"$1.5 billion invested in Azerbaijani ICT sector"

Roughly $1.5 billion has been invested in the ICT sector in Azerbaijan over the past six years, Azerbaijani Deputy Communications and IT Minister Elmir Velizade said at the Azerbaijan Investors Summit-2011 today.

"The ICT sector has increased five times over recent years, and the average annual rate of the growth of the sector has amounted to 30-35%. Despite the global financial crisis in 2009, the dynamics of development have been preserved and hit 13.7%.

In 2010, growth amounted to 32.1%. The private sector's share increased from 70.7% to 80.3% through the establishment of an acceptable competitive environment," Velizade said.

Positive results have been achieved in recent years to develop Azerbaijan's ICT infrastructure, he said. Azerbaijan is the number-one country in the CIS in terms of the full installation of telephones. The entire telephone infrastructure was transferred to the electronic form in 2010.

Today, mobile penetration in the country has reached 100%. In 2009, 3G standard was implemented in the mobile communications network.

The Financial Services Development Project had been successfully completed in the field of postal communications with financial support from the World Bank. Today, Azerpocht provides financial services to the public.

The Internet penetration level in the country has reached 50%, of which 15% are users of broadband Internet.

Velizade said computer equipment produced in Azerbaijan is exported to regional countries. Work is at the final stage to computerize schools, 30% of whom are connected to high-speed Internet.


/Trend/