Nghe An: More than 78,000 poor and near-poor households have been installed with digital satellite TV receivers.

On the morning of July 23, the Ministry of Information and Communications held a "Conference to review the program of providing public telecommunications services until 2020". Attending at the Hanoi bridge was Mr. Pham Anh Tuan - Deputy Minister of Information and Communications. At the Nghe An bridge, there were representatives of the Department of Information and Communications and related units.

On July 24, 2015, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 1168/QD-TTg approving the Service Provision Program.public utility telecommunicationsby 2020.

The objective of the Program is to invest in developing broadband telecommunications infrastructure nationwide, with priority given to remote, isolated, disadvantaged, border and island areas; Prioritize support for the use of public telecommunications services and digital television receivers by poor households, near-poor households and some social policy beneficiaries according to State regulations; Ensure communications for search and rescue, direction and operation of natural disaster prevention and control...

Delegates at Nghe An bridge point. Photo: Quang An

After 5 years of implementation, the program has achieved many encouraging results such as: Supporting the development of public broadband Internet service access points has contributed to the popularization of new services for people in areas with difficult socio-economic conditions, creating conditions and premises for accessing and using online public services and e-commerce in the future.

The program has supported the use of broadband Internet services for nearly 18,000 schools and hospitals, contributing to increasing the universalization of Internet services for students in educational institutions across the country; Supporting fishermen to use information, communication, and search and rescue services at sea has contributed to the development of the marine economy and fishermen's attachment to the sea, thereby contributing to preserving sovereignty over seas and islands, ensuring security and national defense; By the end of 2020, there will be no more communes with no telecommunications services, but only villages, hamlets, and islands without services...

InNghe AnDuring the 5 years of implementing the program, the Department of Information and Communications has coordinated with the Management Board of the Public Telecommunications Service Program and the contractor to conduct acceptance testing of data on the installation of digital satellite television (DTH) receivers for 78,564 poor and near-poor households (reaching 99.9%); Installed DVB-T2 receivers in the province for 7,907 poor and near-poor households (reaching 96.5%).

The Department has confirmed telephone and broadband internet subscriptions for the right units and businesses with full information. In addition, the Department of Information and Communications has also confirmed that the Central Coastal Radio Station supports fishing boat subscriptions: 250 subscribers in 2016, 109 subscribers in 2017, 26 subscribers in 2018, and 20 subscribers in 2019.

Provinces and cities participating in the online conference. Photo: Quang An

At the conference, representatives of provinces, cities and enterprises presented papers, focusing on issues such as: Recommending the Government to ministries, departments and branches to continue implementing the program of providing public telecommunications services in the long term; Focusing on improving telecommunications infrastructure for localities with special difficulties; In the process of installing equipment, there are still many shortcomings such as terrain conditions, specific weather...; Strengthening the application of information technology in management, operation and implementation of programs in the provinces...

Concluding the conference, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Anh Tuan affirmed that the Program for providing public telecommunications services until 2020 has made positive contributions to the country's socio-economic development; ensuring communications for mountainous, border, island areas, areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions, gradually reducing the gap in telecommunications service enjoyment between regions...

The positive contributions of the Program and telecommunications enterprises have been affirmed and will continue to be promoted; at the same time, from the experience of implementing the Program in the past, it is necessary to overcome the shortcomings and limitations so that the development of policies for providing public telecommunications services and their implementation in the next phase can be highly effective.