UZBEKISTAN: EYE ON 21ST CENTURY FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS

UNCLAS TASHKENT 000209 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE SBU DELIBERATIVE PROCESS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EINT SOCI KPRV UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: EYE ON 21ST CENTURY FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Khakim Mukhitdinov, First Deputy General Director of the Information and Communication Agency of Uzbekistan, described for us the state of telecommunications in Uzbekistan, current projects, and future plans. According to him Uzbekistan is well connected to the world through four cables and backup satellite channels, and his Agency is working on an ambitious program to launch HDTV and WiFi services this spring. The long-awaited privatization of Uzbektelecom, however, has been delayed because "now is not a good time to privatize." END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On February 20 we met with Khakim Mukhitdinov, the First Deputy General Director of the Information and Communication Agency of Uzbekistan. Mr. Mukhitdinov had come to the Embassy to notarize papers requested by Intelsat, but he took time to meet with DCM and Econoff to describe the work carried out by his Agency. ¶3. (SBU) The Agency, which before 2005 was known as the Agency of Post and Communications, has four main areas of activity: telecommunications, development of information technologies and infrastructure, postal services, and media distribution. According to Mr. Mukhitdinov's description, Uzbekistan's communication infrastructure is remarkably advanced. There are five channels for international communication access: 1 -- A cable crossing Kazakhstan that connects Uzbekistan to Russian networks; 2 -- A cable crossing Kazakhstan and China; 3 -- A cable crossing Turkmenistan and Iran that connects to European networks; 4 -- A cable crossing Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India; and 5 -- Satellite Mukhitdinov told us that the cables to Russia, Iran, and China also serve as Uzbekistan's "grand routes" for connecting to the Internet. For both Internet and telecommunications, the satellite channel serves as a backup. He added that Uzbekistan's high quality cable to Afghanistan could be of interest to various U.S. agencies in light of U.S. interests in the region. He also noted that a German company is building a cable that will connect Afghanistan to Germany. ¶4. (SBU) Mukhitdinov said that approximately sixty districts in Uzbekistan are already connected to digital optical fiber networks. In the near future the Agency is planning to improve the "last mile" connection to homes and businesses, much as was done in the U.S. in the 1990s. In April the Agency will launch both HDTV broadcasting and a WiFi service that will cover the cities of Tashkent, Ferghana, and Samarkand with connection speeds up to 8 Mbps. ¶5. (SBU) In 2007 the Government of Uzbekistan adopted a plan for E-government, and Mukhitdinov told us that his Agency is running a pilot project with the Hokimiat of Syrdarya Province. The Agency still faces fundamental choices of software, hardware, and electronic security systems before E-government can be deployed at the national level. At present the Agency is reviewing the experience of other countries such as China, Estonia, and Latvia to see how their E-government systems might be adapted to Uzbekistan. ¶6. (SBU) We asked Mukhitdinov when the long-expected privatization of Uzbektelecom would take place. He remarked that he had been General Director of Uzbektelecom for eight years before his promotion to the Agency and was therefore very familiar with the issue. He told us that the plan to privatize the company in 2008-09 had been delayed due to the global financial crisis. He remarked that "now is not a good time to privatize." COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Mukhitdinov is clearly proud of the work being carried out by the Information and Communication Agency. He spoke animatedly and excitedly. After the meeting ended, however, we returned to today's reality of slow, unreliable home Internet connections and grainy Uzbek TV. We can only hope that Mukhitdinov's exciting dream will become a reality and that in April all of Tashkent will be covered by a superb WiFi network and that Uzbeks will be lured away from Russian satellite TV for the exciting world of Uzbek HDTV. NORLAND To view the entire SMART message, go to URL http://repository.state.sgov.gov/_layouts/OSS SearchResults.aspx?k=messageid:e96ed29c-6a48- 445a-bf57-cfa87d14356c