its corporate clients in Turkmenistan. In May 2008, the same service was offered to
individual users for USD 50/Mbit plus a one-time fee of USD 5. As of 2008, MTS had
around 500,000 users in Turkmenistan. 23 The service provided by MTS is considerably
cheaper than TurkmenTelecom’s: it costs USD 5 to connect (one-time fee); 1 MB is 58
cents (day) and 29 cents (night). For users who live in rural areas where fixed lines are
not modernized, MTS remains the only option to connect to the Internet. Interestingly, MTS’s introduction of GPRS Internet seems not to have been supported by the
government, and the service was never announced in official media. The price is
still quite high for most users, the service slow and unreliable, and Internet traffic still
monitored and filtered through TurkmenTelecom. Focusing on GPRS, however, would
herald a leap forward in public access to the Internet, bypassing the high-cost infrastructure of land and telephone lines. If the state does not encourage the establishment
of independent networks, however, the service could remain slow, expensive, and
unreliable, and will most likely remain filtered. 24
Turkmenistan recently sold the rights of administration of top-level ‘‘.tm’’ domains
to a U.S.-based contractor. Foreign companies are willing to pay high prices for ‘‘.tm’’
domain names because the abbreviation evokes the term ‘‘trademark.’’ The vast majority of Turkmenistan-based Web sites are within second-level domains of international
or official government bureaus, such as ‘‘.gov.tm’’ or ‘‘.edu.tm.’’
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
The president and the Cabinet of Ministers are the policymakers in the communications sector. The Ministry of Communications implements policy; it is the sector’s
regulator, issuing licenses to operators, approving tariffs, and carrying out investigations to ensure that operators conform to all laws and regulations. The ministry supervises eight bodies in the post and telecommunications sectors: TurkmenTelecom (fixed
operator), Ashgabat City Network, Altyn Asyr (GSM), TV Radio/TV Broadcasting, Spectrum Administration, Turkmenistan Post, Special Delivery service (Postal), and Training Center. The deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers oversees the work of the
ministry and the minister of communications reports directly to him. 25
The role of the sector minister in controlling the state operator is de facto marginal
as the general director of TurkmenTelecom reports directly to the Cabinet of Ministers
without referring to the minister. The Internet market is strictly controlled by the
Cabinet of Ministers, and receiving an Internet license entails close monitoring of all
providers’ commercial activities. Each license is for a period of three years, and there
are more than 30 different license types in the communications sector. It is anticipated
that revisions will be introduced to the Law on Communications (2000), which would
provide easier conditions for new technologies to enter the market. President Berdymu242
Turkmenistan
individual users for USD 50/Mbit plus a one-time fee of USD 5. As of 2008, MTS had
around 500,000 users in Turkmenistan. 23 The service provided by MTS is considerably
cheaper than TurkmenTelecom’s: it costs USD 5 to connect (one-time fee); 1 MB is 58
cents (day) and 29 cents (night). For users who live in rural areas where fixed lines are
not modernized, MTS remains the only option to connect to the Internet. Interestingly, MTS’s introduction of GPRS Internet seems not to have been supported by the
government, and the service was never announced in official media. The price is
still quite high for most users, the service slow and unreliable, and Internet traffic still
monitored and filtered through TurkmenTelecom. Focusing on GPRS, however, would
herald a leap forward in public access to the Internet, bypassing the high-cost infrastructure of land and telephone lines. If the state does not encourage the establishment
of independent networks, however, the service could remain slow, expensive, and
unreliable, and will most likely remain filtered. 24
Turkmenistan recently sold the rights of administration of top-level ‘‘.tm’’ domains
to a U.S.-based contractor. Foreign companies are willing to pay high prices for ‘‘.tm’’
domain names because the abbreviation evokes the term ‘‘trademark.’’ The vast majority of Turkmenistan-based Web sites are within second-level domains of international
or official government bureaus, such as ‘‘.gov.tm’’ or ‘‘.edu.tm.’’
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
The president and the Cabinet of Ministers are the policymakers in the communications sector. The Ministry of Communications implements policy; it is the sector’s
regulator, issuing licenses to operators, approving tariffs, and carrying out investigations to ensure that operators conform to all laws and regulations. The ministry supervises eight bodies in the post and telecommunications sectors: TurkmenTelecom (fixed
operator), Ashgabat City Network, Altyn Asyr (GSM), TV Radio/TV Broadcasting, Spectrum Administration, Turkmenistan Post, Special Delivery service (Postal), and Training Center. The deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers oversees the work of the
ministry and the minister of communications reports directly to him. 25
The role of the sector minister in controlling the state operator is de facto marginal
as the general director of TurkmenTelecom reports directly to the Cabinet of Ministers
without referring to the minister. The Internet market is strictly controlled by the
Cabinet of Ministers, and receiving an Internet license entails close monitoring of all
providers’ commercial activities. Each license is for a period of three years, and there
are more than 30 different license types in the communications sector. It is anticipated
that revisions will be introduced to the Law on Communications (2000), which would
provide easier conditions for new technologies to enter the market. President Berdymu242
Turkmenistan