TURKMENISTAN: IRC ASHGABAT REQUESTS DEPARTMENT APPROVAL TO

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001143

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, EEB, DS/SI/IS, and DS/SI/CS.


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMGT ASEC ANET PGOV PHUM EAGR KPAO SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: IRC ASHGABAT REQUESTS DEPARTMENT APPROVAL TO
OFFER WIFI INTERNET ACCESS TO PATRONS



1. This is an action request. See paragraph 5.


2. The Information Resource Center in Ashgabat (IRC Ashgabat),part
of Embassy Ashgabat's Public Affairs Section, would like to extend
its Internet access service via wireless internet service (WIFI) to
its patrons. The availability of the Internet across Turkmenistan
is one of the most limited in the world. Turkmen Telekom, a
state-owned enterprise with a near monopoly on telephony and
multimedia services, has not issued new individual Internet accounts
since 2004. In a capital city with 500,000 inhabitants, there are
just five Internet cafes at hourly rates unaffordable for the
average citizen. The bandwidth for the entire country is only two
megabytes. School classrooms may have computers but no Internet
connection. As far as post is aware, WiFi at IRC Ashgabat will be
the first 'hotspot' in the country. (Although a Russian
telecommunications company has announced publicly it was working on
a contract to bring wireless Internet access to Turkmenistan, as
well as Internet access via cellphone.) Needless to say, it remains
a challenge for those seeking continued and stable access to the
Internet for educational and professional development.


3. The IRC will build WiFi service onto the existing contract with
the Ashgabat-based international Internet Service Provider (the
server is in Italy) and allow patrons to access it using their own
laptops. The Embassy's Public Diplomacy Section and IRC are located
in a separate Turkmenistan government-owned hotel away from the U.S.
Embassy compound. While the Public Diplomacy Section does have an
SBU system, classified documents are not processed at the site and
the SBU system is separated from the IRC by a guarded hardline. The
SBU system and the IRC LAN are entirely independent and have no
common cable runs, equipment locations, or signal paths.


4. IRC Ashgabat offers the Turkmen public a rapidly growing
selection of over 1,000 books, 400 DVDs and videos and more than 30
periodicals on American culture, politics, and history. There are
self-study opportunities through its five learning stations and
three access terminals dedicated for alumni of USG-sponsored
exchange programs. IRC Ashgabat patrons have access to Factiva,
Lexis/Nexis and numerous other commercial databases as well as State
Department publications and press releases. Currently, the IRC has
internet access through its nine desktop terminals. In our ongoing
efforts to promote U.S. foreign policy, culture and values, we hope
that offering wireless Internet access will increase the number of
young and energetic alumni, students, and professionals who visit
our center and benefit from the Internet.


5. Action Request: Post seeks Department approval to install
wireless internet service in its Information Resource Center. Post
understands that, if approved, there would need to be some controls
for auditing, controlling and/or limiting access (i.e. limited range
wireless) and would appreciate any guidance that the Department can
provide.

HOAGLAND