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“ICT EXPO 2019”, organized by the leaders of digital development for the 13th year, was held for the public last week and completed successfully. Forum on “Together for digital development” was organized by the Communication and Information Technology Authority in cooperation with the Mongolian Information and Communication Operators Association this year.
Mongolian Information and Communication Operators Association is a union of players, which render larger service in information and communication sector and a year passed after its establishment. Here with there is an interview with Executive Director U.Tamir of the Association as follows:
“ICT-Expo 2019” exhibition, determiner of image of communication and information technology sector was held between 27-29 September. Heard that as for the sector this exhibition and forum were held during the period made legal reform this year. Let’s start our interview about it?
- We organized “ICT-Expo 2019” in exhibition and introduced products and service created newly in the market during 2019. Since last year our association raised initiative to expand it much more, deliver development and achievement of information technology to the public, and organize forum, which policy makers, governmental agencies, organizations of private sector and specialists of the sector discuss about the issues how to use effectively in order to accelerate development of other social and economic sectors, how to cooperate and how to find correct and optimal solution,. This year forum on “Together for digital development” was organized by Communication and Information Technology Authority and Information and Communication Operators Association.
The State Great Khural adopted amendments of the law on Communication last may and as for the sector legal reform was made. We introduced about new legal coordination.
In this new coordination empower to ensure comprehensive policy and planning of issue to introduce product and service based on communication and information technology in all the social and economic sectors was issued to the Communication and Information Technology Authority. Governmental policy and experience of the countries leading in digital transformation have shown it is much more crucial to have united management to ensure connection of all stakeholders and conduct assessment of implementation in each policy stage. There fore participants of the forum agreed cooperation and leadership are crucial to discuss about issues on how to utilize advantages of constructed infrastructure and introduced advanced technology in all the social and economic sectors effectively and how to connect digital transformation of each sector and reach to the united understanding and solution.
Nowadays almost each person has talked about the digital evolution and development introducing in the world including machine intelligence, cloud technology, internet and the forth industrial evolution. There fore it is possible that our sector renders traditional service including mobile communication and internet service and render service to implement the above evolution and development in other social sectors. It means coverage of service in the sector shall expend in this way.
- Are social sectors ready to conduct digital transformation as for Mongolia?
- Nowadays each country of the world considers that communication and information technology development will bring efficiency and sustainable development to all social and economic sectors and raises the objectives to implement digital transformation. Mongolia has determined digital transformation policy according to this standard and established temporary committee on E-policy by the State Great Khural. At the Government level the national programme on E-governance was adopted. For the first time it started to implement objectives to make digital transformation of the governmental service.
Members of our association have introduced advanced technology and service and have confirmed development of the sector with the world wide tendency. In other words, our sector has already prepared information and communication infrastructure, network and technology mainly based on the private sector.
Recently, the Secretariat of the Government and Communication and Information Technology Authority has conducted survey on digital capacity of Mongolia in the framework of the project on “Mongolia in the Digital Age” implementing by Technological development comission of Oxford University of England and Access Solution LLC. Conclusion was made in the survey that preparedness of Mongolia on infrastructure and technology has been provided completely and the conclusion was introduced in the forum.
It means our introduced 3G and 4G technologies of fibre optic network and mobile communication have created opportunities to accept digital service, which citizens want. Therefore to discuss the issue on how to be utilized this created capacity in other Sectors in wide range and reach to the comprehensive understanding and solution should become basis to implement digital transformation in Mongolia.
How many member companies have joined Mongolian Information and Communication Operators Association? Please introduce about the Association briefly?
- There are 7 main members. These are companies such as Mobicom, Unitel, Skytel, Mongolia telecom and network providers at the nationwide Netcom, Mobicom networks and Skynetworks.
Today through the Mongolia we established totally over 40 thousand km of fibre optic network, connected 310 soums and installed 3G and 4G stations of mobile communication in all soums and settled area. Also we deliver our service to 280 thousand households, over 2400 organizations and to 4.3 million consumers in the duplicated number. We made investment totally of MNT 163 billion only by 2018 to introduce infrastructure, new technology and service.
The man purpose of establishment of the Association is to present leadership of information and communication sector to ensure development, achievement and economic growth, increase opportunities and attract actual contribution of each member to create effective cooperation to support development and growth of the sector. We respect friendly relations, united policy, integrated position and collective decision.
Member of the association, operator companies aim to lead to create development of the sector in accordance with the worldwide tendency, support governmental digital policy and lead its implementation as for Larger players in the market of communication.
It is seen cable antenna is placed on each building of the capital city. Some citizens have understanding that these antennas influence in health negatively. How much have you received suggestions and complaints of citizens?
- We always face with problem to protect established infrastructure and network. For example, to conduct road construction work the problem on “to shift away fibre optic inserted into road trails” is raised. Such issue was raised in the framework of the issue to re-build road of Darkhan and Nalaikh. We shift away the fibre optic. Also there have been many cases that people, who are conducting earthwork, out cable. In each case we provide continuous operation of network and repair it immediately mostly in our capital. On other side, in connection with distributing misunderstanding widely about the antenna, which is dangerous to health among the population there have been many complaints to shift away the antenna. But nowadays results of many surveys of the World Health Organization have shown it is not confirmed it influences in human body indirect meaning and it is toxic.
Previous or analogue devices radiate in much more power. Latest equipment spends less power and keeps standard rate of electromagnetic radiation. Especially, antenna devices on the buildings and facilities, which cause misunderstanding among the people, radiate 1000 times less power than mobile phone. This misunderstanding has distributed in the society and people always put the issue “To remove antenna from the top roof of a building”.
Cells creating by base station, must be organized not leaving any “space” in the network. In order to render continuous service of high quality to customers location of base station is chosen estimating to be created necessary framework or without “Gap”. Space between base stations is long distanced in the area with a sparse population and is getting nearer in the densely populated area. In the urban area base station is placed in each 200-300 metre.
But in case one station is shifted, network interruption causes in this empty space. People understand that it is easily to remove the antenna. But through transferring the base station it is may be necessary to place two more near the place in order to replace empty space of network. It causes difficulties including operation and maintenance cost and non-estimated trouble to us. In order to achieve wireless communication service to the higher level of quality according to the increase of data application the needs to install base stations, antennas and towers nearly has increased continuously.
- Lets transfer to the thing discussed in the forum. What will it pay attention to first of all to make transformation?
- In the ordinary words, to implement digital transformation, priority issues to determine production, service and activity for digital transformation, correctly define data to exchange inside the sector and between sectors and information to become open and create database, have raised. Then solution on where to keep database, how to connect with database of other sectors, how to organize operation to exchange data, provide information and how to ensure safety, must be done. In order to get efficiency it is necessary to avoid from duplicated investment and distribute resource and power correctly. It has shown in order to achieve this objective to utilize created infrastructure and technological opportunity of information and communication sector shall be more effective.
Can mention many examples like that. For example, to transfer governmental e-service into through the operator assistance the Government made decision to be executed obligation of operator of communication branch of soum based on infrastructure of Netcom, Mongol post and Mongolia telecom. Also it is possible to organize internet network of the organization using not only fibre optic network, 3G and 4G technologies. Particularly, Administration of Land Affairs, Geodesy and Cartography has organized service regard with land registration of citizens since January 2018 using 4G technology of Unitel. Also service for citizens including terminals for traffic police connecting with database of drivers and Fast Service Machines has used 3G, 4G technologies of Skytel.
–In our country have implemented some projects and programmes to introduce digital service in other sectors such as health and education. How does this process connect with the thing, which you are talking about?
Policy determiners and ministries have spent much more capital and money to conduct digital transformation. However, at that time project implementing team was created, conducted appropriate activities, staff and employees do not work stably due to the dismissal from employment of governmental agencies, there have been problems including change of previous activity, its incompletion and inefficiency. Information technology specialists, who make technological solution, except employees and staff of the sector have to continue provision of reliable operation of system, improve and expand it. Bur at that time it implemented one project, employed specialists. There were no any results due to lack of professional people, who manage the activity and it must repeat it from the beginning. In other words, there has been lack of united, management to connect these projects and programmes, ensure one standard and to make complete drawing and to make digital transformation. Therefore hope that issues to provide connection of projects and programmes implementing in each sector in the framework of new coordination of the above mentioned law on Communication and unite by the integrated policy.
In case each sector does not attempt to make technological solution, entrusts it to professional people and spends power and resource on which service to deliver to citizens online and which information to provide, opportunity to be more effective and economical, has been clear.
Let me tell one example. Mongolia Telecom company has implemented “E-soum” project, connected Governor’s Offices of 257 soums, 3444 schools of soums, 260 kindergartens, 247 hospitals, 130 police departments, 95 cultural centers of the soums to the fibre optic network and has been charge of its utilization, service and maintenance. It is possible to expand capacity of the network according to demand of e-service of the government and in case governmental agencies and ministries in the state budget, investment efficiency can be created. In this case it is enough to reflect and operational cost of e-service to the budget of governmental agencies.
Digital transformation is implementing in business entities not only in governmental service. How does is it introduced in business entities?
–This thesis was one panel discussion of the forum. Participants of panel discussion introduced as follows:
“As result of implementation of digital transformation larger reform will be made. Will create new opportunities in any businesses. Digital transformation shall start activity to technologize business activity and it will change business model. To implement this change, attitude of staff will be changed and leading it by managers will bring success. In other words, organizational culture of new technological era will be created.”
They mentioned many interesting international examples. Particularly to implement digital transformation business organizations started to implement digital transformation business organizations started to change strategy first of all. As for 2018 67 percent of 200 global companies chose digital achievement as the case strategy of business. For example, from new companies including “Uber”, “Netflix”, “Amazon”, “PayPal” and companies such as “American airline”, “Mercedes benz”, “General electric”, “JP Morgan Chase”, “Boeng” and “Walt disney” chose digitalization as the main strategy. As for sector except technological sector, newspaper, magazine, book, music, video and retail sale sector have started to implement digital transformation. Digital transformation has intensified in bank, finance, telecommunication, agriculture, health sector and governmental service.
There fore we, as technological sector, have rendered support to digitalization of other sectors and shared our experience to attempt leading digital transformation and implementing it.
Checked by “Bolor duran”
