At ArabNet, one of the most common questions we get asked by users is about access to the Internet in the countries we cover. It is always difficult to answer, because the Arab world is a mixture of fully industrialised, developing and third-world nations, with a consequent unpredictability when it comes to levels of technology.

While some of the regions have a variety of access providers, there are others where Internet access is a new technology with only the PTT acting as the access provider. Furthermore, in some areas you'll find no locally organised Internet access at all, and the best route we can suggest is to use the roaming facilities of one of the large, international providers such as CompuServe, who often provide access over an X.25 network - you can find details at GO PHONES on CompuServe.

Visitors to the countries included in ArabNet are reminded that many of these countries are just discovering the Internet, and are still in the process of working out how best to marry the values and cultures of the Muslim world to the free-for-all nature of the Internet. This means that in some cases, an Arab country's Internet connection will be through a proxy server and, even if there is Internet connectivity to the country, it might not be possible to get access within the country, even as a visitor.

If you're taking a portable computer and communications equipment to a country you should also make sure that the customers regulations for the country allow you to import and then re-export your computer. ArabNet's Magic Carpet section has links to pages that will help you here; however, be prepared and carry copies of documentation relating to your computer. Copies of invoices and letters from your sponsor (in Arabic of course) will aid your smooth passage through customs.

Don't forget that many of the countries' telephone systems are still analogue, and some of the cabling is antiquated. You'll need to make sure you've the right sort of adapters with you, and that your modem works. Practical advice is not to rely on the latest 56K or faster modem, but to use an old 9,600 modem, as often people have reported modem handshaking failing when the modems try to connect at higher speeds - the normal 'step-down' speeds may not kick in if the underlying phone switching systems do not support the modem to a sufficient level.

Another point to watch is that some countries are now wise to the fact you can store lots of information on a CD-ROM, and will take them off you for viewing - just like magazines and videos - when you enter the country. So don't bank on having your software configurations on discs.

Finally we know this list of ISPs is not exhaustive, and so if you find details of an access provider that's not listed or can provide background information on a country's Internet connectivity, then please let us know using the form at the end of each country-page.

In the listings, we've tried to provide as much contact information as possible. However, we can't determine all the relevant information in some cases. Where the ISP is also the telephone company (PTT), then we've indicated this in brackets after the provider's name.