Myanmar is finalizing an upgraded draft of an ICT (information and communication technology) master plan for implementation to speed up the ICT development in every business sector in the country, a local weekly reported Monday.

The one-year draft upgradation project, undertaken by the Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF) involving Myanmar and South Korean experts, has been submitted to the e-National Task Force (NTF) for verification, the Myanmar Times quoted the MCF as saying.

The master plan is aimed mainly at developing ICT infrastructure, drafting ICT related laws and regulations, implementing ICT in the education sector, achieving the comprehensive use of ICT in the public and private sectors and liberalizing ICT services and investment.

The ICT development master plan was first drafted in 2000 by the MCF under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) program, aimed at narrowing the development gap among the regional members.Detailed programs to link international networks are to be carried out under plan.

Besides, work is well underway to systematically implement the tasks under e-ASEAN Framework Agreement (AFA) which calls for development of information infrastructure, emergence of e-commerce and e-government systems, lifting of restriction on ICT commodities, services and investment and increasing of them, and building of ICT capacity to create an e-society after reducing the digital divide among regional members.

Due to the move, Myanmar has been on a par with other regional members in terms of work progress, having launched e-visa, e-passport, e-government portal and e-procurement and contributing much to the effective management of government bodies.

Being a signatory to the e-AFA initiated at 2000 Singapore summit, Myanmar has formed the e-NTF to support the IT development.

Moreover, the country has also signed a series of memorandums of understanding in 2003 with companies from Malaysia, Thailand and an ASIAN organization on ICT development.

Source: Xinhua