Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan's State Statistics Committee reported that information and communications services worth 116.3 million manats ($148.3 million) were rendered to organizations and Azerbaijani population in January 2013. It exceeds the figure for the same period of 2012 by 13.6 percent.

72.1 percent of the total volume of information and communications services fell to the services provided to the population.

59.1 percent of the total amount of revenues fell to mobile services, which is 4.8 percent less compared to the same period of 2012.

The total amount of revenues received from mobile services in the country amounted to 68.7 million manats ($87.6 million) in January 2012.

Azerbaijan is trying to attain developed countries' level in the ICT sector and secure the leading positions in the region.

2013 was declared the year of information and communication technologies in Azerbaijan in accordance with a presidential decree.

Some 325.3 million manats ($414 million) were invested in the ICT sector in 2012, which accounted for two percent of the total investment in the country's economy.

Moreover, some 103 million manats (about $131 million) were allocated for the implementation of a broadband Internet development project in Azerbaijan in 2013.

This means further spread of broadband Internet in the country, including remote Azerbaijani regions, as well as increase of Internet users to 85 percent. Thus, Azerbaijan is expected to reach the level of developed countries on this indicator by 2017.

Also, Azerbaijan has maintained its leading position among the CIS countries in terms of broadband Internet penetration over the past three years with the internet penetration rate increasing from 65 to 70 percent in 2012.