Laos pushes e-commerce initiative, seeks to reduce Internet costs
The Lao Ministry of Post and Telecommunications has named the development of e-commerce as one of its core strategic goals over the next ten years, Vientiane Times reported.
According to the long-term development plan, which has been posted on the ministry’s website, Laos will complete the construction of essential information and communications technology infrastructure and draw up legal documents to support e-commerce by 2025.
The move follows earlier initiatives supported by the Asian Development Bank to provide an e-commerrce platform to small and medium businesses in Laos.
Once the infrastructure and legislation are in place, the Lao government assumes that local and foreign businesses will have more confidence about trading goods and service via the Internet. They will also have legal protection for all online transactions.
Laos currently has about 2.5 million internet users, out of a population of around seven million.
In addition to the development of e-commerce in Laos, the Lao Ministry of Post and Telecommunications has outlined in its strategic plan that it will attempt to lower the cost of Internet services, whose fees are higher in Laos than those in most ASEAN member nations.
An analysis suggests that landlocked Laos needs to negotiate with neighbouring countries to purchase bandwidth and Internet services from multinational providers to make domestic Internet services cheaper.
The Lao Ministry of Post and Telecommunications has named the development of e-commerce as one of its core strategic goals over the next ten years, Vientiane Times reported. According to the long-term development plan, which has been posted on the ministry's website, Laos will complete the construction of essential information and communications technology infrastructure and draw up legal documents to support e-commerce by 2025. The move follows earlier initiatives supported by the Asian Development Bank to provide an e-commerrce platform to small and medium businesses in Laos. Once the infrastructure and legislation are in place, the Lao government assumes that...
The Lao Ministry of Post and Telecommunications has named the development of e-commerce as one of its core strategic goals over the next ten years, Vientiane Times reported.
According to the long-term development plan, which has been posted on the ministry’s website, Laos will complete the construction of essential information and communications technology infrastructure and draw up legal documents to support e-commerce by 2025.
The move follows earlier initiatives supported by the Asian Development Bank to provide an e-commerrce platform to small and medium businesses in Laos.
Once the infrastructure and legislation are in place, the Lao government assumes that local and foreign businesses will have more confidence about trading goods and service via the Internet. They will also have legal protection for all online transactions.
Laos currently has about 2.5 million internet users, out of a population of around seven million.
In addition to the development of e-commerce in Laos, the Lao Ministry of Post and Telecommunications has outlined in its strategic plan that it will attempt to lower the cost of Internet services, whose fees are higher in Laos than those in most ASEAN member nations.
An analysis suggests that landlocked Laos needs to negotiate with neighbouring countries to purchase bandwidth and Internet services from multinational providers to make domestic Internet services cheaper.
