Evaluation of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Wi-Fi Kiosk Program

Abstract

This white paper has been prepared by World Bank s Transport and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Global Practice at the request of the MIOA . Delivery of the White Paper is part of a wider package of technical assistance by the World Bank to the Government of FYR Macedonia. The paper starts off by giving an overview of the state of telecom development in rural FYR Macedonia from the standpoint of affordability and availability of the commercial broadband Internet access services for the less advantaged groups of the population. The next section describes the Wi-Fi Kiosk Project outlining its scope, aim, and implementation process while bringing forward publics experiences with respect to the Wi-Fi kiosk use. This section also examines technical parameters related to the Internet usage and demonstrates the problematic of the kiosk maintenance in the remote and rural areas. Section five references specific policy and regulatory measures designed by different government stakeholders with a goal to analyse the approach which has been chosen to ensure availability of the fixed and (or) mobile broadband Internet in the rural areas of the country. The white paper concludes with a set of observations and recommendations aiming to address the sustainability of the results achieved by the Wi-Fi Kiosk Project and to offer next steps to increase rural connectivity in FYR Macedonia.