NAY PYI TAW, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar extensively needs broadband infrastructure and development of information and communication technology (ICT) to facilitate delivering a digital society for economic growth and industrial transformation, an official said Friday.
U Kyaw Myo, deputy minister of transport and communications, made the remarks here at the first Myanmar Broadband Forum.
The forum, themed "Better Connected Myanmar," was hosted by the transport and communications ministry and co-organized by China-based Huawei.
The forum served as a platform for government agencies, local operators and service providers, and international stakeholders to shape a shared agenda of accelerated broadband growth in the country.
Broadband network development in Myanmar is facing a variety of challenges and requiring collaboration across industries and sectors.
The main challenges are reducing the infrastructure deficit for sustainable improvements in quality of broadband service and transformation of government to be a Digital and Smart Government by improved e-governance.
At present, the country's fixed broadband penetration rate is less than 1 percent. The government has targeted to achieve the Internet coverage for 85 percent of population.
