NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR INFORMATION SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT AND ACTION PLAN 2 DIRECTIONS 2.1 INFRASTRUCTURE 15 ...Mind with its knowledge is the true capitalistic tool of reality. Thus in future ideas will create money,and not objects... C. Handy 2.1.1 Current situation The existing infrastructure in the Republic of Macedonia in general terms includes the fixed public telecommunication networks, public mobile telecommunication networks and networks offering Internet access and other telecommunication signals transmission. The fixed public telecommunication network of AD "Makedonski Telecomunikacii" is based on 100% digital exchanges offering voice and data transmission, and a wide range of various services (voice mail, conference calls, emergency lines, 0800 lines ("green numbers"), 08xy ("blue numbers"), fixed telephony prepaid cards etc. Since October 1997 the provision of Internet services in the Republic of Macedonia has been liberalised through awarding concessions for data transmission, so that today five major Internet Service Providers are offering Internet services. There are a total of 126,000 Internet users in the Republic of Macedonia2. In the Republic of Macedonia 65 CATV concessions have been awarded. Two concessions were awarded for mobile telephony; the services are offered by the operators "Cosmofon" and "Mobimak". The total number of mobile telephony users is 776,000, which is more than the number of fixed telephony users which is about 525,0003. Credit cards usage is considered as a privilege to a small number of citizens, and those who are credit card holders hardly ever use them for payment via Internet. Usage and utilization of the basic communications infrastructure in the local self-Government units is at a minimal level. Out of a total of 124 mayors, e-mail was used by 44 of them, only 23 used web-addresses, which means that less than 35.4% have been using e-mail, and less than 18.6% were presented on a web-site4. The State Statistical Office is conducting a research on the situation regarding the InformationCommunications Technologies (ICT)5, thereby providing a more realistic picture about the part referring to the situation with the information-communication technologies and their utilisation, which will provide useful information in the creation of future development plans. 2 3 4 5 www.sei.gov.mk Sector for European Integration - Government of the Republic of Macedonia, Answers to the EC Q uestionnaire, referring to the part for telecommunications and information technology www.sei.gov.mk Sector for European Integration - Government of the Republic of Macedonia, Answers to the EC Q uestionnaire, referring to the part for telecommunications and information technology Research within the frames of the Project E-governance at a local level in the Republic of Macedonia, conducted in co-operation with UNDP, Ministry of Local Self-Government, Committee for Information Technology - CIT and CSGU (Community of the Self-Government Units), 2004 Statistical ICT research conducted by the State Statistical Office in the Republic of Macedonia (ICT-1 for enterprises; ICT-2 for financial institutions; ICT-3 for households; ICT-4 for state bodies, institutions and organisations) NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR INFORMATION SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT AND ACTION PLAN