Brussels is a very nice place especially la Grand Place!

Challenges

In order to realize the ambition shown by National Policy Statement of the postal and ICT sector which is to Benin's "digital neighborhood of Africa by 2025"; the Beninese authorities at various levels must meet several challenges: 
-Accelerate the gradual opening of the fixed telephony to competition
-Ensure universal telephone service
-Ensure the free flow of emergency calls
-Provide free services
-Establish tariff obligations under government control
-Establish quality criteria
-Ensure better interconnection of different networks.

Uses of ICT services in Benin

In recent years, changes in household equipment goods and services of telecommunications and ICT has been strongly marked by the arrival of the mobile phone.
Nationally, household equipment phone is only 4.6%. The household equipment, however, is closely linked to place of residence: 15.5% of households living in large cities (Cotonou, Porto Novo and Parakou) have a fixed telephone line against only 0.6% in rural areas . The equipment rate of households in secondary cities (Abomey Calavi, Ouidah, Lokossa, etc..) Is also higher than the national average.
The household computer equipment in Benin is very low. According to results of the survey conducted in 2008 by the CEFRED and the network RIA, only 1.93% of households in Benin have a home computer (desktop or laptop) running. This is quite disturbing in a country that wants to become the "digital neighborhood of Africa" ​​by the year 2025.The low household access to phone, added to the low level of household computer equipment is certainly a raison of the low rate of access to the Internet.
Access home household to the Internet is very marginal. Less than 1% of households have Internet access at home.

 Figure: Households with an Internet connection
The situation in Benin is one of the worst in Africa for connectivity of households. Côte d'Ivoire has a percentage, eight times more households connected to the Internet than Benin; about 0.48% of households with Internet connections against only 0.06% of households in Benin. Moreover, almost all of those with an Internet connection at home are found in large urban centers.

Network coverage of the operator MTN in Benin

URL:http://www.mtn.bj/images/couverture.jpg

Communication costs in Benin

The costs vary according to the communication services (telephone, mobile phone, Internet, etc.).
Pricing in the fixed network is in increments of one minute. It is 20 francs CFA per minute (0,03 Euros/minute) locally and 60 francs CFA per minute (0,09 Euros/minute) intercity. For many public services such as telecommunications, the demand structure is such that there are times of high demand (peak hours) and times of low demand (low hours). In order to move a little peak-demand to off-peak differentiated tariffs are applied for the provision of services. In the case of telecommunications, it is known that the volume of phone calls the day is greater than the volume of calls at night. The opening hours of administration and commerce are those of peaks and the night is supposed to include off-peak hours. The practice of discriminatory prices can move a part of the volume of telephone calls of the day, by households, to night, in order to benefit from tariff reductions. This practice also reduces network congestion often observed during peak hours and disrupting business operations and administration.
 Despite the relatively large number of operators, their prices are very competitive and prices seem to be very close to each other with very small differences. The pricing options are only intended to attract customers to the network or for special types of communication (communication on the same network, communication to the international). The five operators offer virtually the same rates as they do not have the same market share (source: GSM Operators, December 2008).
The analysis of the perception of households shows that they are not satisfied with the call rates despite recent price declines. Indeed, the vast majority of households believe that the cost of calls on mobile phones are high and too high (41.9% and 29.4%) (source : Enquête RIA et CEFRED, 2008).

Benin and cybercrime

Cybercrime is the set of criminal offenses committed by using electronic communication networks and information systems or against these networks and systems*. These are all forms of criminal behavior from a computer within a LAN or a business, as well as a larger network like the Internet. There are several forms of cybercrime:
- Cyberconflit
- Cyberpedopornography
- Steganography
- Social Engineering
- Attacks against various systems and bank fraud
- Spamming
- Cyberterrorism .
In Benin, cybercrime is characterized by:
- Consignments of spam on the transfer of money,
invitations to conferences, trade performances
- Identity and IP address theft ,
- Proposals for the sale or purchase of raw materials,
- Promises of fictitious marriages for pornography.
Despite its ravages and the negative image it gives of Benin on the outside, cybercrime is not yet integrated into the legislation of Benin. It is urgent to fill this legal vacuum that benefits cybercriminals.
 *European Commission Communication No. 267 of 22 May 2007:"Towards a general policy in the fight against cyber crime".