Starting Points
- These observations were made over the course of two weeks as a tourist in Syria.
- None of these observations are absolute. I hope these observations can form a starting point for a conversation that helps us all get a more accurate vision of the status of tech in Syria.
General Observations
Consumer technology in Syria is relatively advanced considering the overall situation, especially relative to other critical infrastructure like water, electricity and roads. Internet speeds were slow, but internet access was generally ubiquitous within Damascus. BeeOrder and YallaGo! were the two most common Syrian-made consumer apps. WhatsApp has come a critical component in Syria’s communication infrastructure.
Consumer Market Places
Mapping services, via Google Maps, are surprisingly complete and this has allowed for online ordering and delivery of goods and services. As mentioned BeeOrder and YallaGo! are the two biggest online market places in Syria.
YallaGo’s main focus is on transportation, basically Uber for Syria. Some competitors are emerging but don’t have YallaGo’s mindshare or reputation.
BeeOrder is focused on ordering and delivering physical goods. Their main competitor seems to be YallaMarket within the YallaGo app.
Almost all transactions are settled through Cash on Delivery (COD). This is due to the lack of any well established online payment options. I know there are a few options like Syriatel Cash, but none have the integration or popularity needed to become universally utilized.
Ubiquitous banking and access to non-cash forms of money is not just a technical issue, but an economic, social and security issue as well. At the same time access to online payment methods is a necessary for online commerce, especially when trading non-tangible goods such as software services, graphic design, e-learning etc. Online payments are also required for most subscription based services.
Considering the large number of unbanked individuals in Syria and the strong reliance on cash for commerce, there could be some lessons to learn from Africa’s experiments with digital forms of money. There might also be a chance to build a Syria-specific online payment system. These considerations need to be balanced against the probability Visa/MasterCard payment processing entering the country and bringing with it prepaid cards to facilitate online transactions even for the unbanked.
WhatsApp as Critical Infrastructure
During my visit I was asked multiple times for a phone number with WhatsApp, including when getting a taxi from the Damascus airport. Almost everyone has a smartphone with WhatsApp installed. WhatsApp calls can be cheaper than regular phone calls when internet service is available. WhatsApp is easy, universally accessible and cheap. This has made WhatsApp the preferred communication method for both personal and professional use cases.
Looking at the EU Digital Sovereignty initiatives and the fact that Syria is rebuilding its digital infrastructure, we should be encouraging the transition to open, free as in freedom, technology that can be hosted and run directly without reliance on infrastructure or services that under the control of a 3rd party nation. This is especially critical when considering government information storage and communication systems.