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Internet And E-Commerce Industry In Armenia

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  • Internet And E-Commerce Industry In Armenia

    INTERNET AND E-COMMERCE INDUSTRY IN ARMENIA

    Ecommerce Journal
    http://www.ecommerce-journal.com/articles/29078_internet-and-e-commerce-industry-armenia
    July 28 2010

    Today, the country we pay attention to is a landlocked mountainous
    country in the Caucasus, Armenia. Armenia, that represents a former
    republic of the Soviet Union, is bordered by Turkey to the west,
    Georgia to the north, the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh
    Republic and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani
    exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. Interestingly, the country
    represents an unitary, multiparty, democratic nation-state with an
    ancient and historic cultural heritage.

    Armenia is a current member of more than 40 international
    organizations, including the United Nations, the Council of Europe,
    the Asian Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Independent States,
    the World Trade Organization, the Organization of the Black Sea
    Economic Cooperation, and La Francophonie. The country is also a
    member of the CSTO military alliance, and also participates in NATO's
    Partnership for Peace programme. Armenia is also an observer member
    of the Eurasian Economic Community and the Non-Aligned Movement.

    Being the country with an emerging democracy, Armenia is classified
    as a country with medium human development, where almost 11% of the
    population lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day.

    As for the Armenian telecom market, it's still small, but developing
    at present. Thus the volume of Internet subscribers, for instance,
    has only reached 17%, reflecting a relatively low level of broadband
    penetration in comparison with many other countries of Asia and Europe.

    Actually, the telecommunications sector in Armenia has experienced
    sharp swings in development over the last two decades. The telecom
    sector slipped into decline following the collapse of the former
    Soviet Union in the 1990s, with the fixed-line teledensity falling
    dramatically, that also reflected the prevailing socio-economic
    instability within the country and the region. However, the most
    significant factor of slump in development was that the country
    initially failed to embrace any vigorous reform in the telecom sector.

    Thus far, despite steadily improving economic conditions as the
    country underwent economic reform, the telecoms sector was slow
    to respond. Besides, with the most damaging effects of the global
    financial crisis also hurting Armenia in 2009, demand for telecom
    services in Armenia slumped.

    2010 year looks promising for the deployment of telecommunication
    services, including Internet. Thus far improved national economy is
    expected to see a modest recovery in the telco market as the whole.

    Major structural issues have been addressed in the Armenian telecom
    sector.

    The major national Internet services provider is ArmenTel, that was
    granted exclusive rights to the provision of all telecommunications
    services in Armenia until 2013.

    The other popular operator, launched its network in mid-2005 after
    being awarded a license from the government is K-Telecom, that's
    delivering its services under the brand name VivaCell-MTC.

    Armentel is only fiber optic connection to the Internet enters Armenia
    through Georgia (via Marneuli) that then connects to the rest of the
    Internet via an undersea fiber-optic cable in the Black Sea. Armenia
    is also connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable
    system via Georgia, which runs along the railroad from Poti to Tbilisi
    to the Armenian border near Marneuli. At Poti, the TAE cable connects
    to the undersea Georgia-Russia system KAFOS which then connects to the
    Black Sea Fiber Optic Cable System. The BSFOCS is co-owned by Armentel.

    The most popular way of Internet connection in Armenia is dial-up due
    to very high prices of other types of internet access. The average
    cost of an hour dial-up internet access is about 48 cents, plus 20
    cents for using phone line.

    ADSL represents the other way of Internet connection in the country,
    offered mostly by offered by Beeline, Cornet, Arminco.

    As for WiMAX connection, Cornet launched a nationwide network
    in the capital, Yerevan, and 18 biggest cities of Armenia, using
    802.16e protocol in the 3.6-3.8 GHz frequency diapason, delivering
    27 Mbit/sec speed.

    In turn, Icon Communications in a move to design, deploy and maintain
    a commercial WiMAX 802.16e-2005 (Rev-e) network in Armenia has chosen
    Alcatel-Lucent.

    The other Internet services providers, operating successfully on the
    Armenian telecom market are:

    â~@¢ ADC (Armenian Datacom Company) â~@¢ Arminco - offers a wide
    range of Internet services â~@¢ Beeline â~@¢ CrossNet â~@¢ Dolphin
    â~@¢ FastClick â~@¢ Hi-TECH Gateway â~@¢ Netsys - delivers dial-up,
    DSL and cable links â~@¢ Orange â~@¢ Ucom â~@¢ Web.am - is the largest
    ISP in Armenia that represents Broadband Wireless Internet Service
    Provider. Mainly provides radio-modem connection to the Internet â~@¢
    Parev.net - represents not only Armenian internet service provider,
    but also Armenian portal.

    â~@¢ Xter.net - is a fast-growing ISP offering a wide spectrum of
    quality Internet services in Armenia, including dial-up and leased-line
    Internet access, web hosting.

    â~@¢ G-Net Armenia â~@¢ Intertel - delivers cable Internet, DSL and
    wireless connection, Dial-UP, web hosting and other Internet solutions.

    â~@¢ Infocom - connects governmental organizations and banking
    networks in Yerevan â~@¢ SIUNY.AM â~@¢ AMS - offers internet and
    network services to Telecom and Internet service providers

    Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Armenia is .am,
    administered by AMNIC. The registry for .am is operated by ISOC-AM
    (Internet Society of Armenia), the local chapter of the Internet
    Society.

    Registrations under the .am domain are permitted directly at second
    level.

    .am domain name often suffers from domain hacks due to it being
    a mnemonic for AM radio (like other similar ccTLD: .fm, .tv, .cd,
    .dj and .mu). The domain-hacked name i.am has also been used for a
    popular hosting service, although it (and similar "two-letter word"
    hacks) is now owned by a third-party registration business.

    Importantly, apart from ISOC-AM, supporting the development of Internet
    related services in the country; one more organization also actively
    prompts ICT progress in the country - Armenian Freenet.

    Freenet.am provides free Internet services to individuals, as well
    as non-profit, education and research organizations, State and other
    institutions in a move to promote the development of the information
    technologies and national information infrastructure in Armenia,
    delivering free e-mail service, free webhosting service and free
    dial-up access service. The organization, currently supervised by
    ISOC-AM, was created in the framework of United Nations Development
    Programme (UNDP) Armenia Internet Project in 1997.

    So, let's now turn to e-commerce sector of the country. It's important
    to note at first, there is a great potential for development of
    e-commerce in the country, though there is still a lack for the
    necessary incentives.

    Nevertheless, progress forges ahead. And Armenia has been at the
    crossroads of becoming an electronic nation of the 21st century,
    developing its ICT sector as a principal segment of the overall
    national economy.

    The main obstacle, hampering the deployment of e-commerce in the
    country is the problem of cash and non-cash payments, as with cash
    commerce the income can be hidden and tax payments avoided.

    Meantime, Armenian government is actively realizing a strategy to build
    a national secure high-speed backbone communications network that will
    support an evolving and diverse range of e-Government and e-commerce
    applications. These are supposed to be supported by a nationwide
    secure system for all types of transactions, including financial.

    Besides, the Government of Armenia and its Ministry of Economy have
    been proactively working out and promoting initial projects supporting
    e-Government implementation. E-Government represents a complex project
    that will be a strong integrating force for the transformation of
    the Armenian Government from the 20th to 21st Century.

    As for the e-payment systems used widely in the country, two of them
    were launched several years ago, both oriented to Armenian Dram.

    One of them - DramCash is based on PayCash, admittedly the most safe
    and reliable payment technology. DramCash represents a protected
    network of client software known as internet wallet. The user can
    download an internet wallet on his PC or flash card free of charge
    from the operator site. The whole registration takes no more than five
    minutes. PayCash is also applied by YandexMoney (Russia), Cyphermint
    (USA), IntenetMoney (Ukraine). DramCash will let Armenia-based users
    do shopping in internet stores, to pay for mobile phone, internet,
    cable TV services in drams. The company also provides for bill
    payment schemes. Since 2003 DramCash has attained a universal format
    of cooperation with the multi-currency Yandex- Money portals this
    allowing Armenian buyers to pay for Russian goods and services in
    e-drams. e-dram has been made "convertible" into any other currency
    of PayCash. The discussions over technical aspect of e-dram conversion
    into Web-Money, Egold, EPort are currently going out.

    Thus far, the other e-payment system available is EDram. This quite
    different system represents a unique complex of the best features of
    its Western and Russian analogues. EDram money is absolutely virtual
    and noncash. The customer buys a prepaid EDram card certifying
    his right to do shopping on the internet for a definite sum. These
    cards can be used for paying one's bills, such as gas, water and
    electricity. Soon it will be possible to use them in restaurants,
    CD shops and other public facilities.

    At a first view, Armenia seems to be underdeveloped in terms of ICT
    and e-commerce progress. However, more thorough examination shows
    the country, to have a great potential in this sphere that is being
    developed and supported strongly by the government. Moreover, Armenia
    strives to become an electronic nation of the 21st century.




    From: A. Papazian
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