Eastera, and MKF Networks), as well as TARENA. 17 At the time of writing, the IXP is
not operational as ISPs prefer to maintain bilateral peering connections between
them.
Most Internet users are young and access the Internet through Internet cafe ´s close to
schools and universities. In January 2006, the Ministry of Transport and Communications estimated that some 400 Internet cafe ´s, mostly concentrated in large cities,
operated in the country. Many Internet cafe ´s act as second-tier ISPs and buy their
bandwidth from the first-level ISPs (i.e., main ISPs in the country with independent
international connection). Recent changes in licensing regulations require Internet
cafe ´s operating as ISPs to obtain a license from the Ministry, a requirement which has
brought about a decrease of the overall number of Internet cafe ´s. 18
Although more than 70 percent of the population resides in rural areas, Internet
access is mainly restricted to urban areas because of poor infrastructure and low affordability. A 2005 study by the local Civil Initiative on Internet Policy (CIPI) shows a great
disparity between the percentage of men accessing Internet (77.5) and that of women
(22.5). 19 About 12 percent of users are secondary school students, with around 100
schools across the country connected to the Internet. The most active users are university students, employees of international organizations, commercial companies, and
public sector institutions.
Tajik is the official national language. Nevertheless, Russian remains the most popular language for Internet use. According to data obtained from the national information portal (TopTJ.com), the top-ten most-visited Web sites in October 2007 were
informational and analytical portals (AsiaPlus, Varorud, Watanweb, Ariana), a commercial bank, and entertainment sites. Other popular Web sites include mail.ru; popular
research engines are rambler.ru, google.com, yahoo.com, and yandex.ru. Among Tajik
youth, the most popular applications include instant messenger, followed by social
networking sites (odnokassniki.ru, my.mail.ru), and online educational resources.
Local Tajik content on the Internet is poorly developed. Most Internet content is
available in Russian, but the knowledge of Russian among the younger generation is
gradually decreasing. A survey conducted among 342 students and professors from nine
universities showed 60 percent of respondents saw the Internet as an informational
and educational resource, but not as a means to create local information resources. 20
The Tajik top-level domain name was registered with the Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority (IANA) in 1997, but the domain name was later suspended because it was
used mainly for registering pornography sites. In 2003, the domain name registration
was delegated to the Information and Technical Center of the President of Tajikistan
Administration, a state entity that now supervises registrations within the ‘‘.tj’’ domain. 21 Any operator that has a license for providing telecommunication services
(including Internet) is eligible to act as a domain registrar. By January 19, 2008, 4,894
second-level domain names were registered within the ‘‘.tj’’ domain. 22
230
Tajikistan
not operational as ISPs prefer to maintain bilateral peering connections between
them.
Most Internet users are young and access the Internet through Internet cafe ´s close to
schools and universities. In January 2006, the Ministry of Transport and Communications estimated that some 400 Internet cafe ´s, mostly concentrated in large cities,
operated in the country. Many Internet cafe ´s act as second-tier ISPs and buy their
bandwidth from the first-level ISPs (i.e., main ISPs in the country with independent
international connection). Recent changes in licensing regulations require Internet
cafe ´s operating as ISPs to obtain a license from the Ministry, a requirement which has
brought about a decrease of the overall number of Internet cafe ´s. 18
Although more than 70 percent of the population resides in rural areas, Internet
access is mainly restricted to urban areas because of poor infrastructure and low affordability. A 2005 study by the local Civil Initiative on Internet Policy (CIPI) shows a great
disparity between the percentage of men accessing Internet (77.5) and that of women
(22.5). 19 About 12 percent of users are secondary school students, with around 100
schools across the country connected to the Internet. The most active users are university students, employees of international organizations, commercial companies, and
public sector institutions.
Tajik is the official national language. Nevertheless, Russian remains the most popular language for Internet use. According to data obtained from the national information portal (TopTJ.com), the top-ten most-visited Web sites in October 2007 were
informational and analytical portals (AsiaPlus, Varorud, Watanweb, Ariana), a commercial bank, and entertainment sites. Other popular Web sites include mail.ru; popular
research engines are rambler.ru, google.com, yahoo.com, and yandex.ru. Among Tajik
youth, the most popular applications include instant messenger, followed by social
networking sites (odnokassniki.ru, my.mail.ru), and online educational resources.
Local Tajik content on the Internet is poorly developed. Most Internet content is
available in Russian, but the knowledge of Russian among the younger generation is
gradually decreasing. A survey conducted among 342 students and professors from nine
universities showed 60 percent of respondents saw the Internet as an informational
and educational resource, but not as a means to create local information resources. 20
The Tajik top-level domain name was registered with the Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority (IANA) in 1997, but the domain name was later suspended because it was
used mainly for registering pornography sites. In 2003, the domain name registration
was delegated to the Information and Technical Center of the President of Tajikistan
Administration, a state entity that now supervises registrations within the ‘‘.tj’’ domain. 21 Any operator that has a license for providing telecommunication services
(including Internet) is eligible to act as a domain registrar. By January 19, 2008, 4,894
second-level domain names were registered within the ‘‘.tj’’ domain. 22
230
Tajikistan