Ambassador A. Martirosyan Participated in International Conference on ICT

26 October, 2015

On October 26, Ambassador of Armenia to India Armen Martirosyan participated in International Conference on ICT for Empowerment through Make in India, Skill India and Digital India, organized by the Association of India Communication Multimedia and Infrastructure (CMAI). The conference was attended by representatives of diplomatic corps, universities, and ICT business community. The Deputy Secretary General of International Telecommunication Union, UN body, and the Guest of Honour Malcolm Johnson addressed the audience.

Ambassador A. Martirosyan delivered welcome address and introduced the policies and achievements of the Government of Armenia in ICT sector.

Ambassador A. Martirosyan's speech is presented below:

"In 2000, the Government of Armenia declared the ICT sector as one of the priorities for the development of the Armenian economy, which was followed by a number of specific actions to bring the Government decree into effect. To promote ICT and establish Armenia as a regional ICT hub, in 2001 the Government jointly with the World Bank, USAID, universities, various foundations, and private enterprises developed the ICT Master Strategy and ICT development implementation plan. In 2008, the Government adopted a new 10-year industry development strategy focused on building infrastructure, improving quality of IT graduates, creating venture and other financing mechanisms for start-up companies. The main goals of the new strategy are: to build a developed information society in Armenia, make Armenia part of the knowledge creation global network, and form a strong and advanced information technology sector.

In recent years the Government of Armenia has signed a number of cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding with several countries including India, which sponsored the foundation of ICT center of excellence at the Yerevan State University.

Armenian ICT companies specialize in embedded software development and semiconductor design, customized software and outsourcing, financial software, multimedia, web design, information systems and system integration. Armenia has recorded significant achievements particularly in the area of semiconductor design and creation of related objects of Intellectual Property.

As a country recognized favorable for foreign direct investments in ICT, Armenia has the following competitive advantages compared to other countries of the region:

High-class R&D capabilities in engineering, computer science, physics, and mathematics;
Well-educated and talented workforce with technical skills and English language proficiency;
Strong university programs with specializations in IT and related sciences;
Highly competitive cost of labor and low operating costs;
Strong and successful Diaspora in Europe and North America;
Extensive experience with large Multinational companies;
IP protection laws and regulations meeting international standards;

In 2014, the total turnover of the Armenian software and services sector amounted to around USD 350 million, which is equal to 19% growth compared to last year. In general, the average annual growth in the industry equaled to 21.8% in 2009-2014.

The number of internet users (including wireless 3G and GPRS) has reached 67%, i.e. a total of about 2 million users. Alongside increase in internet coverage, mobile communication has also made progress as the number of mobile users has reached 3.1 mln in 2014. 48% of Internet service providers in Armenia are foreign owned companies. In 2014 the number of broadband internet services users (including 3G) has reached 1.1 mln. An average price for 1MB/s internet is 9 USD. The number of fiber-optic network subscribers is about 100,000, and such services today are accessible to limited geographic locations, mainly in Yerevan and other cities and towns in its proximity.

The 2014 data shows that 157 companies with foreign ownership operate in Armenia constituting about 40% of the industry total.

The number of Armenian ICT companies developing their own products and investing in R&D is growing from year to year. Generally, the government uses R&D tax incentives to support related activities. Foreign investors can receive tax privileges by placing their companies in the Free Economic Zone (FEZ).

The following privileges and incentives are granted to companies operating in FEZs:

100 % reduction of the income tax deriving from the activities of the beneficiaries in Armenia’s free economic zones.
Non-resident beneficiaries of the free zone are not taxed on their income source in Armenia.
VAT exemption on the supply of goods and services within the free zone for the organizers and the beneficiaries.
No licensing required for organizational functions and their implementation in the free zone.

Thanks to learning mechanisms applied by the Armenian universities, the labor market in Armenia is supplied with skilled workforce in high demand. The universities emphasize on training students in fundamentals and insuring hands on practical exposure. In academic year 2013-2014, a total of 8500 students were enrolled in Armenian universities offering ICT related specializations."

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