country. The government has put in place a complex security system that is capable of
state surveillance of Internet traffic and suppression of undesirable Internet content.
Given government pressure on opposition media, self-censorship may also be an issue
among online media publishers and bloggers. The technical sophistication of the
Kazakhstan Internet environment is evolving and the government’s tendency toward
stricter online controls warrant closer examination and monitoring.
Notes
1. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, ‘‘Missed Opportunity in Kazakhstan:
Fraud and Intimidation Spoil Election Promised to Be ‘Free and Fair,’ ’’ December 15, 2005,
http://www.csce.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=ContentRecords.ViewDetail&ContentRecord_id=107&
ContentType=G.
2. Article 20, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Constitution of the Kazakhstan Republic and the Law on
Media and Telecommunications (with last amendments of January 2006), Article 2, paragraph 1.
3. Miniwatts Marketing Group, ‘‘Internet World Statistics: Kazakhstan,’’ 2009, http://www
.internetworldstats.com/asia/kz.htm.
4. Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan, ‘‘Ispolzovaniye Tekhniki Svyazi dlya Dostupa v Internet,’’
[Using Communication Technologies to Access the Internet], http://www.stat.kz/.
5. Ibid.
6. ‘‘Sovmestnyi Proekt Isledovatelskoy Kompanii ‘Komkon-2 Evraziya’ i Informacionnogo Portala
‘Centr Tyazhesti’ ’’ [ Joint Project of the Research Companies ‘‘Komkon-2 Eurasia’’ and the Information Portal ‘‘Center Tyajesti’’], 2008.
7. National News Agency KazInform, ‘‘Srednyaya Zarplata v Kazakhstane’’ [Average Salary in
Kazakhstan], April 15, 2008, http://www.zakon.kz/our/news/news.asp?id=30173385.
8. Economist Intelligence Unit, ‘‘Kazakhstan Telecoms and Technology Report: Internet,’’ October 15, 2008, http://store.eiu.com/product/1597096959KZ.html.
9. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Assessment Report Kazakhstan, 2008,
http://www.ebrd.com/country/sector/law/telecoms/assess/kazak.pdf.
10. For comparison, by the end of 2002 the total Internet bandwidth capacity for Kazakhstan was
46 Mbps; by the end of 2003 it was 189 Mbps, and in June 2006 it was 665 Mbps. Paul Budde
Communications, Pty., Ltd.,‘‘Kazakhstan—Telecoms Market Overview, Statistics and Forecasts,’’
November 17, 2008.
11. This investment is part of the USD 110 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Lucent Worldwide Services and Winncom Technologies are providing
support for the project. In 2006, KazakhTelecom began construction of a next-generation network
(NGN) and plans to deploy fixed wireless access (FWA) platforms such as Wi-Fi and WiMAX.
Kazakhstan
189
state surveillance of Internet traffic and suppression of undesirable Internet content.
Given government pressure on opposition media, self-censorship may also be an issue
among online media publishers and bloggers. The technical sophistication of the
Kazakhstan Internet environment is evolving and the government’s tendency toward
stricter online controls warrant closer examination and monitoring.
Notes
1. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, ‘‘Missed Opportunity in Kazakhstan:
Fraud and Intimidation Spoil Election Promised to Be ‘Free and Fair,’ ’’ December 15, 2005,
http://www.csce.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=ContentRecords.ViewDetail&ContentRecord_id=107&
ContentType=G.
2. Article 20, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Constitution of the Kazakhstan Republic and the Law on
Media and Telecommunications (with last amendments of January 2006), Article 2, paragraph 1.
3. Miniwatts Marketing Group, ‘‘Internet World Statistics: Kazakhstan,’’ 2009, http://www
.internetworldstats.com/asia/kz.htm.
4. Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan, ‘‘Ispolzovaniye Tekhniki Svyazi dlya Dostupa v Internet,’’
[Using Communication Technologies to Access the Internet], http://www.stat.kz/.
5. Ibid.
6. ‘‘Sovmestnyi Proekt Isledovatelskoy Kompanii ‘Komkon-2 Evraziya’ i Informacionnogo Portala
‘Centr Tyazhesti’ ’’ [ Joint Project of the Research Companies ‘‘Komkon-2 Eurasia’’ and the Information Portal ‘‘Center Tyajesti’’], 2008.
7. National News Agency KazInform, ‘‘Srednyaya Zarplata v Kazakhstane’’ [Average Salary in
Kazakhstan], April 15, 2008, http://www.zakon.kz/our/news/news.asp?id=30173385.
8. Economist Intelligence Unit, ‘‘Kazakhstan Telecoms and Technology Report: Internet,’’ October 15, 2008, http://store.eiu.com/product/1597096959KZ.html.
9. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Assessment Report Kazakhstan, 2008,
http://www.ebrd.com/country/sector/law/telecoms/assess/kazak.pdf.
10. For comparison, by the end of 2002 the total Internet bandwidth capacity for Kazakhstan was
46 Mbps; by the end of 2003 it was 189 Mbps, and in June 2006 it was 665 Mbps. Paul Budde
Communications, Pty., Ltd.,‘‘Kazakhstan—Telecoms Market Overview, Statistics and Forecasts,’’
November 17, 2008.
11. This investment is part of the USD 110 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Lucent Worldwide Services and Winncom Technologies are providing
support for the project. In 2006, KazakhTelecom began construction of a next-generation network
(NGN) and plans to deploy fixed wireless access (FWA) platforms such as Wi-Fi and WiMAX.
Kazakhstan
189