ICT exhibitions mark Myanmar rapid development in advanced technology

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/16/content_10512270.htm

By Feng Yingqiu

YANGON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- A current five-day information and communication technology (ICT) week exhibition in Myanmar's northern city of Pyin Oo Lwin has unprecedented drawn a large number of visitors since its inauguration on last Friday.

In the 7th ICT week exhibition 2008 being held at the Yadanabon Teleport from Dec. 12 to 16, modern technology and IT products of IT companies from Yangon and Mandalay are introduced.

Attached with related seminars and workshops, the scale of the exhibition is so grand that it could prove the rapid development of the country in the advanced technology, experts said.

In March and October this year, two other ICT exhibitions respectively took place in Yangon which were co-sponsored by the Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF), Myanmar Computer Professionals Association and the Myanmar Computer Entrepreneurs Association.

In these exhibitions, nearly 100 companies showcased accessories of computers, new technology for networking, software solutions, computer courses and books.



Myanmar has been striving for the development of ICT. In December last year, Myanmar's first largest ICT park, also known as the Yadanabon Cyber City, was introduced in Pyin Oo Lwin. The launching of the cyber city was for the first time attached with such ICT week exhibition activities joined by over 100 local and foreign ICT companies.

As part of the project in the development of the cyber city, Myanmar authorities have allotted 372 acres (150 hectares) of land in the soft-base factory area of the Yadanabon cyber city for 35 more local and foreign IT companies to develop their business undertakings.

To encourage and help employees settle in the cyber city, Myanmar is also implementing new private housing projects there, offering land lease grant for 30 years for the establishment which is not allowed for re-sale or transferred within 10 years.

Under the projects, school, market, fire station, police station, clinic, sports ground and park are to be built.

Private entrepreneurs, who win the land lease grant, are set to start construction within three months and complete in a year after being allotted with the land plot, according to the city development committee which also prescribed that the allotted land plot will be confiscated in case the construction work could not start in a duration period of up to a year.

The cyber city, which covers an overall area of 10,000 acres (4,050 hectares), located in the hilly Pyin Oo Lwin near a highway, 67 km east of the second largest city of Mandalay in the north, and 20 percent of the cyber city area produce software and hardware.

The internet of the cyber city not only links with the whole country but also connect neighboring China, Thailand and India.

Meanwhile, Myanmar is also striving to introduce a wireless internet system of WiFi by early next year. Arranged by the local IT company of Exotic Wing, the system will be in service starting with the coverage of 16 main townships in the former capital city of Yangon, the company sources said.

By then, laptops with the WiFi system can enter the world from any corner of the city, experts said.

Besides, Myanmar has also planned full coverage of public access centers (PAC) in every township in the country by next March to facilitate communication links.

There are so far 240 PAC in Myanmar, according to the Myanmar Info-Tech.

The telecommunications authorities also revealed that the number of Internet users in Myanmar has also reached nearly 300,000, up from merely dozens in four years ago.

Myanmar has been implementing an ICT development master plan under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and detailed programs to link international networks are also being carried out in accordance with the master plan drafted by the Myanmar Computer Federation.

Being a signatory to the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement initiated at 2000 Singapore summit, Myanmar has formed the e-National Task Force to support the IT development.

Besides, the country has also signed a series of memorandums of understanding since 2003 with such companies as from Malaysia, Thailand, China and South Korea on ICT development.

On the occasion, Myanmar official media called on youths in the country, who take interest in IT, to apply advanced IT technology extensively in their striving for the national economic development.


Editor: Bi Mingxin