tional operator) and the establishment of an independent regulatory authority. 8 In
recent years, the telecommunications sector has boosted Tajikistan’s GDP, and the
number of licensed Internet and mobile operators has been increasing. In 2008, more
than 180 companies were licensed in the ICT market. 9
Internet penetration in Tajikistan is estimated at 6.6 percent (2008). 10 In 2009, the
cost of accessing the Internet increased, further restricting development of the sector.
Access costs of USD 73 per hour at Internet cafe ´s and up to USD 300 for unlimited
Wi-Fi traffic compare poorly with average wages of USD 35 per month and a minimum
salary of USD 7 per month. The price for one hour of Internet access in Internet cafe ´s
is USD 0.73; unlimited monthly traffic by dial-up access costs USD 26.41; xDSL with
capacity of 128/64 Kbps amounts to USD 200; and Wi-Fi unlimited traffic per month
with the same capacity is USD 300. 11
One respected Tajik NGO estimates that 1 percent of households own personal
computers and that most people access the Internet from home by way of dial-up
connections. 12 Access with DSL and wireless (Wi-Fi and WiMAX) technologies is limited by relatively high costs, and therefore restricted to a small number of commercial
companies.
In 2009, there are ten main ISPs in Tajikistan actively providing Internet services to
all major cities in the country. 13 The state-owned telecommunications company Tajiktelecom, which provides local, long-distance, and international telephone, mobile telephony, and Internet services, lost its unrivaled dominance of the telecoms market in
2007, when Babilon-Mobile seized more than 30 percent of the market.
Tajikistan remains dependent on satellite-based connections, as the cost of fiber remains high—approximately 30 percent higher than using the same-capacity channel
over VSAT. The country is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) 14 fiber-optic highway passing through Uzbekistan, and a second connection is under construction to
Kyrgyzstan. In part to overcome this bottleneck, both Tajiktelecom and Babilon-T
have an ambitious plan to expand their fiber-optic infrastructure across the country
and establish connections with China. 15
The ISPs are reluctant to share information about their bandwidth because of the
concern that the data would be used by their competitors to undermine their market
position. They are also reluctant to discuss their international points of connection
from which they buy bandwidth. The ONI data reveal that with the exception of
TARENA (an educational network), all Tajik ISPs maintained two international points
of access, one located in Russia and the other in Western Europe. Tajik providers are
aggressive in adopting new technologies. Three of the operators, Babilon-T, Telecom
Technology, and Eastera, provide a commercial Next Generation Network (NGN)
service. 16
In 2005, the Association of Tajik ISPs established a national Internet exchange point
(IXP) that connected only four of the ten commercial ISPs (Babilon-T, Compuworld,
Tajikistan
229
recent years, the telecommunications sector has boosted Tajikistan’s GDP, and the
number of licensed Internet and mobile operators has been increasing. In 2008, more
than 180 companies were licensed in the ICT market. 9
Internet penetration in Tajikistan is estimated at 6.6 percent (2008). 10 In 2009, the
cost of accessing the Internet increased, further restricting development of the sector.
Access costs of USD 73 per hour at Internet cafe ´s and up to USD 300 for unlimited
Wi-Fi traffic compare poorly with average wages of USD 35 per month and a minimum
salary of USD 7 per month. The price for one hour of Internet access in Internet cafe ´s
is USD 0.73; unlimited monthly traffic by dial-up access costs USD 26.41; xDSL with
capacity of 128/64 Kbps amounts to USD 200; and Wi-Fi unlimited traffic per month
with the same capacity is USD 300. 11
One respected Tajik NGO estimates that 1 percent of households own personal
computers and that most people access the Internet from home by way of dial-up
connections. 12 Access with DSL and wireless (Wi-Fi and WiMAX) technologies is limited by relatively high costs, and therefore restricted to a small number of commercial
companies.
In 2009, there are ten main ISPs in Tajikistan actively providing Internet services to
all major cities in the country. 13 The state-owned telecommunications company Tajiktelecom, which provides local, long-distance, and international telephone, mobile telephony, and Internet services, lost its unrivaled dominance of the telecoms market in
2007, when Babilon-Mobile seized more than 30 percent of the market.
Tajikistan remains dependent on satellite-based connections, as the cost of fiber remains high—approximately 30 percent higher than using the same-capacity channel
over VSAT. The country is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) 14 fiber-optic highway passing through Uzbekistan, and a second connection is under construction to
Kyrgyzstan. In part to overcome this bottleneck, both Tajiktelecom and Babilon-T
have an ambitious plan to expand their fiber-optic infrastructure across the country
and establish connections with China. 15
The ISPs are reluctant to share information about their bandwidth because of the
concern that the data would be used by their competitors to undermine their market
position. They are also reluctant to discuss their international points of connection
from which they buy bandwidth. The ONI data reveal that with the exception of
TARENA (an educational network), all Tajik ISPs maintained two international points
of access, one located in Russia and the other in Western Europe. Tajik providers are
aggressive in adopting new technologies. Three of the operators, Babilon-T, Telecom
Technology, and Eastera, provide a commercial Next Generation Network (NGN)
service. 16
In 2005, the Association of Tajik ISPs established a national Internet exchange point
(IXP) that connected only four of the ten commercial ISPs (Babilon-T, Compuworld,
Tajikistan
229