AMMAN — The government is in the process of assessing offers it received for implementing part of the National Broadband Network project in the southern governorates, where public facilities are to be provided with high-speed Internet under the scheme.
The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MoICT) received nine offers to implement the project in Karak, Tafileh and Maan governorates, and is expected to announce the winning bidders soon, MoICT Secretary General Nader Thneibat told The Jordan Times on Sunday.
A specialised committee will assess financial and technical offers presented by bidders and announce results upon the completion of assessment, Thneibat said.
The government earlier announced that it allocated about JD90 million for the completion of the National Broadband Network from the Gulf Cooperation Council grant.
In 2011, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait pledged $5 billion in assistance to Jordan over the course of five years.
Work on the network, which started in 2003 and of which 35 per cent has been completed so far at a total cost of $36 million, was halted several times over the past few years due to lack of financial resources.
In a report released last week on broadband networks in the Middle East and North Africa, the World Bank said a potential partial or complete handover of the project to the private sector is expected to eliminate operational costs and free up public sector funds, especially since costs related to operation, maintenance and expansion of the network are proving to be too high for the government.
Work on the National Broadband Network will resume after the government allocates the necessary finances to complete the project, according to Thneibat.
