Mobile users would gain full access to mGovernment services by 2010 once citizens fully understand and use these services, Osama Ghoul, managing partner of Devoteam Middle East and a foremost ICT expert, forecast. mGovernment services offer mobile phone users access to online government services and information, providing quicker and easier access. “By 2010, the Middle East can expect eGovernment services going mobile and providing citizens of the region with immediate access to a range of services such as trade and industrial support, national healthcare, visa and immigration applications and local government community support,” said Ghoul. “It's quite likely that citizens could use their mobile phones to pay for traffic and parking charges without the need for a computer, saving time and effort for communities and businesses at large.” Devoteam Middle East, which has extensive experience in eGovernment consulting including work for the governments of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, reviewed the pillars of establishing a successful e-Government program at a Conference held recently in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “As eGovernment is improving services for citizens, businesses and even other government departments, it's important to look at how these services can and already are evolving towards mobile use as mobile phone penetration vastly outstrips computer penetration in the Middle East. It's rare to see someone without a mobile phone but less common to see someone carrying a laptop.” “However, there are important milestones that must be achieved beforehand to see these services ready by then. The most important is public education, acceptance and identification with eGovernment services and how these can improve peoples' daily lives; whether it's payment for national utilities, renewing access to healthcare services or applying for a new passport. As public demand for these services grows, improving access to meet this demand by widening access through mobile networks is the next logical step.” Devoteam Middle East is the regional arm of IT consulting group Devoteam. Combining consulting and technical solutions offers enables Devoteam to provide its customers with independent advice and effective solutions to align the technical infrastructure of their information system to their industrial objectives. In 2007 Devoteam achieved a turnover of EUR400 million and an operating margin of 8.3 percent. Currently, the Group has 4,500 employees in nearly twenty countries located in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Devoteam Middle East has presence in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. __
