ICT Developments in Lao PDR

Mr. Snith XAPHAKDY

Director Telecom Division

Ministry of Communication, Transport, Post and Construction.

Lao P.D.R

Telecommunication Infrastructure

Previously only 1 % of Laotian households having a telephone,Now it is 1.35% or 80,000 of fixed line service

Telecommunication Infrastructure

In rural areas, penetration 58 districts from a total of 142 districts. As of September 2001, there were 29,545 mobile subscribers and mobile density was 0.25%, As of December 2003 there are135,800 subscribers or 2.5% density

Telecommunication Infrastructure

Fiber Optic backbone cablingtechnology involved is STM-16 (SDH technology with speed 2.5 Gbps

The Internet

barriers facing the Internet users price and quality of access. 6 Internet service providers ADSL service has just started in the Vientiane capital and is still costly. Most still use modem dialup and lease line with 64K bandwidth

The Internet

barriers facing the Internet users price and quality of access. 6 Internet service providers ADSL service has just started in the Vientiane capital and is still costly. Most still use modem dialup and lease line with 64K bandwidth

Promotion and Industry

software development are there driven by small group of people mini-software park with high-tech infrastructure was proposed by the ICT policy drafting improve telecom infrastructure hardware industry

E-Government IT projects regarding the government 1. Intranet for the government2. Computerization of Tax and Customs Department3. Legal/Law information system4. Information management system for the

government public administration reform program.

Banking

Universal banking service initiative . At the moment there are just 2 ATMs in Laos with limited Point of sale (POS)

ICT Policy Development

1. Infrastructure and Industry2. ICT Application3. Standardization4. Human Resources Development5. Legal Framework

WTO and GlobalizationRegulatory Framework

So far, there was a lack of legal regulations governing electronic signatures, validity of electronic documents, or definitions of computer crimes.

WTO and GlobalizationRegulatory Framework

lacking in funding, the government was dependent on bilateral and multilateral assistance grantsmust be banking and legal reforms, together with capacity building and government promotion to ensure the success of e- business in Lao PDR.

Content

Major government website includes: www.moc.gov.la (Ministry of Commerce)www.mic.gov.la (Ministry of Information and Culture)www.stea.gov.la (Science Technology and Environment Agency)www.laoembassy.org (Lao Embassy to USA)www.bankoflao.com (Central Bank)www.invest.laopdr.org (Foreign Investment Committee)

Public Private Partnerships

With wireless technology available (802.11a,b,g), growth in this area is increasing rapidly, especially, hotels, guesthouses and other tourist destinations

Public Private Partnerships

The government will always lead the initiative promoting e-Government for the various ministriesICT human resource the partnership between the Public and Private sectors are crucial if not decisive