An arrangement for delivery of ICT through post offices becomes important where the post office is the only mode of communication that connects remote areas, as is the case in Bhutan, Calindi said.

The strategy is to use post offices to deliver ICT services, as most developing countries have some kind of postal network, even if skeletal, connecting the length and breadth of the country, he added.

For the post offices, the arrangement is often a way to beef up revenue as private competition and other forms of communications pick up, according to the report.

The use of the ICT offered by the post offices depends to a great extent on the status and level of economic activities in the region. In Vietnam, with high literacy, local businessmen use the facility for marketing and accessing market information, Calindi said.

In Bhutan, the post offices allow students in villages to access examination results and a variety of online content, rather than have to go all the way to Thimpu, the capital city.