The Information and Communication Technology Environment in Bulgaria

1
The Information and Communication Technology
Environment in Bulgaria

• G.Stoev_at_bcci.bg
• Ecic_at_bcci.bg

2
Information and Communication Technologies, and
particularly the Internet, are transforming all
human activities dependent on information.

• ICTs present new opportunities for individuals
  and communities
• Media convergence - enables low-cost creation,
  access and distribution of information
• Need for institutions in the public and
  non-profit sectors to seize the new opportunities
  presented by ICTs in order to be equal partners

3
ICT are powerful tools for stimulating economic
growth and social change. ICT can accommodate
specific needs by offering a range of different
tools.

• Provide access to improved education and health
  in remote or inaccessible areas through distance
  learning, telemedicine, and interactive training
• Improve services to citizens by providing on-line
  access to government/public services
• Reduce business costs while opening access to new
  markets through electronic commerce, permitting
  more informed economic decisions
• They enable groups working on common issues to
  benefit from each other's experiences and share
  best practices and to avoid bad ones

4
Structural changes in the Bulgarian Society and
the process of alignment to the European Union
require development of flexible human resources
that are able to adopt and renew permanently
their management and personal capacities
according to the new realities.
5
A range of important features of the
socio-economic life as a whole should be
considered

• Massive information saturation, performed by
  plenty of electronic mediators and technologies
• New qualitative requirements to the human
  resources, their skills, working style and
  motivation
• Need of permanent self-developing and renewing
  permanent training and retraining of the
  personnel

6
In November 2001, Bulgarian Quality and
Productivity Centre (BQPC) took part in a survey
of the Bulgarian industry, ordered by the
Ministry of Economy.

• The survey covered a representative sample list
  of 850 companies.
• The questionnaire included 58 questions covering
  all aspects of the activities of a standard
  company
• 6 of the questions are asking for some
  information, on which we can judge about
  penetration of ICT in the activities of the
  Bulgarian companies.

7
The analysis of the results of the survey shows
that more than 91.7 of Bulgarian companies are
using computers.
The most popular application of PC is for
All these are supporting activities and are not
producing value added. So the effect on
productivity in this case can be expected to come
from reduction of time or stock, for which
computerization can help.

• accounting (74.3 )
• inventory control (42.3 for raw material
  storage and 34.2 for final products)
• production (5.3 )
• project making (7.3 ).

8
The results indicate that the processes of
integration of old and new technologies in the
Bulgarian industry have started.

• 63.0 of the surveyed companies have access to
  Internet
• Along with the traditional ways for gathering
  market information 25.8 of respondents are
  using the Internet for that purpose.
• Again 24.3 of the respondents are using
  Internet for gathering of information for new
  technologies and products

9
Another aspect checked by the survey was human
resource development. More than 37 of the
companies have carried over education of own
personal in computer skills during the last 5
years.
Personnel with good computer knowledge, makes
possible for the companies to make full use of
Internet and ICTs and rise in this way
productivity.
10
The employment in the ICT sector is growing more
rapidly than in the rest of the economy.

• There is a need of highly skilled professionals
• ICT Small/Micro Enterprises
• ICT adoption in private and government
  enterprises
• Teleworking Self-employment
• New lifestyle

11
ICT Small/Micro Enterprises

• Assemble hardware configuration
• Sell PC components
• Build local area networks
• Develop software, web pages, design
• Produce information-based outputs
• Internet service provider
• Wireless communications

12
ICT adoption in private and government enterprises

• The enterprise growth requires
• Fast and reliable communications
• Network decisions (LAN, wireless)
• Web based decision, presentation, software
• Need of IT skilled workers
• Distant learning and learning on the job

13
Teleworking Self-employment

• New possibilities for flexible work
• For people who live at different or distant place
  than the enterprise who offers work
• For people with disabilities
• For pensioners and retired
• For people who prefer to be self-employed

14
New lifestyle ICT clues everywhere

• Internet
• Web lifestyle
• Credit or Debit cards, E-banking
• E-pay systems phone bills etc.
• E-commerce