Audrey Tang
In Taiwan, we have long been committed to assisting diplomatic allies in building up their basic infrastructure, including in areas such as information and communications technology (ICT). Some of these allies are least developed countries, small island developing states, and landlocked developing countries.
In our own society, the technological advancements of Taiwan’s academia and industries have brought about a mature e-government. Applications such as online cash flow and digital signatures, combined with e-government services, have provided the public with a wide variety of services. The services allow them to file taxes, renew driver’s licenses and car registration certificates, and make doctor’s appointments online. Citizens and qualified non-citizens traveling in and out of the country also save much time when using the automated immigration clearance service (e-gates) at ports and airports.
Taiwan has seen steady development of e-government information and communications technology, rapid adoption of new technologies and knowhow, and pervasive use of the Internet. As a result, Taiwan has expanded its development assistance to include e-government support. This is in line with related recommendations by the UN Economic and Social Council and the International Telecommunication Union.
Many developing countries have requested that Taiwan share its advanced e-government experience to help them provide more convenient services for their own people. In response, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Development Fund have promoted ICT partnership projects with Belize, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Paraguay, Palau, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, and Tuvalu.
These projects include digitalizing import and export data, integrating traffic-monitoring systems, applying geographic information, managing medical information, installing wireless local area networks, and establishing electronic document systems.
These efforts aim to enhance government efficiency, increase administrative transparency, strengthen connectivity with the civil society, and improve government services. The 2016 UN e-Government Survey reported that Tuvalu and Palau have made significant related improvements, highlighting Taiwan’s success at assisting developing countries with their ICT development.
Yeh-Chen Also Chen
- Thank you so much, Audrey, for your great elaboration about Taiwan’s attitude and achievement in digital environment and how Taiwan has engaged with international friends. My name is Yeh-Chen Also Chen, the consultant of TWCERT/CC.
- I want to echo Audrey’s point with another lovely example and add one point about the other side of digital enabling; that is the importance of ICT security.
- Let me talk about the example first. Our Ministry of Education has initiated a program called Digital Opportunity and built centers to practice the vision. Their vision is to enhance digital capabilities. This project focuses on human capacity building, serving a population of people from remote towns, islands and indigenous peoples. They are middle-aged, new citizens, handicapped, women and low-income households. The program’s goal is to enable them to cultivate their digital abilities to use online tools and applications. Digital marketing, online self-learning and other digital services are aimed to seize after the learning. There are five dimensions would be measured: enhancing digital application capabilities, enriching digital life applications, enjoying mobile services and applications, enhancing the digital marketing capabilities of rural enterprises and the last one is strengthening the number of agricultural Application.
- I also want to address the other side of ICT enabling, that is their security issue. We all know digital technology is convenient but it also poses new challenges, including hacker attacks, blackmail and fraud. Malicious internet threats are also truly affecting people’s lives, social order, and even sometimes threaten national security.
- Taiwan’s corresponding policies include a four-year strategy for the development of ICT security. Our goals are: first of all, establish a national cyber security mechanism; second, cultivate ICT human capacities to assure homeland security and digital economy; the last one is to develop key technologies and promote self-reliant R&D. So all cities in Taiwan could have an opportunity to move toward the smart city and to cultivate the capabilities to meet new challenges.
- To engage with international community about ICT security, my organization, TWCERT/CC, plays a contact window to do information sharing. We distribute cyber incident reports to our international friends and receive their new findings and feedbacks. We would definitely try our best to engage with the international ICT security community.
- Let me welcome the next speaker, Morris from Ministry of Communications and Transportation.
Mao-Shong Lin
Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!
My name is Mao-Shong Lin. I’m the Deputy Director General of the Posts and Telecommunications, Ministry of Transportation and Communications. One of the major functions of my department is to advance Taiwan’s broadband infrastructure as well as spectrum planning.
Over recent decades, my government has actively promoted the development of information and communication environment and services.
Collaborating with other government departments, such as National Communications Commission, we hope to promote the readiness and development of ICT infrastructure, so as to make Taiwan an advanced digital society.
Since 2002, we have had a series of six national plans promoting the development of Taiwan’s broadband network and services, beginning with ‘e-Taiwan Project’ and the latest one is ‘DIGI⁺ Plan’.
Among these national plans, our key strategies are:
- Liberalizing telecommunications market,
- Introducing advanced communication systems and spectrum auction mechanism,
- Reducing the cost and barriers of network deployment,
- Promoting the installation of base stations,
- Accelerating broadband network construction in remote areas,
- Leveraging experiences of other countries.
These six strategies have been upgrading Taiwan’s ICT related industries. They also have laid a robust foundation for innovative applications and services that will improve the overall quality of life of people in Taiwan.
Thank you for your time, I hope Taiwan’s experience is helpful to you.
Hsiao-Cheng Chi
Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!
I am Hsiao-Cheng Chi, Deputy Director General from the National Communications Commission, NCC of Taiwan.
According to the DIGI⁺ Plan, our goal, in 2020, is to upgrade the broadband speed of households to 1 Giga bit per second (Gbps), while the minimum broadband speed of underprivileged households will reach 10 Meta bit per second (Mbps). And the penetration rate of digital life service will reach 60%.
The digital infrastructure is not only to develop the broadband of the fundamental layer, but to support the prosperity of all kinds of innovative application, content and services.
The converged network will drive the development of Taiwan’s digital transformation and further reshape the value chain of the industries and promote Taiwan’s digital economy.
Our ultimate goal is to drive the digital transformation by broadband society, and then embrace the paradigm shift and rapid development of digital economy.
Therefore, the NCC has proposed the Digital Communications Act to set guidelines of the network environment, consumer protection and the responsibility of service providers with the principle of Internet Governance. By adopting light touch approach, we also encourage self-regulation so as to promote greater innovation.
Kenny Huang
Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Kenny Huang, Board member of Taiwan Network Information Center and MSG member of Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum. It is my great pleasure to join the session and say a few words on behalf of Taiwan Network Information Center.
As you may know, the first G20 Digital Ministers’ meeting was launched in Germany from 6th to 7th April this year. The digital ministers of the 19 leading economic nations and the European Union (G20) join together to discuss the opportunities and challenges of digitalization. Digital progress does not end at national borders; therefore, we need international solutions for global developments. The first key goal for G20 digital policy is to have fast internet for all by 2025.
The internet is a game changer! The benefits of the Internet in developed countries have inspired the developing countries to develop the Internet and use it to their benefit. The impact of the Internet has caused developing countries to modify traditional methods of conducting information business by setting up new sources of information and new methods of communication on a global basis. The Internet has helped the developing countries to take advantage of access to global sources of information in order to improve their economic markets.
Taiwan is also a small island, the pervasive Internet access in Taiwan helps businesses align their processes effectively with those customer expectations, it also enables higher rate of economic growth. Fortunately, we have the opportunities to share our experiences and technologies with other countries through international cooperation projects. Such as Saint Lucia WiFi Project, Saint Vincent ICT Centre Project, etc. Through these international cooperation projects, we realize that how critical it could be as improving the connectivity especially for small islands countries.
Inclusive internet connectivity is not a luxury good, but a necessity for all. It is the most important principle of digital policy for any country. We should work together to develop feasible solutions. IGF is a great forum to discuss this issue. In closing, I like to express my gratitude to all participants and thank you for the invitation. I wish you a fruitful and successful meeting. Thank you.