Free Internet for young people aged 18 to 25

Young people aged 18 to 25 will be able to connect to the internet for free. This measure, which will benefit 80,000 young people, sparked reactions on social networks. Some people wonder if this is not a strategy to encourage them to register SIM cards. Others wonder about how this measure will be implemented. An Internet user regrets that free Internet connections are limited to people aged 18 to 25.

Furthermore, the government wishes to encourage digital transactions by removing fees associated with the use of the MAUCAS platform of the Bank of Mauritius (BoM). The government will launch a national “AI-for-all” campaign to encourage the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools, universities, businesses and the general public. AI training will be eligible for a 90% refund.

Incentives target ICT companies. They will benefit from a 25% reimbursement on a minimum investment of Rs 500,000 in new technologies and equipment under the “Small Business Digital Champion Scheme”. A virtual platform to present Mauritian IT services will be implemented. The margin of preference will be 50% for local service companies. A five-year blueprint for the digital industry will be developed. Finally, to accelerate the transition to renewable energies in the ICT sector, the CEB will launch a carbon neutrality program for these companies.

“There are interesting measures for innovation, digitalization and AI. The AI-for-all campaign and 90% reimbursement for training in this area will help promote the adoption of AI and increase skills, which is essential for the development of the nation. The major challenge is the lack of labor in the ICT sector. Measures are moving in this direction, in particular to encourage the hiring of foreign workers. Now we have to see how these measures will be implemented,” comments Jenny Chan, president of the Outsourcing & Telecommunications Association of Mauritius (OTAM), in a statement to Défi Plus.