Bosnia-Herzegovina

[BA] The Use of the Internet Is in Expansion

IRIS 2009-5:1/10

Dusan Babic

Media Analyst, Sarajevo

The Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA/RAK) recently published its 2008 report on the Internet in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There are currently 66 Internet service providers (ISPs) legally registered in the country. According to the information available, provided by 62 of those ISPs, there are 336,163 Internet subscribers and approximately 1.3 million Internet users. The percentage rate shows a degree of the Internet use amounting to 34 %, which is an increase of 6.75 % compared to the previous year. The total population of Bosnia and Herzegovina is less than 4 million.

Regarding the access to the Internet the so-called dial-up model still prevails (via analogue modem and ISDN), representing 43.9 % of the total number of the subscribers. But statistics indicate that the dial-up access is in retreat, and in a nearby future the broadband Internet access will prevail.

Financially the ISPs gained BAM 52 million (about EUR 26 million), which represents 0.24 % of the country's gross national product.

Available statistics clearly indicate that the use of the Internet increases. Its expansion might be detrimental for traditional media, both print and broadcast, since many Internet users read the online editions of the mainstream papers, and even watch TV via Internet.

The RAK also expects that further liberalisation of the telecommunications markets and the introduction of new technologies, digitalisation in the first place, will mean better services and a further expansion of the Internet.