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Azerbaijan leads CIS states for internet penetration

21 October 2013 14:08 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan leads CIS states for internet penetration

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan leads the way among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in terms of internet penetration among individual users, the State of Broadband Report 2013 published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) reads.

The study was established in May 2010 as a joint initiative by ITU and UNESCO for contribution to the digital development.

According to the study, Azerbaijan ranks the 66th among 194 countries over the number of individual internet users. Azerbaijan's index of internet penetration is 54.2 percent, while the world average indicator of internet penetration among individual internet users is 35.7 percent.

According to the index, Azerbaijan is ahead of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

In terms of broadband internet penetration among individual users Azerbaijan ranked 25th with a 54.2 percent among developing countries, while the world average is 27.5 percent. Azerbaijan is also first among the CIS countries for this indicator.

The study also shows Azerbaijan, with 46.8 percent, took the 24th place among developing countries over the penetration of the broadband internet among the home users. The world average indicator is 24 percent.

Azerbaijan holds the third place among the CIS countries after Kazakhstan, 52.6 percent, and Belarus 48.3 percent over this indicator.

Moreover, Azerbaijan ranks the 52nd in terms of the fixed broadband internet, with 13.8 percent indicator per 100 residents. The world average in this segment is 9.1 percent.

Azerbaijan is the 50th with 33.3 percent for the degree of penetration of mobile broadband internet. For this indicator, the country is second in the CIS after Russia, which is holds 25th place with 52.9 percent. The world average in this segment is 22.1 percent.

Some 142.6 million manats ($182 million) were invested in Azerbaijan's information and communication technologies and postal communication sectors in nine months of 2013.

During the mentioned period, fiber-optic cables with a total length of 673.3 kilometers were laid. The mobile phone penetration in the country is 110 percent.

This year some 103 million manats ($131.5 million) are planned to be allocated from the Azerbaijani state oil fund SOFAZ for implementation of a project on developing broadband internet in Azerbaijan, Fiber-to-the-Home, which will cover a period up to 2018.

All areas of Azerbaijan are expected to be covered with high-speed internet access by 2017. The ultimate goal of the project is to supply the entire country including its distant rural areas with high-speed internet within the range of 10-100 Mbit/s, as well as bring the number of high-speed internet users to 85 percent, which will allow Azerbaijan to reach the level of developed world countries by 2017.

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