Kuwait is working on "identifying the requirements" for its proposed cyber laws, which would then be passed on to the legislature for approval, said a senior official responsible for IT policy.
"Once the proposals are placed before parliament, identification of specific dates to pass legislation on cyber laws will rest with the legislative body," said Fahad Jafar, director-general of the ministry of interior's information and computer systems department, quoted by the Gulf News on Saturday.
"The ministry is now working on identifying the requirements which will form the basis for the laws."
Other Gulf states are also in various stages of developing cyber laws, said the paper.
Kuwait, meanwhile, is expected to start awarding major contracts to develop its IT and allied systems in the third quarter.
Investment in these projects - which cover e-governance, telecommunications, Internet software, smart cards and mobile telephones - is budgeted at $45-$50 million.
The official said that the value of the contracts available to the winning companies would be in the $30 million range.
Four to six major contracts will be awarded on the projects, expected to be completed in 16 months, Jafar told the paper.
"We have seen active private sector participation in IT development. For instance, the sector is trying hard to get into our outsourcing projects, especially at the front end." – Albawaba.com
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