Cyprus digital transformation plan laid out

Cyprus' Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy is looking towards a two-speed plan, separating the aim for digital transformation into small high-speed and longer-orientated projects, in order to ensure effectiveness, Deputy Minister Kyriacos Kokkinos said on Thursday.
 
Speaking before parliament during the presentation of the first budget of his Deputy Ministry, Kokkinos said “we know where we want to go and know how we want to get there,” and requested the assistance of the House of Representatives towards this end.
 
The budget for 2021 provided for €97.7 million expenditure, with projected budgets of €101.5 million for 2022 and €101 million for 2023.
 
Elaborating on the plan, Kokkinos said there would be smaller projects at a lower cost which would positively affect the economy, while others would take longer to implement and were of a higher cost.
 
Kokkinos said a total of 164 state services had been noted for digitalisation and that most would be delivered within 18 months.
 
Referring to the larger projects, he said they would need two to five years to implement with a total budget of €236 million. These projects included among others, digital identity, e-justice, and projects for the company registrar and hospitals.
 
Asked about online schooling, Kokkinos said it was ready and noted two challenges regarding the necessary equipment and the reactions of teachers to the use of cameras. He noted that, although it was not a precondition, the study would be submitted to the Commissioner for Personal Data this week.
 
To questions regarding the 5G network, Kokkinos said licencing would be completed in January and infrastructure would begin being set up in 2021, with a demand for providers to cover 75% 5G by 2025.