Turkmen Leader Promises IT Revolution

26-Sep-08

As Turkmenistan makes efforts to modernise and improve its IT and telecommunications systems, observers say internet access remains a major headache.

Telecoms chiefs from the Commonwealth of Independent States met in Ashgabat on September 24-25 to discuss IT and communications developments in the region. The meeting coincided with the Turkmentel-2008 exhibition, also held in the Turkmen capital, which was only the second such event hosted by the country and was attended by manufacturers and service providers from nearly 100 countries.

Addressing the participants in both events, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov spoke of a major drive to achieve progress, so that “the internet and modern communications technologies become available to everyone in Turkmenistan”.

Berdymuhammedov was elected in February 2007 following many years in which Turkmenistan lived in a state of self-imposed isolation – a deliberate policy pursued by his predecessor Saparmurat Niazov. In April the same year, Berdymuhammedov issued instructions for internet access to be made available even “in all kindergartens”.

Subsequently, computer classes started up in educational institutions, and internet cafes opened in Ashgabat and the main regional towns. Local observers say there are now about 20 internet cafes around the country.

Turkmenistan currently has two official internet providers – Turkmentelecom, providing dial-up internet connections, and MTS, a Russian cellphone operator which offers high-speed wireless internet access as well as WAP services on mobile phones. However, the MTS services are available only to corporate subscribers.

While NBCentralAsia observers concede that the situation now is somewhat better than in previous years, they say it remains difficult for the average person to get access to the internet.

“Since the ‘online thaw’ began, huge numbers of people have applied for a home internet connection,” said a Turkmentelecom engineer. “At the moment we’re unable to keep up with the demand.”

There are no official statistics on the number of internet users, but anecdotal evidence appears to confirm that demand currently far outstrips Turkmentelecom’s ability to install internet connections.

One Ashgabat resident said she went to the Turkmentelecom office three months ago to inquire about progress on the application she submitted in December 2007. She was told the company was now installing internet access for applications submitted in 2006.

There appears to be some exceptions – for example, a student in Ashgabat said he was about to be connected after a wait of only eight months. “I didn’t have to wait long…. Considering the way things used to be, it’s a change for the better.”

One user who already has a home connection said the service was so poor, with frequent breakdowns, that he still has to use internet cafes.

“The president said communications would be developed rapidly, but since I have no internet connection for days on end at home, what good is this service? The authorities need to think about improving the technical side of internet provision,” he said.

NBCentralAsia experts say that while some progress has been made in the Turkmen capital, the situation is little changed in other parts of the country.

“Only in Ashgabat is it possible for anyone to get an internet connection,” said one observer in the city. “Unfortunately, that isn’t the case in rural areas and the smaller towns.”

Technology is the limiting factor – telephone landlines are not available everywhere, making internet use impossible. There are even parts of Ashgabat where people do not have phones.

One blogger based in the country believes the government should make a technological leap and move straight towards installing high-speed web connections.

Other commentators say the obstacles are not only to do with new technologies, and note that the authorities continue to maintain control over the internet, blocking opposition websites, proxy servers, VPN (virtual private network) systems and satellite internet access.

An internet café manager in the north of Turkmenistan said, “Even if you get a web connection, you will never be a user in the full sense that you would be in a civilised country.”

(NBCentralAsia is an IWPR-funded project to create a multilingual news analysis and comment service for Central Asia, drawing on the expertise of a broad range of political observers across the region. The project ran from August 2006 to September 2007, covering all five regional states. With new funding, the service is resuming, covering only Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan for the moment.)