Fiber optic line along the bottom of the Caspian Sea – a new project of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan
Current trends in the development of the global economy are closely related to the increasing role of information technology and knowledge in society. The economy is changing, becoming more innovative. These changes are based on the use of high-speed broadband communications networks and the Internet. These topics were discussed today at the conference within the framework of Turkmentel-2019 International Telecommunication Exhibition hold in Ashgabat.
Today, the most competitive are those countries that are able to constantly improve taking into account technological innovations and implement them in economic management. At this stage, it is important to take the place in the global information space.
As it was informed during the conference, the Turkmenaragatnashyk (Turkmen communication) Agency launched large-scale projects to create a comprehensive communication system based on advanced technologies, increasing the volume, quality and range of communication services along with the promotion of broadband Internet access in the most distant areas of the country.
Over the past three years, the total capacity of international Internet channels purchased by Turkmenistan has increased tenfold. The number of Internet users over the same period has increased in the country by more than 500 thousand and this figure is increasing constantly.
At present time, Turkmenistan’s Turkmentelcom telecommunication company and Azerbaijan’s AzerTelecom LLC are jointly working on a project to build Trans-Caspian Fiber Optic – a fiber-optic communication line between the two countries along the bottom of the Caspian Sea. The cable will run from Siyazan (Azerbaijan) to Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan). The implementation of this project would allow Turkmenistan to be a connecting corridor between Europe and Asia.
According to statistics, the population in Asia exceeds 4 billion, while more than 990 million people live in Europe. The necessity for information exchange between the two regions of the continent requires expanding the transmission of data with a capacity of at least 4-5 terabits/s instead of existing 200-400 gigabits/s.
In addition, the Turkmenaragatnashyk Agency and the Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics are working on launching IT-platforms. A project has been prepared already. According to the project, the institute provides the opening on self-supporting professional platform for information technology, where it will be possible not only to improve qualifications and expand the technological knowledge of specialists and students, but also to exchange experience, as well as get the opportunity to study the software.
Currently, specialists of the Turkmenaragatnashyk Agency, studying the possibilities of implementing 5G, plan to use this technology in the implementation of the Ashgabat City project.
Specialists of the Agency’s structural units have also created a single portal where he step-bby-step integration of public services into the electronic system is carried out. It would allow to provide the public services to citizens of Turkmenistan online.
Today, information is a strategic national resource, one of the main wealth of any economically developed state. It is quite obvious that under socio-economic challenges, it is impossible to have a modern civilization apart of the formation of informatized society.
However, the process of connecting to international and creating national information networks, in addition to the positive aspects, also has negative consequences that pose a threat to information security. In this regard, the agency created a cyber-security service. This kind of activity seems to be the important area of trust-based cooperation. The interest in cooperation in such area was also voiced at the conference by the Turkmen side.
