The international Internet community intends to support local governments in remote regions of Kyrgyzstan in connection to the Internet. The seminars organized by ISOC in Bishkek were attended by foreign experts who shared their experience in solving such problems.
As part of the activities of the Kyrgyz branch of ISOC in Bishkek, a series of seminars on the provision of wireless Internet to villages was launched. Experts from India and Georgia shared their experience with Kyrgyz colleagues.
One step behind
Large-scale technological projects, which Kyrgyzstan undertook not so long ago, require primarily infrastructure changes. The implementation of many tasks will be impossible without high-quality Internet, which is not yet available in many areas of the Republic. Two thirds of Kyrgyzstan’s population still do not have access to the world wide web. This is especially true for regions and rural areas, where there is not only high-speed, but also a standard network connection.
ISOC representative in Kyrgyzstan Aziz Soltobayev said: “Despite the fact that many cities and towns are connected to the Network, the issue of providing remote rural areas is still relevant. Even at a distance of 20 km from the capital there are settlements in which there is no Internet at all. This is an issue that can be resolved by the local municipality and local communities.” Many regions do not have the ability to receive 3G and 4G signal. Laying fiber optic systems in remote mountainous areas requires capital-intensive investments, and mobile operators consider it unprofitable to install 3G and 4G transmitters in these areas.
“In the border villages of the southern region, bordering Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the Internet is very weak, not in terms of providers, but in terms of the fact that cellular communication there is very bad catches. There is not that 3G does not work, there is still a GPRS connection, because mobile operators are unprofitable to put 3G and 4G transmitters in regions where mostly elderly people live, who are not their potential customers, ” – described the situation certified UN trainer on computer literacy
Internet as a necessity
The lack of Connectivity will lead to isolation and degradation of rural areas, said Osama Manzala, an expert from India who helped provide simple and cheap Internet connection technology to 7 districts of India with coverage of more than 120 thousand inhabitants. “Now the Internet is a modern route connecting the whole world. If remote regions do not have access to the Internet, they will be isolated and lag behind in development, the expert believes. – We have a similar situation with Kyrgyzstan: many remote areas that do not have access to the Internet, in addition, in India there are many mountainous areas where it is difficult to lay the Internet, as in Kyrgyzstan. I can share the results of how the situation has changed with the introduction of the Internet in remote villages. Three indicators have changed dramatically: the economic development of these areas has increased several times, there is a need for educational services, the level of education has increased, the inhabitants of these areas have become socially responsible and demanding, so that the dialogue between citizens and the state has been established»
The expert from Georgia noted that Kyrgyzstan has great prospects in addressing this issue and stressed that despite the development of Georgia, Kyrgyzstan in the provision of Internet is almost not far behind.
“I would like to note the close cooperation between the state and the private sector – such cooperation promises great success. However, for better implementation of the process, competition is needed. As far as I understand, all roads lead to Kyrgyztelecom, it is necessary to change it. I understand that this is a big company that owns a network, but it should allow other companies to compete with each other. It is even possible that Kyrgyztelecom will leave the market altogether and give way to others, as it was in England, ” Ucha Seturi believes.
There are prospects
Experts from India, Georgia and Europe visited several rural areas in Kyrgyzstan for a more detailed analysis of the situation. The representative of the international Internet Society ISOC Maarit Palovirta (Maarit Palovirta) noted the high interest of villagers and local governments in connecting wireless Internet.
“I also want to note that certain projects in this direction are already underway, initiatives have been launched jointly with local authorities and the private sector. Our meeting is important because the participants of the process who are engaged in this issue in the regions expressed their opinion. Based on this, we will analyze and decide what to do next. I would like to start implementing some projects in Kyrgyzstan, ” she said.
As a result of a series of seminars, as well as a number of events, ISOC representatives intend to develop business models, the implementation of which local communities and local governments will be able to provide themselves with the Internet at their own expense in the shortest possible time-from 3 months to six months.
“One of the problems today is that even if the Internet is held in some villages, it is available only to local governments or the richest residents of the village. Today we looked at a model in which we could make the Internet more accessible and faster with the available physical infrastructure. The result of this work will be that we will develop an action plan and choose a couple of pilot points, on the example of which we could show how it works,” Aziz Soltobayev summed up.
Source: https://digital Hm.report/isoc-pomozhet-provesti-internet-v-otdalennyie-regiony-kyirgyizstana/
