Azerbaijan to invest $0.5 bln in broadband internet
By Nigar Orujova
The Azerbaijani government intends to invest about $0.5 billion in the development of broadband infrastructure that will significantly increase the number of Internet users.
Azerbaijani Minister of Communications and High Technologies Ali Abbasov announced the investment plan at the sixth World Telecommunication Development Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), held in Dubai, UAE, from March 30 to April 10.
This event, which is organized every 4 years by the ITU, is dedicated to the development of broadband Internet and telecommunication services. The event is attended by ministers and delegates from 36 ITU member countries.
The conference was mostly focused on the priorities in the development of the ICT sector, as well as the coordination of programs, projects, and initiatives for implementing them.
"Azerbaijan supports intensifying and broadening international cooperation in the development of broadband communication," Abbasov said. "The broadband Internet development project implemented in Azerbaijan contributes to expanding the number of household connections first. Our priority is to connect the country's educational institutions to broadband Internet."
Azerbaijan currently leads the way among the Commonwealth of Independent States in terms of internet penetration among individual users and broadband internet penetration among individual users.
About 40 internet providers are functioning in the country at present, some 70 percent of the population uses the Internet, and 35 percent of them use broadband Internet services.
The conference was preceded by the participants' strategic dialogue on broadband communication for sustainable development, and particular attention was paid to the strategies and policies aimed at developing broadband communication worldwide.
Speaking at the event, International Telecommunication Union Secretary General Hamadoun Toure said broadband communication is developing rapidly and most of its growth will fall to the developing countries.
"Consumers currently use nearly 1.5 billion smartphones and their number will double in the next few years," Toure said.
The ITU published a report called "Electric Communication Reform Tendencies" on March 31. The report is dedicated to the principles of regulation of the fourth generation, ensuring the perspective development of digital communications.
The report said the previous regulatory categories do not cover all types of activities conducted in the industry.
The regulatory principles of the fourth generation include evolutionary, rather than radical, changes. The policies and regulatory issues are being examined. They are in the foreground in connection with the ICT's rapid transformation into an ecosystem of broadband communication with developing applications and services.
Access to online services is essential for job hunting, receiving salary, bill and tax payment, voting, and education and business management, the document shows.
Internet can act as a unique tool for economic development, and can ensure getting an income worth more than $14.4 trillion for the next 10 years, the estimations show.