The Ministry of Transport and Communications has released a draft of its e-government master plan for 2020 on its website.
The master plan was drafted in 2014 with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank. Last year, the Department of Information Technology and Cyber Security at the ministry redrafted that master plan in cooperation with foreign experts.
The Burmese government is conducting a pilot project to substitute paper National Registration Cards with “smarter” digital identification cards in Naypyidaw and Mandalay.
The National Registration Cards, also known as citizenship scrutiny cards, are issued to Burmese citizens by the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population’s national registration department.
Read more: MM: Govt Pilot Project Introduces Digital ID Cards
Myanmar's Lower House will soon debate a motion that urges the administration to provide public services through electronic means, said Speaker Win Myint.
The e-government motion was submitted by National League for Democracy MP Nay Phu Ba Swe. The lawmaker said that more electronic services would ensure people have easy access to government services and information via websites and mobile applications.
The new government is planning to implement an E-government or digital government service during their tenure. This will make their public services faster and it will save time and money.
Entrepreneurs in the ICT sector said they would get economic benefits when the government implements the system. But it is questionable whether the government has a master plan or specific budget for it.
Read more: MM: Entrepreneurs ask for a specific budget for E-government
Much talk in the telecoms market has been dedicated to the digital leapfrog: the almighty hop from legacy technology to a mobile-first future. Myanmar’s operators – state-owned incumbent Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), Ooredoo and Telenor – have seen subscriber figures jump by millions over the past few years; and though coverage rates have climbed higher than ever before, they’re not stopping now.
All three recently talked to The Myanmar Times about the country’s technology transformation, and what challenges may lie in store.