The information and communication technology (ICT) service sector continues developing in Azerbaijan. The share of the ICT sector in Azerbaijan's GDP was 1.8 percent.
According to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee, the organisations and people of Azerbaijan were provided with information and communication services at a total cost of 1.255 billion manat in January-October 2013, which is 8.5 percent more than in the same period of 2012.
Some 72.4 percent of the total volume of information and communication services accounted for services rendered to the population.
Around 59.3 percent of the total amount of revenues fell to the mobile services. The total amount of revenues from mobile services in the country amounted to 744.5 million manat in January-October or eight percent more than in the same period of 2012.
In October 2013, the total number of electronic-digital signatures (EDS) issued in Azerbaijan by the National Certification Services Centre increased by 2.9 percent, reaching 16,415 units as of November 1, the Information Computing Centre of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies said.
According to the Information Computing Centre, the number of electronic-digital signature owners has increased by more than sevenfold in Azerbaijan since early 2013.
In October, the National Certification Services Centre issued 462 digital signature cards or by 35.9 percent more than the number of electronic-digital signatures issued in September.
Some 12,156 units of the total number of issued electronic-digital signatures accounted for state agencies, 657 units were issued to legal entities and 3,602 to citizens.
Some 272 services of the total number of approved electronic services (426) are available on the e-government portal (e-gov.az).
The total number of e-services available on the Azerbaijani government's websites is 407.
According to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee, as of January-October 2013, the e-commerce market volume in Azerbaijan amounted to 2 million manat.
The total volume of retail e-commerce increased by 1.7 times in Azerbaijan compared to the same period of last year.
The legal and physical entities engaged in e-commerce and who are also buyers of goods and services are the participants of e- commerce market.
Around 83.9 percent of goods purchased by the Azerbaijani population in electronic form were bought by legal entities and 16.1 percent - by physical entities. Around 90.4 percent of the e-commerce market turnover accounted for non-food products.
The total volume of retail trade amounted to 15.6 billion manat in Azerbaijan for the period. The sales of consumer goods increased by 9.7 percent compared to the same period of last year.
More than a half (52.8 percent) of this volume fell to foodstuffs. The share of non-food goods was 48.2 percent increasing by four percentage points.