Development of a Rural ICT Access Strategy for Ukraine

SaskTel International (SI) assisted the World Bank in designing a Rural ICT access strategy and business model to address the urban rural imbalance of communications in Ukraine.

The project as completed was divided into two (2) phases:

Phase I: Demand & Needs

SI provided an initial inception report which analyzed the existing level of provision of telecommunications and information services in rural communities to produce an overview of the sector. SI also identified a group and selected a number of communities currently with no or very limited access to ICT services and conducted a Demand and Needs assessment in order to identify adequate levels of service, with reasonable indications of the costs involved in meeting these targets. SaskTel International also explored and identified preliminary viable options to meet the apparent need and demand for ICT and telecommunications services in targeted locations.

Phase II:

Based on the Demand and Needs assessment, SI identified and presented practical strategic options and operational schemes for the provision of the necessary ICT infrastructure and services, such as rural telephony, telecentres and Internet access for schools and clinics. SI then drafted the strategy, business model, action plans and a timetable to demonstrate the viability of the proposed strategy.