Information Technology was first introduced to the Syrian public through The Syrian Computer Society. The Syrian Computer Society was founded in 1989 by the Syrian president's son Basel Al-asad. It aimed to introduce the information technology to all the economic sectors in Syria. Also it was founded to deploy the information technology among the public via organizing lectures and conferences, publishing its own magazines and organizing a training sessions.

The Syrian Computer Society in conjunction with the ministry of information and the ministry of higher education began program in broadens the knowledge and usage of the information system and the internet in the Syrian community. This program was called the Syrian National Program to Deploy the Information Technology. It was started by the Syrian current president on July 17, 1997 in seven different cities. This program aimed to organize a training sessions in a different levels for all the people who has interest in information technology for free. It was a seven stages program, each stage last for about three month and they had more than 500,000 attended. ⁴ Another program was aimed toward the universities student and it was started in coordination with the ministry of higher education was called the Academic National Program. This program was started in July of 2000, it is more specialized on a specific sectors.

As of 2003 the Syrian Computer Society has 179 center nation wide. On March 31, 1999 the Syrian Computer Society computer labs nation wide and in conjunction with the Syrian Telecommunication Establishment were providing email services to any desired user. Also in each of the Syrian Computer Society center there is a e-library that provide a collection of software programs and encyclopedias for the members. ⁴

Major IT Projects:

With the aim of enhancing economic development opportunities, attracting further foreign investments and offering a large number of work opportunities, the Syrian government is preparing to construct a number of technological sites in Syria (Special Economic Zones, SEZs). They will be a three SEZs. (this is still only a study) ⁹

1- E-Village: An SEZ campus city offering state-of-the-art services at AI-Tall, 20 kilometres from Damascus. The Syrian ICT market offers a large potential for growth. A report compiled by Booz Allen Hamilton for the project noted that there are some 700 ICT companies in Syria, but most of them are very small equipment shops, and the influential Syrian Computer Society has only 95 members, concentrated in the Damascus area. The study says a handful of companies like Eagle Computers, Arabic Computer Centre, Syrian Data Systems and NSCC show what Syria could do. The e-village to act as a catalyst to allow this nascent industry to emerge, providing knowledge enablers — including a campus with R&D and supercomputer capacity for commercial as well as academic use — to support the creation of educational and business clusters.
E-Village offers:
• High quality office space
• Community & support services
• Legal framework and incentives
• Telecom / IT infrastructure

In year 20 the e-Village will provide direct employment for 15,000 persons in ICT activities and 12,000 persons engaged in education. The cumulative investments would amount to US275 million over 20 years, with ICT office buildings and housing units representing half of the total. The projected cash flows would lead to a project internal rate of return of 20% (payback period of 8 years) and cumulative cash requirements of US6i million over 3 years.

E-Village will consist of four main geographical clusters covering an area of 3.6 km²
• ICT cluster (forecast to generate US34O millions in output after 10 years and US64O million after 20 years)
• Housing Zone
• Community Services and Utilities

2- Technopolis: A major IT-based development near Horns, to be structured as an SEZ offering a one-stop-shop for companies and addresses existing shortfalls in the current Syrian investment environment. According to Minister Risheh, minister of education, "Technopolis will be a highly efficient logistics centre capable of hosting and accompanying any knowledge-based company." Technopolis will be governed by an Authority, which will retain a Master Developer to develop and operate the zone. Mr Risheh is now sounding the market for master developers, several of whom are lined up to visit.
According to the study, "it would provide a world class institutional framework", legal assurances for investors including dispute resolution mechanisms, high-quality infrastructure and technology superstructure to cover the needs of industrial, R&D, IT, logistics and warehousing companies.

The study forecasts that Syria's IT expenditure could reach $2.2 billion by 2023 (equivalent to 6% of GDP), employing 44,000. In this scenario, the Technopolis' Technology Park could generate some $300 million per year of IT output, employing 6,000. Due to budgetary constraints, the government needs full private sector involvement in the development and operation of Technopolis. The cumulative development capital expenditure would amount to US$750 million over 20 years. The projected cash flows would lead to a project internal rate of return of 20% with a payback period of 9 years.

Technopolis offers:
• World class institutional framework
• Legal assurances in terms of ownership rights, investments and profit repatriation
• High quality infrastructure and technology superstructure
• One stop shop administrative services to tenants
• World class dispute resolution mechanisms
• Labour laws consistent with employees and investors' needs
• Attractive incentives

The Zone will have four main activities:
• Industries
• ICT Businesses and Services
• Logistics
• Transit

3- Allepo: The SEZ outside Aleppo is still at the pre-feasibility stage. Minister of education identifies the aim as being "to bring together different types of e-enabled activities". The site chosen is St. Simeon which is already a major tourist spot. The project and the location meet Syria's new understanding of its history and the role it can play in building a new economy. The main aim of this SEZ is to promote creative activities - the reason for its site near Aleppo - for the hub of the global textiles industry.

The Aleppo SEZ will promote:
• Fashion and design industry
• A media city - helping to promote niche markets (such as the historical series that Syria has successfully marketed on Arabic satellite channels)
• IT-equipped archaeology institutes.
• Training and all other aspects of the hospitality business, which Syria urgently needs to develop if it is to meet its tourist potential.
 

Other Government Initiatives:

- In April 1991 the government passed the Investment Law No. 10. This investment law was created out of the desire to direct the surplus of funds towards development and production, and within the framework of making use of all potentials available to private and joint sectors and encouraging them to build up the economic, information technology and development foundation of the country. Based on this law an investors will get a tax breaks for the first ten years plus a lot of the governmental easiness.

- In 2002 a new college was added to all the four universities in Syria, the School of Information Technology.

- On January 19, 2003 the Syrian government and the United Nation initiated a national strategy program (UNDP); they call it the “eStrategy - SYR/02/M02/A/N” program, to use of information technology in the social and economical development. The goal for this program is not only to use the information technology to help the organizations accomplish the missions but also to change the business process that they use in accomplishing these missions. This program is still in the first stage which was defined to explain the headlines of the strategy, and prioritize the sectors that need to have a special strategies. ⁵

- Starting in the Fall semester of 2003, and based on an executive order No 381 dated March 17, 2003, the military training subject in all the middle and high schools years will be replaced with an information technology subject. ⁶

- In 2002, the Syrian Virtual University was opened in Syria. The SVU is first and only accredited full-fledge virtual university in the Middle-East that is leading the online education movement in the region. The SVU provides world-class virtual education for Syrian and Arab students at home, by creating an integrated online educational environement consisting of online degrees offered by selected accredited American, European and International universities, or developed and offered by SVU. ⁷

- The communication industry is completely controlled by the Syrian government in except to two private companies (Investcom and SyriaTel) that provide a cellular phone services, but besides these two companies any service that has to do with the communication is strictly controlled.

- To assist the Syrian government in the modernization and reform of the telecom sector, the EU has launched during 2002 a "Telecommunication Sector Support Program" (TSSP). its overall objective is to support the policies of economic transition, reform of the public sector and development of the private secot, in particular concerning the telecom infrastructure and modern information services^.8