Businesses asked to complete ICT strategy

The Ministry of Information and Communications has asked businesses to give priority to Viet Nam’s ICT development plan to 2010 with a vision to 2020, called “Planning on Development of Information and Communication Technology”, during the 2011-15 period.

Under the draft, five businesses, including the Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications (VNPT), the military-run telecom group Viettel, the Viet Nam Multimedia Corporation (VTC), the FPT Trading Group and CMC Corporation, would increase investments for ICT development, expand their shares of the world market and improve their research capacity.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has said the success of the strategy depends on the State’s management together with co-operation between the Government and businesses. He said Viettel had provided free internet access to the country’s education and training institutions to demonstrate public-private partnership (PPP).

He added that the country had been praised for its IT developments in the education and training sector thanks to this programme, while Viettel, in turn, had strengthened its brand.

Nguyen Trung Chinh, general director of CMC Group, said the company was also seeking to implement internet and email services under the PPP form.

“We would ensure that the service would be launched in about 2,000 locations in the country within 12 months of receiving permission and another 5,000 in the next two years,” Chinh said.

He said businesses needed support to become more competitive.

“ICT enterprises need capital and should take part in key national projects as well as research new ICT products,” Chinh said, adding that capital support should be tax exempt.

A VNPT representative, sharing the ideas, said the firm planned to invest VND63 trillion (US$3.1 billion) to implement 12 projects under the strategy, but needed capital from the State budget.

Nguyen Truong Tung, principal of FPT University, said the school would train at least 20 per cent of the country’s high quality human resources to fulfil the development plan. He also suggested that preferential policies be applied to organisations that want to join the ICT initiative. — VNS

Tags: ICT strategy