Technology News 7 February 2025 - 10 February 2025

By the end of 2023, about 1.09 billion Chinese residents were online (roughly 77.5% of the population), with over 99% of users accessing the net via mobile phones. China’s three major Internet Service Providers are China Telecom (state-owned, dominant in southern China), China Unicom (state-owned, dominant in northern regions), and China Mobile (the largest mobile operator, dominant in central and eastern China), effectively regional monopolies that control the backbone and last-mile connectivity. China has rapidly rolled out fiber broadband and 5G, installing millions of 5G base stations to boost speed and capacity, with median mobile download speeds around 117 Mbps

History of Internet Development in Syria Syria was relatively late in opening internet access to the public. An internet connection was established in the country by 1997, but for years Syria was the only connected Middle Eastern country that did not allow general public access Hrw. In the late 1990s, only government institutions and a few individuals (often via proxy connections through Lebanon) could get online Hrw. This cautious rollout reflected official policy: the regime under President Hafez al-Assad took a “go-slow” approach, fearing the free flow of information. All media in Syria were tightly controlled, and officials were wary that the