Cyprus ‘getting there’ on IT front

THE USE of information technologies (IT) in businesses and households in Cyprus is growing, according to the findings of two surveys carried out by the statistical services.

Titled ‘Information and Communication Technologies Usage and e-Commerce in Enterprises’ and “Information and Communication usage in Households and by Individuals”,  the surveys showed that by the end of 2012, computers were used in 96.9 per cent of businesses compared to 93.1 per cent in 2011.

The percentage of the businesses with internet access increased to 98.3 per cent in 2012 compared to 82.3 per cent in 2004.

Furthermore, 84.6 per cent of businesses used the internet for interaction with the public service. In 2012, 63.4 per cent of businesses had their own website.

In 2012, however, e-commerce remained at low levels with only 8.4 per cent of businesses receiving orders via computer networks. Accommodation and food service activities had the highest percentage of businesses selling products or services via computer networks in 2012.

Regarding households, 69.7 per cent had a personal computer (PC) in 2012, compared to 63.9 per cent in 2011. During the first three months of 2012, some 61.8 per cent of households had internet access, compared to 57.4 per cent in the same period of 2011.

The findings showed that 62.7 per cent of the population between 16-74 years of age used a computer during the first three months of 2012 and 57.8 per cent of the population were regular internet users, meaning they accessed the internet at least once a week. The most popular activities were finding information about goods or services and sending or receiving emails.

The surveys also showed that in 2012 there was an increase in the percentage of the population aged between 16-74 that ordered goods or services over the internet.

Regarding the use of internet technologies in the education sector, the statistical data showed that in the academic year 2012-2013 there were 15.9 per cent computers per 100 pupils in primary education, 28.5 per cent in secondary education and 12.7 per cent in tertiary education.

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.