April 2000

Update: Albania

In Albania, only 10 companies have servers linked directly to WWW. Out of these companies, 6 are private companies, 1 public institution and 3 donor institutions. In general, these web sites support only one organization or subject, not multiple ones. However, because of the low level of Internet service development, many institutions do not have web sites. It is very common that members of an organization have no other web sites apart from the organization’s website.

Since last year, 10 Internet Service Providers have been set up in the form of Internet Café, Internet Centers, etc. They provide both limited and unlimited service 24 hours a day. Because of the short supply of the ISPs, the costs are relatively high. Nevertheless, with the increasing competition in the ISP business and lower rates, more private subjects and NGOs will be attracted to using private ISPs.

At present, only one organization provides Internet service for free. SOROS foundation provides such service to a particular category of institutions and organizations (NGOs, educational institutions, etc.).

* There are over 1500 primary schools and 1700 secondary schools all over Albania. None of them has web site until now. We have contacted the departments of primary, secondary and high school education in the Ministry of Education and Science with respect to this problem. Even the Ministry of Education and Science does not have a website.

** This figure includes 16 national ministries, Council of Ministries, Parliament, Presidency, National Securities Agency, and National Agency of Privatization. Some ministries are in the tender process for finding the proper ISP for them, while some others are planning to have their own web sites in the near future.

*** Regional and Local Authorities include: Municipalities, Prefectures, Communes, as well as Regional Development Agencies, Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Political Parties in Albania.