Internet users' number ups, prices go down

The increased number of internet users in the past three years has contributed to reduced tariffs, according to the Armenian Prime Minister.

"The IT sector has taken a leading position in our economy in the past three years," Tigran Sargsyan said in his opening speech at the Digitec 2011 forum in Yerevan. "While in 2009 we had 1.1 million mobile phone and Internet users, their number increased to 1.3 million in 2010 and to 1.7 million in the first quarter of 2011. As for the broadband internet, it has 240,000 subscribers at present, compared to the 170,000 suscribers in 2010 and 70,000 subscribers in 2009."

The premier stressed the importance of lowered internet prices against the background of an increased number of users.

"The price for internet with the capacity of 1Mbt/sec averaged 234,00 drams in 2009; it reduced to 71,00 in 2010 and 50,00 drams 0 in 2011," Sargsyan said, adding that the government will work towards lowering the prices still further.

He noted further that such infrastructure trends create more favorable conditions for the development of the IT sector.