Among the infrastructure priorities of the Syrian government, telecommunications rank as a second priority after the electrical power generation and transmission sector. The Syrian Telecommunications Establishment (STE), which manages, controls, and regulates the country's telecommunications, has forecast expenditures over US$ 1 billion over 2000 - 2001 for new equipment and services and has secured the financing required to implement several major projects in the three years before. The sector will therefore provide significant opportunities for foreign and international suppliers. The major player in this field is the Syrian Telecommunication Establishment STE, which is assiduously courted by some of the world's leading telecommunications companies. Meanwhile, a greater role is emerging for the Syrian private sector, which is now authorised to import Electronic Private Branch Exchanges (EPBX) of up to 50 lines as well as telecommunications equipment for all government ministries and state-owned firms, including facsimile machines, telephone sets, cell phones and particular types of cabling wires. The role of the private sector will continue to grow, especially in areas outside basic services such as subscriber telephone lines.²⁶

The Syrian government usually get the financing for the telecommunication projects from the European Union, Japan or one of the Gulf States. For example, In 1991, a contract for the installation of one million lines was awarded to Siemens of Germany. the Arab Fund for Economic Development, Based in Kuwait, financed the project with a soft long-term loan, which was considered at that time the first reward for Syria's stance during the Gulf war. Another example would be the contract that has been awarded to Sweden's Ericsson in 1998 to supply two local telephone exchanges and associated transmission lines. This contract was financed largely by loans totaling $153 million from the Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.²⁶