Half Russian Post offices to get internet access by 2010
Half of all post offices in Russia will offer customers access to the Internet as early as 2010. Within the framework of the Federal program “Electronic Russia” the number of such post offices will increase from 7% of their total number to 50%, or 19.2 thousand, according to Oleg Byakhov.
The head of the department in charge of coordinating the communication ministries program was speaking at the opening of the conference “Electronic Russia to the individual, business, and society.”
According to Oleg Byakhov, less than one percent of the population now uses the Internet services in the Russian Far East. The mobile telephone and paging services are use by 1.5% of the residents, mainly in the southern cities and settlements. The federal program is designed to develop the information and communications spheres in Russia within the next seven years and provide free access to the information resources for the population and authorities.
Byakhov said the task until the end of 2003 is to specify the objectives, determine the clear cut time frame for the implementation of mini projects and to persuade the government to finance the Electronic Russia program in full measure.
“Regrettably, 60% of the resources earmarked by the state to develop and introduce into practice information and communication technologies is spent to buy “hardware,” Byakhov said. The Electronic Russia program must change the situation.
