Over the first nine months of this year, total income of telecommunications companies operating in Tajikistan has been estimated at 1.778 billion somoni operators (equivalent to some 184 million USD), according to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan.
Over the same period last year, the telecommunications operators earned income totaling 1.813 billion somoni (equivalent to 187.6 million USD).
Meanwhile, total incomes the Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) Tajiktelecom and the State Unitary Enterprise Pochtai Tojik (Tajik Post), which are subordinate to the Communications Service under the Government of Tajikistan, fell from 148 million somoni in January-September 2018 to 146 million somoni in January-September this year.
As of October 1, 2019, a total number of Internet users in Tajikistan was some 3 million people, while a total number of mobile communications users was nearly 6.2 million, with some 4.5 million of them being active users.
Incomes of the country’s telecoms sector have been declining for the fourth consecutive year since the Unified Electronic Communications Switching Center was established at OJSC Tajiktelecom in January 2016. Internet service providers (ISPs) must now buy data from this Center.
The World Bank noted in its report released in late August that the telecoms sector, which was a source of dynamic growth amid open competition in the early 2000s, has become overregulated and less competitive. In contrast to its declared official strategy to develop a more competitive and dynamic telecoms industry, through its regulator, the communication service agency, the government has tightened the regulatory environment.
Tajikistan Country Economic Memorandum Nurturing Tajikistan’s Growth Potential says the communications service agency has a monopoly on the provision of online data and runs the state telephony and internet services provider.
According to the report, urgent measures are needed to restore confidence in the telecoms sector, reduce regulatory risks, and take advantage of international connectivity initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative.
