ARMENIA

David Sandukhchyan, the Global Internet Policy Initiative's coordinator for Armenia, told us via email on 17 May 2005 that Armenia's Ministry of Transport and Communication has adopted a rule-change de-licensing Wi-fi in the 2.4 GHz band for both commercial and non-commercial service. No permission or registration is required. However, the Ministry said it cannot delicense WLANs in the 5 GHz band because of a risk of interference to aeronautical navigation systems.
"Infrastructure to Use WiFi Formed in Armenia," PanArmenian.net, 28 June 2005: "The Armenian capital is almost totally covered by WiFi network for Internet access by low-power radio modems, Deputy Executive Director of Web provider company Suren Zaratsyan stated in a conversation with .am reporter. As of the current situation, the second city of Armenia - Gyumri, as well as Artashat, Charentsavan and Abovyan are also covered by wireless technologies... Earlier it was necessary... to register each computer at the Technological Center CJSC of the Ministry of Transport and Communication of Armenia and have it certified by a special certifying body. Now the procedure is canceled... for the use of the WiFi standard the 2.4 GHz radio frequency was legalized in Armenia this spring."
Government Decision Number 694 on Radio Frequency Equipment, 20 November 1999 (in Armenian): only equipment certified by the government may be imported.
"Russian Investments in Armenia: Their Economic Background and Possible Political Impact," by Haroutiun Khachatrian, Johns Hopkins University's Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Analyst, 13 December 2006. Speaking of ArmenTel's sale: "the tender was won by Vympelcom, whose largest shareholder is Telenor of Norway. In addition, the Armenian government used the sale as an opportunity to get rid of the ArmenTel monopoly on many communication services, which strongly hindered development of the IT and telecom sectors in Armenia..."
"Bright perspectives of becoming a regional hub of RFID technologies," by Armen Asryan, Armenian Diaspora News Forum, 31 March 2004: " 'My dream is to establish a regional Center of Excellence for RFID Technology. And the major goal of mine is to introduce this innovative technology to the Armenian students and academics who will be the first to gain knowledge on this subject in the entire region, including CIS countries,' says Mike Ohanian..."
"Second mobile operator launched in Armenia," Agence France Presse, 2 July 2005: "...Vivacell is owned by a Lebanon-based holding [company], whose major shareholder, Pierre Fatouche, also owns Karabakh-Telecom, a mobile operator in Azerbaijan's breakaway enclave of Nagorno Karabakh... Armenia held a tender for the second mobile operator in November [2004], after Yerevan stripped the mobile monopoly from ArmeniTel, 90 percent owned by Greece's OTE."
Towards a Knowledge-Based Economy: Armenia - Country Readiness Assessment Report, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, ECE/TRADE/311/3 (2002).

Asia & Pacific - Regional Overview

Country Links

ARMENIA