Topic 3: Stimulating Use and Inhibitors to Usage

1. Topic 3: Stimulating Use and Inhibitors to Usage Presenter: Robert Pinter (BME-UNESCO ISRI) Country: HUNGARY eEurope+ 2003: Expert Group Workshop II – National Expert Presentation

2. Comments on PRII. pp 25-41 (1) • Definition of usage – high responsibility • Do you use: 25% • At least monthly: 21% • At least weekly: 19% Source: World Internet Project (WIP), Hungary, September 2003, 15+ years old internet users • Penetration rate depends on definition (frequency, age group) • Which data sets are comparable? (PRII, page 25: Hungary: 19% used in last 3 months, +3% used last 12 months, age: 16-74)

3. Comments on PRII. pp 25-41 (2) • Using internet in Hungary: • Information searching: 78% (average 84%) low • Games: 32% (average 38%) low • E-mail: 63% (average 77%) – lowest between ACC • Chat rooms/forums: 41% (average 32%) – second highest • Internet banking: 9% (average 23%) low • Search for goods: 41% (average 51%) low • Purchasing goods (B2C): 5% (average 12%) second lowest Same low usage in enterprises, C2A and B2A Better position in healthcare • Finding the right ‘killer application’ - different patterns • Country-specific solutions or strengthening catch up process? Problem of backwardness?

4. Inhibitors of usage (1/1)

5. Inhibitors of usage (1/2) • Reasons for non using Internet in Hungary: • No need (36%), no PC (30%), no interest (26%), price (18%), incompetency (17%), other (15%), fear (1%), old PC (1%) • Source: WIP, Hungary, September 2003 (see previous slide) • Not the economic reasons are the most important • But ‘material’ reasons are strong (e.g. ‘no PC’ is high) • Cultural preferences, ‘needs’, interests, negative attitudes in the background of material reasons • New revelation: should I need the internet?

6. Stimulating Use (1): new Act in 2004 • Liberalisation in telecommunication in 2001 (concession of Matáv since 1993) • Mobile services since 1994, three operators (T-Mobile - Westel, Vodafone, Pannon) • Full harmonisation of the Telecom sector in the 1st quarter of 2004 –Act on Communication, goals: • Well performing telecom environment (raising competition) • Flexible regulation • Institutional background • Stimulate growth of Internet penetration • Implementation of new EU directives • New hot issue: number portability • Internet: non-discriminatory, compulsory wholesale offers (DSL)

7. Stimulating Use (2): new strategy • Content: this field comprises the economy, public administration, culture, education, healthcare and the environment • Infrastructure: this aims to develop broadband networks, promote access, and provide data, standards and software of public utility and for public purposes • Knowledge and literacy: this implies the emergence of information literacy • Legal and social environment: this aims to enhance confidence and security, and develop electronic democracy • Research&development: this covers the systematisation of research and development tasks related to the information society • Equality: this aims to promote eInclusion

8. Stimulating Use (3): eHungary points • Provide public access and computer use • Enable citizens to use the Internet via modern computers in fixed opening hours for an affordable charge • Provide broadband network connection • Operate in a network service system • Use for public purposes is guaranteed by local community and state control • Provide integrated, „standardised” services • Provide professional assistance to citizens to use the services • See the new signpost in the picture

9. Stimulating Use (4): awareness • Campaign with advertisements in television, press, radio and internet • Raising awareness in ‘employee PC programme’ and internet use

10. Best Practices (1): SchoolNet Express • 60,000 HUF (app. 240€) tax refund a year if buying IT tools (mainly PC components or software) for students and parents of students • Launched with the combined effort of three ministries (Education, Labour and Informatics) under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance • Results in the first six months (until January 2004): spent 23 billion HUF (app. 92 million €), ca. 55-60 thousand new PCs • Realized mainly in December 2003 (‘IT Xmas’) • Transformation of programme in March and June 2004 (widening access, reducing number of tools)

11. Best Practices (2): Return of income • Downloadable software for filling the form (return of income for citizens) • Widely popular, even within non-internet users • 21% of all forms filled with this software in 2002 (ca. 1 million 136 thousand), and 5% in 2001 (source: APEH - Tax and Financial Control Administration) • An example of new services for citizens • Part of a wider new electronic tax system (eBev) introduced in January 2004

12. Recommendations • Follow-up in joint research and policy making (after finishing eEurope+) • Responsibility of producing comparable data (e.g. in cost of internet access, internet users etc.) • Concentration on country specific solutions and backwardness during the catch up process • Importance of dissemination of best practices

13. Thank you for your attention! Robert Pinter pinter.robert@ittk.hu BME-UNESCO Information Society Research Institute HUNGARY eEurope+ 2003: Expert Group Workshop II – National Expert Presentation