Digital Connectivity in Lao PDR – Lagging Behind Peers : A Short Assessment with Policy Recommendations to Catch Up
Digital connectivity—access to affordable and reliable internet services—has become a key driver of economic and social development globally. Economic activities and government services are increasingly moving online. Lao PDR is well-positioned to...
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| Format: | Policy Note |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Vientiane
2019
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/336311549033138864/Digital-Connectivity-in-Lao-PDR-Lagging-Behind-Peers-A-Short-Assessment-with-Policy-Recommendations-to-Catch-Up http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31258 |
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okr-10986-312582021-05-25T09:21:34Z Digital Connectivity in Lao PDR – Lagging Behind Peers : A Short Assessment with Policy Recommendations to Catch Up World Bank Group DIGITAL ECONOMY DIGITAL DIVIDE CONNECTIVITY INTERNET ACCESS MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE BROADBAND Digital connectivity—access to affordable and reliable internet services—has become a key driver of economic and social development globally. Economic activities and government services are increasingly moving online. Lao PDR is well-positioned to take advantage of these trends to improve growth, competitiveness and services provision to the population, but urgent interventions are needed to ensure that Lao PDR does not fall further behind regional peers. This note reviews the status of digital connectivity in Lao PDR and options for improvement, including the respective roles of government and industry. The main findings are as follows: By almost every measure, Lao PDR is lagging significantly in terms of accessibility, quality and affordability of internet services compared to other comparable regional economies. Access to mobile broadband is increasing, but rural and more remote communities are still unserved or underserved. Actions to close this digital divide are needed urgently. Fixed broadband—required for high-capacity data transmission to support the next wave of digital development—is particularly limited. Prices for internet are comparatively high. High capacity fixed broadband services are very limited and extremely expensive. The minimum retail tariff regime for mobile, voice and data services may reduce the ability of operators to differentiate services and compete on price and service quality. Quality of service and affordability of internet are continuing concerns which are slowing the introduction and use of digital services and applications. Regulatory capacity and expertise is increasing, but remains comparatively low which is further limiting market growth and investment. 2019-02-08T21:34:05Z 2019-02-08T21:34:05Z 2018-06 Policy Note http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/336311549033138864/Digital-Connectivity-in-Lao-PDR-Lagging-Behind-Peers-A-Short-Assessment-with-Policy-Recommendations-to-Catch-Up http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31258 English CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Vientiane Economic & Sector Work :: Policy Notes Economic & Sector Work East Asia and Pacific Lao People's Democratic Republic |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
DIGITAL ECONOMY DIGITAL DIVIDE CONNECTIVITY INTERNET ACCESS MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE BROADBAND |
| spellingShingle |
DIGITAL ECONOMY DIGITAL DIVIDE CONNECTIVITY INTERNET ACCESS MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE BROADBAND World Bank Group Digital Connectivity in Lao PDR – Lagging Behind Peers : A Short Assessment with Policy Recommendations to Catch Up |
| geographic_facet |
East Asia and Pacific Lao People's Democratic Republic |
| description |
Digital connectivity—access to
affordable and reliable internet services—has become a key
driver of economic and social development globally. Economic
activities and government services are increasingly moving
online. Lao PDR is well-positioned to take advantage of
these trends to improve growth, competitiveness and services
provision to the population, but urgent interventions are
needed to ensure that Lao PDR does not fall further behind
regional peers. This note reviews the status of digital
connectivity in Lao PDR and options for improvement,
including the respective roles of government and industry.
The main findings are as follows: By almost every measure,
Lao PDR is lagging significantly in terms of accessibility,
quality and affordability of internet services compared to
other comparable regional economies. Access to mobile
broadband is increasing, but rural and more remote
communities are still unserved or underserved. Actions to
close this digital divide are needed urgently. Fixed
broadband—required for high-capacity data transmission to
support the next wave of digital development—is particularly
limited. Prices for internet are comparatively high. High
capacity fixed broadband services are very limited and
extremely expensive. The minimum retail tariff regime for
mobile, voice and data services may reduce the ability of
operators to differentiate services and compete on price and
service quality. Quality of service and affordability of
internet are continuing concerns which are slowing the
introduction and use of digital services and applications.
Regulatory capacity and expertise is increasing, but remains
comparatively low which is further limiting market growth
and investment. |
| format |
Policy Note |
| author |
World Bank Group |
| author_facet |
World Bank Group |
| author_sort |
World Bank Group |
| title |
Digital Connectivity in Lao PDR – Lagging Behind Peers : A Short Assessment with Policy Recommendations to Catch Up |
| title_short |
Digital Connectivity in Lao PDR – Lagging Behind Peers : A Short Assessment with Policy Recommendations to Catch Up |
| title_full |
Digital Connectivity in Lao PDR – Lagging Behind Peers : A Short Assessment with Policy Recommendations to Catch Up |
| title_fullStr |
Digital Connectivity in Lao PDR – Lagging Behind Peers : A Short Assessment with Policy Recommendations to Catch Up |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Digital Connectivity in Lao PDR – Lagging Behind Peers : A Short Assessment with Policy Recommendations to Catch Up |
| title_sort |
digital connectivity in lao pdr – lagging behind peers : a short assessment with policy recommendations to catch up |
| publisher |
World Bank, Vientiane |
| publishDate |
2019 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/336311549033138864/Digital-Connectivity-in-Lao-PDR-Lagging-Behind-Peers-A-Short-Assessment-with-Policy-Recommendations-to-Catch-Up http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31258 |
| _version_ |
1764473911194419200 |