Broadband access is an essential driver for the development of the Ukrainian economy and society, the head of the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) told the “Digital Transformation 2019” Forum in Kyiv on 26 November.

The forum was organised by Huawei Ukraine in partnership with the BRDO to discuss international informatization trends, innovations and the topical question of how to transform Ukraine with the help of digital technologies.

The BRDO is funded by the European Union within the framework of the FORBIZ project and the EU4Business Initiative, with the aim of simplifying the process of doing business and providing effective state regulation in key sectors of the economy.

In his speech to the forumm BRDO Head Oleksii Dorohan emphasised the importance of broadband access (BBA) to the Internet as a driver for the development of the Ukrainian economy and society.

He said one of the goals of the newly created Ministry of Digital Transformation was to provide BBA throughout Ukraine in the next three years. According to the BRDO Head, the implementation of such an ambitious plan requires:

• updating the legislative framework for electronic communications
• creating an up-to-date interactive map of BBA coverage throughout Ukraine, including remote rural areas
• developing a State Policy Concept for this area and approving an appropriate Action Plan with specific steps, indicators and timelines based on this concept.

The BRDO Office’s achievements for digital transformation of the country include:

• Comprehensive research on the BBA market
• Simplified access to infrastructure for telecom operators
• Assistance with the implementation of a project for school Internet access
• Improved procedure to use the 900 MHz band
• Draft law “On Development of Infrastructure for Digital Transformation of Economy and Society” No. 2320, the adoption and implementation of which will allow to achieve the goal of providing BBA to the Internet for 100% of the country’s territory.

Broadband development is one of the key priorities of the European Union’s EU4Digital Initiative, and is one of the five pillars of the EU4Digital Telecom network (EaPeReg). In addition, the EU4Digital broadband project implemented by the World Bank, the EU supports the roll-out of broadband strategies in all 6 EaP countries.

Accelerating broadband deployment in the EaP region is of vital importance, not just in terms of its potential to boost GDP growth (estimated at between €2.9 billion and €4.3 billion for the EaP region, for fixed broadband alone), but also for providing the essential connectivity for the deployment of eServices for businesses and citizens.

Source