Over 1,5 million internet users listed in Armenia

As of October 1, 2010, over 1,5 million internet users were listed in Armenia, according to member of Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) Samvel Arabajyan.

Over 160 thousand broadband internet users were reported as of October 1 against 125 thousand in January 1. Twofold decrease of dial-up internet users was observed over the first half-year of 2010, their current number comprising 21 thousand. In January-September 2010, 7833 Mbps bandwidth was reported in Armenia providing twofold traffic increase.

PanARMENIAN.Net - However, executive director of the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE) Karen Vardanyan disagrees with the data provide by the PSRC. “The credibility of statistics depends on calculation methods used. The 1,5 million figure can be correct, if the number of mobile internet users was also taken into account,” he said.

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Kornet-AM, Komstar-OTS subsidiary launched the pilot operation of WiMAXwireless network in Armenian town of Tsaghkadzor. OmniMAX wireless solution by Intracom Telecom Greek provider of telecommunications products was used in the project, enabling coverage and expansion throughout the territory of the town. Kornet-AM’s WiMAX wireless network is available in 19 major cities of Armenia, as well as villages located in the radius of 20 km from the cities with WiMAX coverage.

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Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of Armenia is not yet ready to provide frequencies for LTE networks construction. Despite the interest, shown by the three mobile operators in Armenia, certain issues prevent the PSRC from satisfying technical needs required. The Commission voiced its intension to initiate search of optimal frequencies in cooperation with LTE producers, and based on International Telecommunications Union recommendations. For the first time in CIS, LTE network was put into operation in Tashkent in the end of July 2010. A test launch of LTE mobile network technology in Ukraine and Armenia was scheduled by yearend.

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ArmenTel CJSC announced coverage expansion, as well as network capacity increase for Hi Line ADSL technology-based internet service. As of the end of October 2010, the service will be available in 38 cities of Armenia, including Agarak, Aparan, Artik, Baghramyan, Vardenis, Martuni, Metsamor and Nor Hatchn.

ArmenTel CEO Igor Klimkosaid that the operator’s 3G network covers a territory with population of over 1,900,000 people. According to him, the company has been continuously implementing works aimed at increasing the capacity and expanding the geography of 3G network coverage in Armenia. 3G network has been launched by ArmenTel in Jermuk and Tsaghkadzor; tens of 3G new stations have been put into operation in Abovian, Vanadzor, Gyumri and Etchmiadzin. In August 2010 the company tripled the network capacity in Yerevan. ArmenTel is the first operator, which has introduced 3G technology on Armenia’s territory.

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The number of VivaCell-MTS subscribers made 2,190,000 people as of September 30, 2010. 5.5% growth was recorded in subscribers’ base of VivaCell-MTS as compared with the same period of last year. Besides, the consolidated number of MTS company’s subscribers has exceeded 100 million users, making 100.56 million users.

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Director of Enterprise Incubator Foundation Bagrat Yengibaryan said that penetration of computer equipment to Armenia is not above 20%, according to preliminary data of a research by the foundation. “This index is planned to be brought to minimum 50%,” he said. “Computers for All program will kick off in November 2010 throughout Armenia. 40 shops of computer equipment have been chosen to participate in the program. Presentations will be organized for users,” he said. The World Bank has expressed willingness to finance the program at the amount of $3mln, if the organization approves the project. Computers for Teachers, Computers for School Students will be launched soon as well. “The government tries to facilitate participation of private companies in the field rather than to entirely fill the gap”

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Yerevan hosted DigiTec Expo 2010, the 6th IT and telecommunications annual exhibit. “The Armenian government facilitates development of information technology, which can help improve economic indices,” Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said in his opening remarks. “This exhibition allows to discuss achievements and drawbacks.” According to D-Link CIS Office director Vladimir Liping, Armenian information technology market will develop significantly in the coming years. “We are willing to make investments and accelerate developments of the field through assistance to the Union of Information Technology Enterprises and the Armenian government,” he said.

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President and chief operating officer at Synopsys, Dr. Chi-Foon Chan said that 10% of the scientific potential of Synopsys is in Armenia. “Synopsys employs 5,000 engineers worldwide, including 500 specialists in Armenia,” he told a press conference in Yerevan. “Armenia has certainly had an impact on general success of Synopsys company. There is a very important product, which is designed in Armenia.” Synopsys Armenia CEO Rich Goldman said for his part that the lack of professional staff is among the most important problems of the company. “We hired 40 engineers this year, while another 40 jobs remain vacant. If we find these specialists in Armenia, Synopsys will definitely employ them,” he stated.

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In this year’s Mapping the Mal Web study, McAfee computer security company found that web risk climbed to a record 6.2% of more than 27 million live domains evaluated for this report. In this fourth annual analysis of the relative risk of top-level domains (TLD), McAfee has found overall web risk is up from last year. The company saw increasing risk in some already risky portions of the web, such as .INFO; some significant reductions in risk within last year’s riskiest TLDs, especially Singapore (.SG) and Venezuela (.VE); and some new areas of concern, including Vietnam (.VN), Armenia (.AM), and Poland (.PL). With a weighted risk of 31.3%, .COM (Commercial - the most heavily trafficked TLD) was the most risky TLD. It took this title from .CM (Cameroon), which fell to fourth place this year, while .INFO jockeyed for a more risky position, up to second place from fifth place last year. The five TLDs with the greatest percentage of risky registrations were: -- .COM (Commercial) 31.3%; -- .INFO (Information) 30.7%; -- .VN (Vietnam) 29.4%; -- .CM (Cameroon) 22.2%; -- .AM (Armenia) 12.1%. As in last year’s report, this report uses the McAfee Global Threat Intelligence database, which reflects data from more than 150 million sensors located in more than 120 countries. These sensors—individual computers, gateway network devices, endpoint software, in-the-cloud hosted services—come from consumers, small- and mid-sized businesses, enterprise customers, educational institutions, and governmental agencies.

Gayane Mirzoyan
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