Sources: Central News Agency; Taipei Times
The Executive Yuan approved a multibillion-dollar plan Nov. 24, 2016, to build a digital infrastructure nationwide and develop the digital economy, with the aim of boosting the annual output of the digital sector to NT$6.5 trillion (US$203.6 billion) by 2025.
The government plans to launch the nine-year "DIGI-plus" program next year to build a digital infrastructure, create an innovation-friendly environment for the digital industry and increase internet usage penetration to secure people's right to internet access, Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung said.
To implement the plan, an initial NT$11 billion will be allocated in 2017, with an annual budget of NT$20 billion to be allocated in the following years, in an effort to rank Taiwan among the world's top 10 in e-competitiveness and raise the ratio of the digital economy to GDP to 30 percent.
The program is also aimed at raising the overall usage rate of digital services from 25.8 percent to 80 percent by 2025 in order to boost the nation's technology readiness to the top six in the world.
Proposed by the board of science and technology under the Executive Yuan, the plan includes building an environment conductive to +digital innovation, cultivating digital talent, upgrading the digital industry, and developing digital cities, the Executive Yuan said in a statement.