A coherent national ICT policy is necessary for the development of sustainable and effective infrastructure and also for reducing waste of resources. Most of the Asian countries have distinct policies of their own to ensure that they can take the full advantage of the technical opportunities available to them and exploit them for economic development.

Afghanistan
The Ministry of Communications, Government of Afghanistan has prepared ‘Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) - Policy Paper’ to enable Afghanistan to draw benefit from ICT by fully becoming part of the global information society. The government wants to use ICT to improve government and social services and foster the rebuilding process.
http://www.export.gov/afghanistan/pdf/ict_policypaper.pdf

Bangladesh
The Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology, Government of Bangladesh has drafted National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy. This Policy aims at building an ICT-driven nation comprising of knowledge-based society by the year 2006.
http://www.bccbd.org/html/itpolicy.htm

Bhutan
The ‘Bhutan Information and Communications Technology Policy and Strategies (BIPS)’ of the Royal Government of Bhutan was drafted with the overall policy objectives to use ICT for good governance, to create a Bhutanese info-culture and to create a ‘High-Tech Habitat’.

http://www.dit.gov.bt/guidelines/bips.pdf

Cambodia
The Government of Cambodia through the ICT policy want to narrow the digital divide. The advancement in technologies has pushed the disparities between different geographical regions of the country broader. While the cities like Phnom Penh have mobile telephones, Internet access and other value added services, remote provinces are still not having enough basic analogue telephone systems.
http://www.apdip.net/projects/2004/kh-la-epolicies/kh/DraftPolicy.pdf

Hong Kong, China
Legislative Council Information Policy Panel of Hong Kong has prepared ‘Development of Information Infrastructure in Hong Kong’ for the development of the physical infrastructure and touches on the promotion of the effective use of that infrastructure for possible applications.
http://www.ofta.gov.hk/mis/rp97a231.html

India
In May 1998, the Prime Minister of India formed a National Taskforce on Information Technology and Software Development to formulate a long term National IT policy for the country. The Taskforce submitted three key reports to the government.

IT Action Plan - I: Software IT
http://www.nasscom.org/download/action_plan_1.pdf
Action Plan - II: Hardware IT
http://www.nasscom.org/download/action_plan_2.pdf
Action Plan - III: Long Term National IT Policy
http://www.nasscom.org/download/action_plan_3.pdf


Indonesia
Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI), Government of Indonesia has drafted ‘Promoting Internet Policy and Regulatory Reform in Indonesia’ to facilitate the growth of Internet in the country. In most parts of the country, there is a problem of accessibility.
http://www.internews.fr/documents/ICT_Dev_Indonesia_2003.pdf

Japan
The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has designed ‘Vision 21 for Info-Communications’ to evolve a more sophisticated system of info-communications. Japan is highly developed in information and communication technology.
http://www.soumu.go.jp/joho_tsusin/policyreports/english/telecouncil/v21-9706/v21-9706-e.html

Pakistan
The guiding theme for the IT policy of Pakistan drafted by IT and Telecom Division is that the government has to be the facilitator and an enabler to let the private sector drive the development in IT and Telecommunications.
http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/divisions/ContentListing.jsp?DivID= 9&cPath=81_85_237

Philippines
The ‘National Information Technology Plan 2000’ (NITP2000) of Philippines documents an overall strategy to spur the country to global competitiveness through information technology diffusion.
http://www.sdnbd.org/sdi/issues/IT-computer/policy/philippines.pdf

Thailand
The National Information Technology Committee has drafted ‘Social Equity and Prosperity: Thailand IT Policy into the 21st Century’ to harness the full potential of IT for the socio-economic development of the country.
http://www.nitc.go.th/it-2000/full.en.html