ICT Profile - Timor-Leste
Page Tools
| Total population | 800,000 (estimated) |
| Rural population as a percentage of total population | 90% |
| Key economic sectors | Primarily subsistence farming and fishing |
| Literacy in the national language(s) | Tetum 82%, Portuguese 5%, Indonesian 43% |
| Literacy in English | 2% |
| Internet cafés/telecentres per 10,000 inhabitants | 1 Internet café in the country |
| Number of websites in the national language(s) | 5 (estimated) |
| Number of websites in English and other language(s) | 20 (estimated) |
| National bandwidth to and from the country | 1,024 Kbps/256 Kbps |
| Ratio of incoming to outgoing Internet traffic volume | 2:1 |
ICT Developments
ICT Policy
| WTO Issues | Regulatory Frameworks |
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Key ICT Information
- The first computer probably arrived here in the early 1990s.
- In the education sector, the National University of East Timor and the University of Martinho Lopes have set up departments of information technology. The first intake of students in the National University of East Timor was in May 2001.
- Courses are conducted in Portuguese and follow the Portuguese curriculum. The University of Martinho Lopes enrolled its first intake in September 2002.
- The first Internet connection was established on 2 February 2000 by UNDP and was immediately extended to all UN agencies.
- The monthly cost for Internet connection ranges from US$50 for unlimited usage to US$1,000 for wireless connections.
- There is only one cyber café in the Dili area, which is operated by TELSTRA. The cost of access is US$2 for a block of 15 minutes.
- There are about 12 computer training centres in Dili. The other centres are operated either by local individuals or NGOs.
- There were no public telephone booths at the time of writing.
Initiatives
Education
The inauguration of ITTC created a facility for the development of ICTs in East Timor, especially for the youth. This centre is a collaboration between APDIP-UNDP, Yayasan Salam Malaysia and UNDP East Timor, with the National University of East Timor as the host for the centre. To date, the centre has provided about 500 trainees with basic computer knowledge. Each course lasts a total of about 36-40 hours spread over a month. The courses offered cover Windows 98, Microsoft applications (Word 2000, Excel 2000, PowerPoint 2000) and an introduction to the Internet.
Quotes
- "Access to reliable and affordable telecommunications is a prerequisite for sustainable economic growth and social cohesion". It emphasizes "the need for the rapid development of a telecommunications infrastructure, coupled with a high quality of service in line with supporting national development". - The proposal for a National Telecommunications Policy presented by the Agency of Information Technology, Post and Telecommunications (ITPT) presented to the government on 2 May 2001.
Source: Digital Review for Asia Pacific
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Last modified 2005-08-13 10:51 PM
