Azerbaijan to be fully covered by internet by late 2024 - deputy minister

By Trend

The entire territory of Azerbaijan will be internet-covered until the end of 2024, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rovshan Rustamov said on Dec. 8, speaking at the 5th International Banking Forum in Baku, Trend reports.

“Our ministry has created the necessary internet infrastructure to ensure sustainable non-cash payments. Our population (85 percent) has Internet access and we are notably ahead of some other countries for these indicators,” Rustamov noted. “We have launched mega-projects to provide the entire country with internet by late 2024, not only cities, but also regions. About 700 settlements that don’t have access to internet will be covered. We approach this project as a strategy.”

The deputy minister pointed out that digital transformation requires global and large-scale changes, and such an order has already been given and a concept has been developed.

Speaking about smart cities and villages, he noted that the concept of these projects has already been developed. It includes 5G Internet, non-cash payments and a number of other innovative solutions.

"Besides, we support the sector of start-up projects and a project for the development of this (start-up) sector is being prepared. The start-up projects have a great impact on the development of financial technologies," Rustamov said.

Work is underway in Azerbaijan to create an infrastructure capable of processing big data, prevent global cyber threats, and programs are being implemented to inform the population about new trends, he added.