Digital divide
The Digital Divide concept evidences the limited access to ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) and to Media that the different segments of society can use (http://www.internetworldstats.com/links10.htm)
The Digital Divide in itself it is not necessarily determined by the limited access to Internet.
Because of various internal factors as for example the accident at Kumtor in 2012 and the general world financial crisis, the Kyrgyz country population’s living standards dramatically decreased in the last years especially in the rural areas. Concerning the ICT diffusion, as indicated in the report of the EECA CLUSTER (KYRGYZ REPUBLIC, ICT ENVIRONMENT, INNOVATION POLICIES & INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, EECA CLUSTER, EAST-HORIZON EU FP7 Project – Grant Agreement No 611063), the number of the landline telephones in use for every 100 individuals living in Kyrgyz Republic territory, was 9% by end-2012, having not any significant sign of further growth in the short term. A teledensity greater than 100% means that there are more telephones than people and a teledensity below 10% is typical of the not developed countries. Also from the same report is given that in the beginning of 2013, the mobile penetration in Kyrgyzstan was around 110%, but in our thought it could be also important to understand how many smartphones are diffused and used as a computer against simple mobile phones.
The accessibility of rural areas to the Internet is a test of the digital divide. But nowadays there are different ways to eliminate the digital divide in rural areas. Use of Power lines (PLT and PLC) and satellite communications offer new possibilities of universal access to the Internet, and lack of telephone lines will not limit access. Lower access prices are required to bridge the ICT divide. (http://www.internetworldstats.com/links10.htm)
Kyrgyzstan’s internet usage has undergone a healthy expansion over the last few years, with user penetration reported at about 22% coming into 2013. Actual internet subscriptions remained generally low (around 3% penetration for fixed internet connections), with the local population making extensive use of public internet access, cybercafés, etc (KYRGYZ REPUBLIC, ICT ENVIRONMENT, INNOVATION POLICIES & INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, EECA CLUSTER, EAST-HORIZON EU FP7 Project – Grant Agreement No 611063).
The Law of the Kyrgyz Republic “On high technology park in the Kyrgyz Republic” was approved to attract investment and modern technologies in design of the software demanded on the international markets.
Nevertheless, the sector faces with plenty of problems, in particular: (i) uneven development of the telecommunication infrastructure of the regions and big cities of the republic; (ii) poor condition of telecommunication in rural area (TV and radio broadcasting is absent in 142 settlements; and telecommunication – in 126 settlements); (iii) existing communication network in the rural and remote areas has high production cost and its is unprofitable – it is subsided through revenue re-distribution; (iv) status of TV and radio broadcasting in the rural area does not meet requirements today; (v) equipment of the microwave-link stations is outdated; quality of transmission is unsatisfied; (vi) low level of automation of the postal communication services and poor ICT equipping. Terrestrial digital television and radio broadcasting is being introduced in the Kyrgyz Republic. Plans call for digital coverage of 90 percent of the population of the Kyrgyz Republic by the end of 2014. Work is underway to replace outmoded equipment and build new antenna towers and automatic digital television translators. An “Electronic Government” system is planned for introduction in the Kyrgyz Republic: (i) the introduction of a multiservice information and communications system and an electronic document management system for use in bodies of state; (ii) implementation of the “Internet in Every Aiyl Okmotu” program; (iii) creation of Public Access Centres (TsOD) based on the GP [State Enterprise] “Kyrgyz Pochtasy”. It is planned to extend the postal and financial services to modernize and develop network of the communication units of the State Enterprise “Kyrgyz Pochtasy”. Also, it is planned to install modern technologies in the communication units of the State Enterprise “Kyrgyz Pochtasy” and establish the “Bank Post Office”. (KYRGYZ REPUBLIC, ICT ENVIRONMENT, INNOVATION POLICIES & INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, EECA CLUSTER, EAST-HORIZON EU FP7 Project – Grant Agreement No 611063)
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