing services) at the ma- mented to the traditional approaches jor hospitals and the Ministry of Public Health to infectious disease surveillance, pub- could allow for aggregation and analysis of the lic health data such as environmental, data and linkages to hospitals and university hospital, or census data. The new tech- labs outside of Yemen when necessary. Ex- nologies were used to reduce some of the bi- ternal or remote medical assistance is being ases associated with traditional approaches brought directly to Aleppo in Syria through the to data collection, such as latency, high cost, use of Skype between hospitals in Aleppo and contributor biases, and imprecise resolution. the UK7. Crowdsourcing from mobile phones of indi- viduals or use of tablets with pre-programmed Figure 5. An example of a mobile telemedi- survey software by health enumerators offer cine solution kit a real-time picture of disease by harnessing information as individuals are diagnosed or even before and could help better coordinate and target health awareness and service deliv- ery programs. Citizen feedback and participa- tion mechanisms 24. While the truck with the goods may reach Source: World Bank the target village, there is still a need to veri- fy that the goods have reached the intended 22. The health crisis in Yemen being beneficiary individual or household. There reported include large-scale child mal- is today substantial experience in the use of nutrition rates and cholera outbreaks. mobile phones for beneficiary verification for Although not born out of conflict but out of receipt of goods, services and cash transfers. disaster, the six West African countries hit Mobile phones and their applications can be with the Ebola outbreak had some success in used to verify receipt of water supply by the crowdsourcing data for its health surveillance targeted beneficiary for example. The verifica- programs. The Red Cross set-up a crowdsourc- tion can then trigger timely payment to sup- ing platform that would be used by Doctors plier’s bank account. Furthermore, the same Without Borders, the World Health Organiza- beneficiaries can be asked to complete sur- tion and other humanitarian aid organizations veys provided through the mobile phone at to not only map out the locations of the Ebola the time of verification. This provides a way outbreaks, but also clusters of households and to measure impact of the intervention and nearby roads, including the condition of the potentially gather other household level data. 6 Countries such as the U.S. and Japan are investing The use of tablets for conducting high-fre- 7 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37349239 10 quency household surveys of poverty assess- eration (2G) GSM (Global System for ment have been conducted in South Sudan, Mobile communications) standard, first Somalia and elsewhere. introduced in 1991. GSM offers a number of different services embedded in the standard 25. Many mobile handsets, including in and therefore available on all GSM compat- Yemen are so-called basic or feature ible devices, however basic. These include phones, based on the second-gen- short message service (SMS) text messages of up to 160 characters, and instant messag- Figure 6. Snapshot of website for Ebola multi-agency crowdsourc- ing platform Source: Red Cross Recommended Action #2 Action: Development of ICT and Telemedicine strategy and toolkit for health programs (for addressing malnutrition, maternal health, epidemic outbreaks and basic health services) to be applied in both Gov- .ernment and international agency programs By whom: Ministry of Public Health and/or NGOs Potential international support: Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Corps, WHO, Red Cross .Beneficiaries: Government, international agencies and NGOs with health programs Impact: The Health ICT & Telemedicine Toolkit, which could be published online by the MoPH, could provide guidelines on (a) mobile data collection and storage in a central digital repository; (b) mapping and data analysis software; (c) transportation of medical goods (incl. clearances and documentation); .and (d) provision of telemedicine services Timeframe: Action could be immediate. Based on other country experiences, such a toolkit could be developed with involvement of ongoing government programs and international agencies/NGOs that are .currently operating in Yemen 11 ing using the USSD (Unstructured Supplemen- tary Service Data) protocol. Strictly speaking, 26. The mobile survey tool would be however, these should be considered network designed based on the nature of the services rather than applications (Table 1). In- data being collected and type of device ternet-enabled handsets, or feature phones, available. If data is sought from individu- were introduced with the launching of data als through their own phones, it may be as- services over mobile networks in the early sumed that the survey tool be designed with 2000s. These phones supported transmission the instant messaging USSD service. Skip logic of picture messages and the downloading of or conditional branching can be built into music and often included a built-in camera. the design of the questionnaire in USSD and Smartphones typically feature graphical in- other more sophisticated formats. To reach terfaces and touchscreen capability, built-in the illiterate, integrated voice recording (IVR) Wi-Fi, and GPS (global positioning system) ca- services can be used. UNICEF has used USSD pability. Smartphones with memories and in- surveys not only to gather data but also to ternet access are also able to download appli- register pregnant women to their surveillance cations, or “apps,” pieces of software that sit program in Uganda. USSD surveys are being on the phone’s memory and carry out specific used in African countries to take polls and for functions. market research. For more involved surveys Table 5. Mobile devices and their capabilities Device Capabilities Device Capabilities Basic mo- :Network services, including Smart- :As Featurephone plus bile phone Voice telephony and voice phone Video camera mail Web browser )SMS (short message service )GPS (global positioning system USSD (unstructured supple- 3G+ internet access )mentary service data Mobile operating “platform” (such SMS-based services, such )as iOS, Android, Microsoft as mobile money Ability to download and manage USSD services, such as applications instant messaging VoIP (Voice over Internet Proto- )col )Mobile TV (if available Removing memory card Featureph- :As basic mobile phone plus Tablet :As smartphone plus one Multimedia Messaging Ser- Front and rear-facing video cam- )vice (MMS )eras (for video calls Still picture camera Larger screen and memory ca- MP3 music played pability 2.5G data access Faster processor, enabling video playback Touchscreen with virtual key- board )USB (universal serial port Note: The list of capabili- ties is not exhaustive, and not all devices have all .features Source: Information and Communication for Development: Maximizing Mobile, World Bank. (2012) 12 Recommended Action #3 Action: ICT capacity building for the Central Statistical Office to obtain feedback from citizens (survey/ .)polling capacity By whom: Central Statistical Office Potential international support: UNICEF, World Bank Beneficiaries: Government and international agencies, civil society organizations Impact: ICT could aid in the collection, storage and analysis of data and statistics. Helping to transition .to a digitized repository which is more accessible and accurate .Timeframe: Reconstruction phase where enumerators would be available, sur- citizen feedback dashboards, remote sen- veys can be designed for tablet computers or sor data collection, software for data ana- smartphones. National statistical offices are lytics, etc. starting to use tablet computers to administer census and household surveys. 28. Efficiencies and accountability of aid could be promoted through digital platforms and to coordinate the dispa- Donor coordination rate efforts of the government and inter- national agencies providing relief aid and 27. Donor coordination is often lack- reconstruction support. Such platforms8 ing in non-conflict contexts and yet could be designed around key short-term both the challenges and need for coor- objectives for tackling immediate challenges dination increases in conflict contexts. such as malnutrition among children, short- Donors often pursue overlapping agendas age of medical supplies, access to credit by based on priorities set in donor capitals entrepreneurs and so on. Sharing, visual- rather than by beneficiary communities. ization or mapping of the disparate efforts And at a time when joined-up government could be a useful tool in answering some of is particularly valuable, it is often particular- the questions asked, in particular concern- ly absent. Computers and data communi- ing support provided by international organi- cations, linking government departments, zations, bilateral partners, and international donors -- but also directly the individuals non-governmental organization: of the government and donor agencies (in case there are no physical offices) -- can • Are there duplicate efforts and wast- do a good deal to improve this situation, if ed resources? urgent coordinated action is taken to build • Who is good at what? data-sharing networks early in the recon- • Are the right locations targeted? struction process, though this still needs to • What was the impact of the interven- be accompanied by political will and ad- tion? ministrative competence. An ICT platform could leverage the full range of devices 8 An ICT platform could leverage the full range of de- vices as needed, from internet and mobile communica- as needed, from internet and mobile com- tions, SMS and digital applications and radio and televi- munications, SMS and digital applications sion broadcasting, to more data intensive applications and radio and television broadcasting, to such as citizen feedback dashboards, remote sensor data collection, software for data analytics, among oth- more data intensive applications such as ers. 13 Recommended Action #4 Action: Require all relief and reconstruction efforts to deposit program data in central digital repository By whom: Social Fund for Development, Public Works Project; possibly coordinated by the Central .Statistical Office in conjunction with the Ministries responsible for donor coordination Potential international support: UNDP, World Bank Beneficiaries: Government and international agencies, civil society organizations Impact: A central database/mapping could help better coordinate relief and reconstruction efforts, as .well as support communication to the wider public .Timeframe: A digital platform for program coordination can be set-up remotely and online 29. There have been attempts in and international community to consider a other countries for the ministries of fi- digital presence for aid coordination. The nance or of international cooperation Government of Jordan together with the to host web portals, but none that fully UNDP have a web portal that provides a utilize the existing digital tools for map- comprehensive informational web portal ping, data analysis, logistics planning, for efforts supporting the host communities communication and coordination. The in Jordan. The web portal falls short how- fact that there is no precedence should ever, on building into it interactive tools for not prevent the Government of Yemen planning and coordination. 14 ANNEX Telecom service retail price analysis The most comprehensive retail pricing bench- Table 2. Yemeni retail price ranking among 20 MENA markets and comparison with MENA average (June mark for the MENA region is issued by the 2015, US$/month PPP with VAT included, OECD meth- Telecom Regulatory Authority of the Kingdom odology and baskets) of Bahrain (BTRA), which commissions and coordinates a yearly study on behalf of the Arab Regulators Network (AREGNET) based on the cost of purchasing “baskets” of tele- communications services (Purchasing Power Parity and VAT included). The latest study was published in December 2015 (BTRA- AREGNET, 2015), and benchmarked the re- Note: 20 markets are considered in the MENA region tail prices as of June 2015. This study allows Source: BTRA-AREGNET, 2015 MENA countries to compare the price levels within and between countries. the MENA region. However, when it comes to mobile broadband, the Yemeni market is by For mobile services, Yemeni prices for voice far the most expensive: (i) 30 calls per month calls and SMS services are in the average of and 100Mb of mobile data costs more than the MENA region. A monthly basket of 40 calls $52.4/month, placing Yemen as the 17th most per months and 60 SMS messages will cost expensive place among the 20 MENA coun- an average of $8.4/month, which is slightly tries; (ii) 100 calls per month and 2Gb of mo- lower than the average of $11.4/month for bile costs more than $800/month, data which Figure 1: Average price of a 4Mbps broadband connection (US$, July 2015) Source: Arab Advisors Group, 2015 15 is more than five times more than the MENA tion in July 2015, the AAG study shows that average and placing Yemen as the 18th most the Yemeni broadband price is below the Arab expensive place. region average (unlike the BTRA-AREGNET study, the AAG does not include the Purchas- For fixed-broadband, a connection with a ing Power Parities) and the Yemeni territories download speed of at least 2Mbps is similar rank at the 18th place out of 19 countries. to the MENA average. However, a connection speed of at least 4Mbps is much more expen- sive (see AAG benchmark below). Finally, the The results are no different when the retail Yemeni price of a Leased Line (LL) is in the price of a broadband connection is compared MENA average for a 2Mbps circuit. to the GDP per capita; in that case, the annu- Another retail benchmarking study is provid- al fee for a broadband connection represents ed by the Arab Advisors Group (AAG, 2015). 117% of the annual Yemeni GDP per capita Based on the retail price of a 4Mbps connec- and Yemeni still ranks at the 18th place. Figure 2: Average price of a 4Mbps broadband connection (% of GDP/cap., July 2015) Source: Arab Advisors Group, 2015 16