INDOTEL and INTEC will carry out a study on the digital divide, and telecommunications services in the country
The research will be developed by the National Observatory of Information and Communication Technologies (ONTIC-RD) coordinated by the INTEC research professor, Manuel Mendoza.
SANTO DOMINGO. - The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (INDOTEL) and the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) will perform un study on digital divide for the Dominican Republic, which encompasses aspects of quality and cost of the telecommunications service.
This is established by an inter-institutional agreement that was signed by the President of the Board of Directors of INDOTEL, nelson brook, as well as the rector of INTEC, Julio Sanchez Marinez, which specifies that, for the development of the study, INDOTEL will invest an amount of RD $ 730,337.00, and that the same will be carried out by the National Observatory of Information and Communication Technologies (ONTIC-RD), coordinated by INTEC research professor Manuel Mendoza.
The research will provide information that will allow sizing the gap in access and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the Dominican Republic and, at the same time, will contribute to the establishment of the baseline of the Telecommunications Development Fund projects. for the period 2025-2026.
The agreement establishes that INDOTEL undertakes to designate the representatives, so that, together with the people designated by INTEC, they schedule the activities and follow up corresponding to this agreement, while the higher education institution will coordinate the operations necessary for the realization. of the study through the ONTIC-RD.
The head of INDOTEL stated that this agreement represents a step towards understanding and reaching this problem and thus being able to establish and plan solutions to the digital divide in the country.
“This study seeks to measure all these variables that will allow us to focus on this aspect to apply public policies that are affective and concretize improvement plans," Arroyo emphasized.
Likewise, Sánchez Maríñez indicated that for INTEC to embark on this study is to fulfill the university's mission of contributing to the development of the country. “We will put all our resources from the academy, so that the study we will carry out allows us to close the digital divide in the country, and that its results can be used by INDOTEL, but especially by decision makers and Dominican society,” emphasized the rector.
The digital divide is a barrier that prevents the full development and participation of many Dominicans in today's society, and other studies have shown that those with access to telecommunications services and technological and digital tools have more possibilities and opportunities to improve their quality of life. life.