22 December 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of pressure on the economy, people, industries, but above all on the infrastructure of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The availability of a well-developed and sustainable ICT infrastructure has proven vital in helping countries and consumers to adapt and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, households’ access to broadband Internet has become the only way to continue a close-to-normal life in new realities. ICTs have enabled them to continue working and learning remotely, and to access the latest health information, updates and directives from local and national authorities during pervasive restrictions on the movement of people.
Connect2Recover is a global ITU initiative that aims to reinforce the digital infrastructure and digital ecosystems of beneficiary countries. It seeks to galvanize action for affordable and reliable connectivity as part of COVID-19 recovery strategies. It heralds the beginning of ITU's transition from COVID-19 response activities to helping countries to prepare for and adjust to the new circumstances caused by the pandemic, and also reinforces the continuity of ITU's core work and mission, which is to extend connectivity to everyone.
In November 2021, a comprehensive digital resiliency analysis was completed in Armenia under the Connect2Recover initiative:
- analysis of Armenia’s ICT data collection practices was conducted and an assessment was made whether the collected data is sufficient and informative enough for informed policymaking;
- Internet resiliency assessment was conducted to check whether infrastructure is adequate for the universal penetration of broadband Internet and meaningful connectivity is affordable, and to assess how networks performed during lockdown in 2020;
- a policy & regulatory landscape assessment was conducted and recommendations were made to address gaps and bottlenecks identified that hinder ICT market development and broadband Internet penetration.
Armenia became the first country in the CIS Region and in the world where such a comprehensive assessment took place (executive summary available here).
To carry out the study, ITU international experts worked closely with the Ministry of High Tech Industry and the Public Services Regulatory Commission of Armenia with the support of the Union of Operators of Armenia. The main findings of the study were presented at the national round table «Digital Resiliency: how to prepare for Future crises» (Yerevan, 28 October 2021), which took place within the framework of DigiWeek Armenia (photo gallery).
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