Overview Information and Communication Technology Sector in Mongolia
Introduction
Information technology is the fastest growing sector in Mongolia. In 2006, the Government launched a program intended to provide a computer for every household in the country. Part of this program involved eliminating the import tax on computers so that families could afford to buy high-quality hardware at a reasonable price.
As of May 2016, there are 695 special requirements conducted, 1,962,149 internet users across the country. The installation of the fibre-optic cable network started in 20028 with 17,000 km of high-speed fibre and transmission facilities covering 279 soums (districts) and 21 aimags (provinces) already deployed. As a result of these efforts, 90 percent of soums now have access to broadband internet. In the 2016 the ICT sector has employed 11,322 staffs.
The government recognizes the important role of the private sector and expresses their support in the following interventions: use ICT for increasing the competitiveness of national industry and services, support start-up businesses in ICT, activate domestic ICT market by promoting and intensifying ICT consumption by the government.
References: Communications Regulatory Commission of Mongolia http://www.crc.gov.mn/ Information, Technology Post and Telecommunications Authority http://www.ict.mn Mongolian Information Development Association (MIDAS) The National Information Technology Park (NITP) http://itpark.mn/
Thriving Telecoms and IT Sector
With the fast growth of ICT`s total revenue each year, new interest from foreign investors will develop higher-speed network and build competitive network to global markets. Since it was liberalized in the early 1990’s, Mongolia’s telecommunication sector has grown rapidly.
The sector has the potential to attract a considerable amount of FDI, to facilitate new activity, faster and better services. With the high mobile penetration rate, subscriber growth is widely expected to slow or plateau in the coming years.
The government has taken on a key role in this area, introducing a number of large-scale, long-term development plans aimed at ensuring steady improvements in both the reach and the quality of national telecoms networks. The government is fully behind the blossoming IT industry. In 2018, it launched the Hub Innovation Center, the nation’s first facility that directly supports startups.
Interesting fact in Mongolia: | 2.6 million Internet users |
2.5 million Facebook users |