The Government of Azerbaijan plans to invest $3,5 billion in ICT projects

The Government of Azerbaijan plans to invest in the coming decade in projects in the field of information and communication technologies $3.5 billion, Minister of Communications and Information Technologies of Azerbaijan Ali Abbasov said in a speech at a meeting of Connect Arab Summit 2012, held in Doha (Qatar) on March 5-7.

"Even more investment is expected from the private sector, for expansion of whose role advanced material, financial and investment environment is currently being established in the ICT," the minister said. The minister noted that changes continue in the Arab world, in particular there has been some progress in socio-economic development, affecting the Gulf countries. In the countries of North Africa and the countries outside the Gulf there are important unresolved social and economic problems.

Azerbaijan largely faces similar problems. Today, between the two developed continents there is a digital gap, which falls, mainly to Asia and the Pacific, where there are large voids not only in ICT but also in education, science, economy and social spheres.

This problem has frequently been a matter of debate and research of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Regional Commonwealth of Communications, Governments, as well as experts. "To solve this problem all the suggestions and recommendations come to the high prices and poor integration, poor digital services, including e-education, e-health, e-commerce, the absence of appropriate conditions for investment and effective competition of environment, poor quality of education due to lack of specialized personnel," said the Minister.

He said in Azerbaijan and in many countries intensive work to eliminate the latter problem is underway. Azerbaijan has implemented state program on development of broadband Internet services, building of "electronic government", the creation of digital television infrastructure, the development of space technology, etc.

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