Information Society in Bolivia

ICTs present a revolutionary approach to addressing developmental questions due to their unequalled capacity to provide access to information instantaneously from any location in the world at a relatively low cost. This has brought down global geographic boundaries faster than ever thought possible. The resulting new interconnected digital world heralds the fluid and seamless flow of information, capital, ideas, people and products. Bolivia’s path towards an information society has been long but is generating results. The Supreme Decree 26553 of April 9, 2002, established the legal and institutional framework for building the Information Society to strengthen ICT and Information Society. To implement the strategies and coordinate actions to reduce the digital divide through the promotion of ICT in all areas, the Agency for the Development of Information Society in Bolivia - ADSIB was created, as a decentralized body under the custody of the Vice-President. The path started in the year 2002, when the Government of Bolivia presented "Digital Agenda-Bolivia - The Guidelines for a Bolivian Strategy in the Digital Age", this document laid the foundations for creating a guideline country ICT that allows people to be part of the Information Society. Within this framework, ADSIB, Vice Ministry of Electricity, Alternative Energy and SITTEL (former Superintendence of Telecommunications), with support from the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP) imposed the important task of coordinating and preparing the National Strategy and Information Technology Communication (ETIC). During the period 2003-2006, the country developed an inclusive and participatory strategy finding models of ICT appropriation in the various strata of society, in order to accelerate the reduction of the digital divide in Bolivia and thus increase levels of the Information Society. The central objective of ETIC was "Develop and implement policies, programs, initiatives and propose use of ICT for human capacity development in a participatory and inclusive process with emphasis on low-income groups with peri-urban and rural ". From ETIC born the National Digital Inclusion Plan (PNID) that addressed the first challenges and the desire to close the digital divide in the country. The digital divide is conceived as the dividing line between communities, cities, regions or individuals that use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and those that do not have access or do not know how to use them. Thus reducing their chances of individual and collective development. The Ministry of Development Planning through the Department of Science and Technology in exercise of its powers assumed leadership on ICT in the country, through the implementation of PNID to create a knowledge society with the country’s own characteristics. The Ministry acknowledging ICT as an important factor of economic and social development, which has among its main pillars, providing access to and use of information and telecommunications infrastructure, improve the capabilities of the population in the use and application of ICT tools, generate and share content relevant to reality and national development needs, implement appropriate legislation and regulation and improve the participation of citizens in access to information and public services and government decisions. The incorporation of ICT for guiding government actions on the needs and demands of the population in a relevant and timely manner, and at the same time, allowing better access to information and services in sectors such as: health, education, science and technology, production, rural development and government. Furthermore, stimulating economic activity, supporting the dissemination of projects and development programs, providing mechanisms for transparent governance, and opening new communication channels for internal and external social empowerment aiming to eradicate poverty and social exclusion. Currently Bolivia is heading to increase the penetration of access to telecommunications services in rural areas, from a new public policy framework under the principle of "universal right to access and telecommunications" recently established in the new Constitution. Although this is a recent constitutional status in the country and largely rural, there were already a number of important ICT initiatives that facilitated the creation of community telecentres driven by some municipalities, private banks and NGOs. Meanwhile private enterprise and service operators primarily considered not even a priority to invest in telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas profitably considering them irrelevant. Although the state has a regulation that provides for the introduction of incentives for the construction of telecommunications networks in rural communities, large operators do not fully meet these regulations. As a result of this and following the government’s policy, the National Telecommunications Company (ENTEL) was nationalize from STET Telecom and has investing in access in the less privileged areas. In the same path in February 2010 President Evo Morales signed the decree creating the Bolivian Space Agency with the aim of “build and send into orbit the Túpac Katari satellite for the benefit of the country." Technologies of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) enable people, organizations of all type of companies and public institutions to enhance internal process (automatization/digitalization), to find information, to create knowledge, and share in real time, which means cost savings and resources optimization. In the modern world, the most prosperous economies are based on the skills of citizens, businesses, organizations, government, academia and the private sector to generate, store, retrieve, process and transmit information and knowledge, functions that are applicable to all activities the human being. Technology can be a powerful tool for human development in reducing poverty because it provides a bridge to the creation of new employment opportunities and trade. In this sense, the implementation of services based on information technology and, in particular, mobile applications represents a significant potential for developing countries, which is given to the extent to which information technologies are appropriately adapted to the specific needs of these nations. The trend to mobility and social networks, are completely transforming the way we think and solve business problems in organizations through the use of ICTs. According to the site CheckFacebook.com, there are 1,988,220 Bolivians who have active accounts on Facebook. According to the website, the country has 19.9% of penetration and is on place 67 globally. Also, the composition ethereal groups shows that most users of the platform's biggest Social Web is between 18-24 years (806.120 users). Interestingly also in Bolivia have more male users (56%) than women, opposing data to the global trend. Thanks to ICTs, Bolivia is part of the global village. ICTs are not just used by big business, but also by small and medium producers, organizations, indigenous communities, settlers, rural economic organizations, producer associations and NGOs, among others. Bolivia is a sample on how technologies could be used to improve access, use and adopt ICT-based applications to its needs, skill communities through education programs to promote economic growth and development.