YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. 66% of Armenia’s settlements have broadband internet, and 96% of the country’s population have internet access, Deputy Minister of High Tech Industry Avet Poghosyan has said.

“The government is focused on the program of ensuring broadband internet access in settlements, and the 2021-2026 government program has a goal to ensure broadband internet access in 80% of the settlements by 2026. The goal of this event is to bring together expects and find solutions,” the deputy minister said at the 2023 European Connectivity Summit - Connecting the Unconnected: Europe & Beyond in Yerevan.

“At this moment, broadband internet connection is ensured in 66% of settlements, at the same time I want to mention that 96% of the population has the opportunity to use broadband internet. We are also talking about the remote, small settlements with small populations where investments aren’t expedient economically. In this case I see the solution through incentivizing operators to provide internet access there or through subsidy. We have a toolkit now, the government is ready to subsidize the communities which will make such a bid. As of this moment none of the communities have done so, which means that the internet availability is in a rather good condition,” Poghosyan said.

Armenia has a leading position globally in terms of internet access, he added. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hakob Arshakyan shared this opinion.

Arshakyan highlighted the role of internet in education, transport and logistic systems.

He said that Armenia attaches great importance to ensuring internet access in communities.