TURKMENISTAN: TURKMENTELEKOM RESUMES PRIVATE INTERNET

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000736 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, DRL, EEB COMMERCE FOR HEUPER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM ANET KPAO TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: TURKMENTELEKOM RESUMES PRIVATE INTERNET ACCOUNTS REF: ASHGABAT 0348 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: International press reports and local users indicate that Turkmentelekom is expanding private Internet services by up to twenty homes daily. This is the first time since 2002, when Turkmentelekom froze all new private accounts. The new service is cheaper than what is offered by local internet cafes. Concerns rest in how quickly the new services can reach customers, when capacity will be reached, and how closely the connections will be monitored. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (U) On June 6, news reports indicated that Turkmentelekom, the only telecommunications company currently in Turkmenistan, began installing new Internet services for private home users. Under former President Niyazov, Turkmentelekom stopped registering private Internet accounts in 2002. According to local reports, there are more than 2,000 homes on a waiting list, and Turkmentelekom is installing internet service at a rate of twenty new homes per day. The cost for Internet is approximately $0.80/hr plus the monthly $8 charge, which is cheaper than local internet cafes. ¶4. (SBU) New users report an improved service. All connections remain dial-up, but customers can now connect immediately without being disconnected multiple times and reconnecting. Once online, the connections are also more reliable, not cutting out as often in the middle of internet surfing sessions. ¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: There is no indication how long Turkmentelekom will be able to continue connecting homes and when their capacity will be reached. There is a lot of interest in the Internet, but connections remain consistently slow and poor, even with these new additions. It is also not known which sites will be monitored. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND