As part of the visit of EU Commissioner Josef Síkela to Tashkent, the parties signed agreements on two strategic telecommunications projects funded by the EU. Both agreements are also part of the European satellite internet program for Central Asia, Eurasiatoday.ru reports.
“I am proud to sign an agreement with Expertise France. Together with our partners in Central Asia, we will work on improving policies and regulatory frameworks for satellite communications. This effort will ensure open, secure, and accessible internet for everyone, including rural areas,” Síkela stated.
Plans also include deploying ground-based satellite stations for digital communication in remote and sparsely populated areas of the country.
In the future, the EU proposes expanding the project to neighboring countries and establishing a regional satellite gateway in Uzbekistan to provide connectivity to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
According to the EU Commissioner, the project offers Uzbekistan “real digital autonomy.” However, the construction of the gateway is not included in the signed agreement and will require additional funding, for which the EU and its partners are prepared to provide loans to Uzbekistan.
At the same time, from an information security perspective, the issue of data transmission control and communication management remains open.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 19, 2025