Country ill-equipped for cloud computing

UNCTAD report points very low upload speed

Lebanon was ranked among the economies that do not yet meet requirements for basic cloud services, according to the Information Economy Report 2013, published this week.

This ranking was mainly influenced by the deficiency in download and upload speeds, among several other indicators.

The report, titled ‘The Cloud Economy and developing Countries,’ was issued by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It marked the first examination by the United Nations into the economic potential of cloud computing for low- and middle-income countries, where rates of adoption are still low.

Lebanon's fixed download speed scored 920 kilobytes per second, which placed it 12th among 15 Arab states. The United Arab Emirates took first place, with 8,002 kbps, and KSA second, with 4,030 kbps.

The fixed upload speed scored 230 kbps, ranking the country 13th compared to the UAE, with 2,952 kbps, and Iraq with 1,464 kbps.

In mobile download, however, Lebanon ranked 6th with 1,300 kbps and 7th in mobile upload.

As for secure Internet servers, a priority indicator for cloud computing, Lebanon ranked 6th, regionally, scoring 51 per million people, compared to 207 in the UAE, and 202 in Kuwait.

The report provided a number of steps to help governments reach the full potential of cloud computing. Among them was the need to address infrastructure challenges, such as providing reliable and affordable broadband. Another significant point is to ensure the availability and training of personnel in the IT field, capable of managing the migration and integration of cloud services, and the re-engineering of business processes.