Timor-Leste Information Communication and Technology (ICT) and it Challenges

By Raul Bernardino

Introduction:

In the several article, I ever mentioned that Timor-Leste have a huge challenging a head on the issues of information and technology. Now, we have another issue in which how to govern the internet connection.

As a new country, that just starts and develop a country within about 12 years ago, there are a lot of primary issues that needs to be developed and resolved in first instances. The majority of the population is agriculture subsistence. It is not economic oriented. Therefore, Timor-Leste still not independent on the food storage, we have to depend on the imports. This is also including several items of the construction materials.

The current government main focus is infrastructure in which to tackle roods, housing, little bit on the communication, and electricity. On the agriculture and economic sectors, the government still put minor capital to develop basic infrastructure. On education sector also not much and the projection of this sector is long term which about 10 to 20 years from now.

Information Communication and Technology (ICT) sector is very limited. There are two factors that make this sector development quite slow. First, it is lack of visioning on the importance to the information of technology in which today becomes a boost of economy. Second, human resource in this area is very limited in terms of numbers and knowledge; - special mentioned on concepts, designing system, and developing country information technology system policies and regulations.

Information Security: This is a crucial sector that is needed to put lot of efforts. However current situation shows that not much that has been developed. There is no clear line drew and defined in the information security and system. Each institution in the country has their owned measurement to tackle the security of the information and system. For instance put firewalls, proxies, antivirus, confidential agreements, etc.

However, in the Timor-Leste constitution is clear stated that the country is guaranty the freedom of express also guaranty it is citizen privacy. “Protection of personal data and freedom of having a right to express in public and protection, TL constitution, Section 38&48”

Spam:  As I mentioned in the section of the information security, each departments have they own ideas and best practices to handle this issues. There are no common standard and best practices in place.

Internet Governance: Base on the decree law 11, Timor-Leste grants the contract of BOT which is strand for Build of Transfer to the Timor-Telekom (TT) as a telecommunication operator for about 15 years. This telecommunication has become a member of ITU. Since March 2002, TT has been the only telecom operator and the formal ICT backbone in Timor-Leste. However, international institutions are allowed to have their own communication networks. The real ICT situation in Timor-Leste, is Timorese people cannot afford to use the telecommunication and internet services.  Therefore, the unequal information sharing among the government institutions becomes an issue for quick, effective decision making processes.

Recently, this situation has changed. The government of Timor-Leste reviewed the NDP in 2011 and renamed the document the ‘Timor-Leste Strategy National Development Plan (SNDP) 2011-2030. In this strategy, the government of Timor-Leste has stated that the telecommunication sector will be a priority in 2015.

In May 2012, the government of Timor-Leste adopted telecom liberalization, the implementation of which is now on track. Three licenses have been issued by the government for telecom operators (Timor Telecom, Telin – Telecommunication Indonesia International, and Vittel - Vietnam telecommunication). The goal of the liberalization is to establish stable, modern telecommunication networks to connect the people of Timor-Leste to the rest of world with affordable and reliable access. However, the foundation for the telecom liberalization has still not started. For instance, the ‘Autoridade Reguladora das Comunicações’ (ARCOM) does not function properly. The ‘Autoridade Nacional Comunicações’ (ANC) is intended to replace the ARCOM, but the situation remains the same. This will delay the government plan of telecom liberalization in 2015.

Data: The data management and archiving are big issues and challenges ahead. No regulation or policy to define this matter, how they will archive and manage their own data.

Approach and solution: In my personal opinion, first is to optimizing the regulatory body task that is been established in this case ARCOM or ANC Timor-Leste. This regulatory body although focusing in area of Radio communication, Broadcasting, and Telecommunication, it is however explicit cover the area Information and Technology. Rather than establish another regulatory body. Second option is establish new regulatory body for Information and Technology. This option will be very focus and optimal in regulating and governing the internet. However, far before regulating the internet there would be a thousand tasks ahead. For instance create or produce an internet regulation and policy, data management and security regulation and policy, domain name policy, hardware and software standard regulation and policies, Intellectual Property regulation, etc. Another step to go is disseminating all policies and regulations and implementation of the regulations and policies themselves.

Conclusion: To have more control on the internet, country should have a clear regulations and policies in place. First establish or optimizing current regulatory body (ARCOM or ANC), to take caring the issue of the information technology system. Only with this way, country can stable and society will protected and healthy from the revolution of the information.

Reference list:

·      Adams, A.A. & McCrindle, R.J. (2008) Pandora’s box: Social and professional issues of the information age. West Sussex, England: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Ch 11, P. 373-374

·         Timor-Leste Constitution [on-line]. Available from: http://www.gov.east-timor.org/constitution/constitution-Timor-Leste.pdf   (Accessed date: February 4, 2011)

·         Autoridade reguladora das Communicacoes [on-line]. Available from:  http://www.arcom.tl/ (Accessed date: February 4, 2011)

·         Andrew T Kenyon and Megan Richardson: New dimension in Privacy Law International and comparative Perspective [on-line]. Available from: http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=g8tHAmmJ0cUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=privacy+laws&hl=en&ei=YoguTeGdGI-ycciT2ZsI&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=privacy%20laws&f=false (Accessed date: February 3, 2011)

·         Chris Clark and Janice McGhee: Private and Confidential? Handleing personal information in the social and health services (2008) [on-line]. Available from: http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=fW6pSVhfGCEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=subject:%22Data+protection+-+Law+and+legislation+-+Great+Britain%22&hl=en&ei=A7guTabWJc_IcYyE0OMH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false (Accessed date: February 3 , 2011)