Page 98 - SAMENA Trends - Oct-Nov 2023

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

new technologies with the potential to groups, seminars, courses, assemblies and questions for the Radiocommunication
deliver better capacity and coverage and conferences reflect the commitment Study Groups for 2024-2027. New chairs
everywhere, bridging the digital divide, to gender equality and the empowerment for the ITU-R Study Groups were also
as well as providing possible solutions of women. With Australia's Carol Wilson appointed. Over 1,300 delegates from
to the challenges and impacts they will serving as the first woman to chair an 128 ITU Member States attended the
have on our lives." The adoption of the ITU Radiocommunication Assembly, the Assembly which meets every four years
gender resolution was called for by resolution further calls on ITU Member to set the future work programmes for the
the 2019 World Radiocommunication States to support the inclusion of women ITU Radiocommunication Sector, approve
Conference's “Declaration on Promoting in all aspects and levels of ITU R activities radiocommunication standards (ITU-R
Gender Equality, Equity and Parity in and to undertake a variety of specific Recommendations) and resolutions. The
the ITU Radiocommunication Sector." actions to promote and increase the World Radiocommunication Conference
The resolution calls on the ITU interest of, and opportunities for, women (WRC-23) will meet in Dubai from 20
Radiocommunication Sector to strengthen and girls in STEM fields, particularly in November through 15 December 2023.
and accelerate all efforts to ensure that its electrical engineering and computer
policies, work programmes, information science. RA-23 revised Resolution ITU-R
dissemination activities, publications, study 5-8 which established the work program

Tajikistan Loosening International Internet Connectivity Monopoly

Tajik telecoms regulator the through state-run central communications and is run by state-owned Tajiktelecom –
Communication Service under the hub the Unified Communication Transit itself overseen by the CS – with the effect
Government of the Republic of Tajikistan Centre (UCTC, a.k.a. Unified Electronic of inhibiting development of both mobile
(CS) has decided to allow two of the Communications Switching Centre), and fixed internet markets ever since;
nation’s four mobile network operators, Eurasianet reports. The UCTC, via which GCD adds that a World Bank report in
MegaFon Tajikistan and Tcell, to directly all Tajik fixed and mobile operators are August 2019 criticized the UCTC and the
access international internet data channels currently obliged to route international Tajik state’s telecoms regime as fostering
instead of routing all internet traffic internet traffic, was established in 2016 an anti-competitive and underdeveloped
sector, with further statements from the
bank in 2021 reiterating this stance, but
the status quo has persisted until now,
despite additional criticism of the country’s
internet connection quality in 2022 from
Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon
– who himself signed the law in January
2016 requiring all ISPs and cellcos to route
internet traffic via the UCTC in the interests
of ‘national and information security’.
With Tajikistan reportedly suffering some
of the worst internet speeds in the world,
this month’s long-awaited announcement
from the CS is expected to loosen the
monopolistic arrangement of traffic
control via the Tajiktelecom/UCTC system
and in turn improve access to high speed
bandwidth around the country. GCD notes
that both of the cellcos being granted initial
permission to source direct international
internet channels are private sector-run:
Tcell is 100% owned by the Aga Khan Fund
for Economic Development and MegaFon
Tajikistan is controlled by Russia’s MegaFon
with a 75% stake, albeit Tajiktelecom owns
the other 25%.

98 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2023