DUSHANBE, March 2, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) plans to enlist services of domestic investors to create telecommunications transportation network, Deputy transport and Communications Minister, Beg Zuhurov said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
According to him, the country’s government worked out the Transportation Networks of Telecommunications in Tajikistan project in 2004 already. The estimated budget for the implementation of this project is $20 million-$25 million.
“The project will enable to improve quality of the Internet services and reduce their prices by half,” the MoTC official said, noting that at present a monthly cost of Internet services in the republic fluctuates from $30.00 to $45.00 for personal users and from $500 to $1,000 for corporate users. “The project will allow to make Internet more accessible,” Zuhurov said.
According to him, the first two phases of the project have already been accomplished due to funds provided by open joint-stock company (OJSC) Tajik Telecom, Tajikistan’s state-run telecommunications operator. “Those phases included the creation the network inside Dushanbe as well as network linking the capital city to the country”s regions,” said the deputy minister, “The last third phase of the project envisages the creation of the network linking Tajikistan to neighboring countries – Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.”
He added that to implement the third phase of the project Tajik Telecom intends to enlist services of domestic investors, including telecommunications companies and subscribers interested in participation in the project.
“We are going to offer them investing in the creation of the network and after the completion of the project they will use Internet services on preferential terms,” Zuhurov said, noting that as Tajikistan does not have its own communications satellite it has to rent Russia’s satellite at the rate of $20,000 per month
