UZBEKISTAN: USG ASSISTANCE NUDGES KEY CENTRAL ASIAN NATION ONTO THE INFOBAHN

AID-ASSISTED IRCS SPRINGING UP

1. THE USAID-FUNDED PROJECT FOR ECONOMIC REFORM AND DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL ASIA (PERDCA) HAS ACHIEVED REMARKABLE SUCCESS IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. THE SEEDS PLANTED IN 1993 WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT IN TASHKENT OF THE PERDCA PROJECT, SILKNET, AN E-MAIL AND (POTENTIAL) INTERNET SERVER, HAVE SPROUTED AND ARE BEGINNING TO GROW RAPIDLY.

2. AS RECENTLY AS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, ELEMENTS OF THE GOU STILL APPEARED TO BE UNEASY WITH PERDCA/SILKNET'S ACTIVITIES. HOWEVER, THIS UNWELCOME ATTENTION HAS CEASED, ACCORDING TO PERDCA PROJECT DIRECTOR REX MCDONALD. PERDCA'S RAPID EXPANSION OF INTERNET PUBLIC ACCESS SITES IS PROCEEDING UNIMPEDED. PERDCA HAS SO FAR ESTABLISHED 17 SITES THROUGHOUT UZBEKISTAN. ACCORDING TO MCDONALD, REQUESTS BY UZBEKISTANIS FOR PERDCA TO ESTABLISH FURTHER INFORMATION RESOURCE CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE GROWING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS.

USIS PLAYING A ROLE

3. USIS TASHKENT ASSISTED PERDCA LATE LAST YEAR WITH A SMALL GRANT TO ESTABLISH A PUBLIC ACCESS E- MAIL SITE IN TASHKENT FOR THE FAMILIES OF BRADLEY AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM STUDENTS STUDYING IN THE U.S. AS PREDICTED, THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS HIGHLY EDUCATED, PROFESSIONAL SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION TO THE POSIBILITIES OF E-MAIL AND INTERNET HAS STIMULATED AN INCREASED DEMAND FOR ACCESS TO THESE SERVICES. PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT, AND THANKS TO THE ASSIDUOUS WORK OF MCDONALD, THE GOU'S MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION IS INCREASINGLY INTERESTED IN THE POSSIBILITES OF ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC INFORMATION TO ASSIST IN REFORMING AND MODERNIZING THE EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE OF UZBEKISTAN.

FULL INTERNET CONNECTIVITY ARRIVES SOON

4. FULL CONNECTIVITY TO THE INTERNET IS STILL AN ENORMOUS PROBLEM IN UZBEKLSTAN, AND THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION, BECAUSE OF THE UNMODERNIZED COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE AND, SPECIFICALLY, BECAUSE OF THE DEGRADED LAND LINES. BUT THERE IS VERY RECENT MOVEMENT ON THIS FRONT, TOO.

5. A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF THE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS SERVER, RELCOM, HAS TAKEN THE ENTREPRENEURIAL STEP OF STRIKING OUT ON HER OWN TO ESTABLISH A NEW COMMERCIAL, FOR-PROFIT COMPANY, OPENTECH. SHE HAS LEASED EXISTING LINES TO MOSCOW FOR DOLS 35,000 PER YEAR AND IS ESTABLISHING A 64K TRANSFER LINE BY BUNDLING BAD LINES TOGETHER WITH AN OSCILLATION SYSTEM WHICH WILL CONSTANTLY AND AUTOMATICALLY READ THE BUNDLED LINES AND CHOOSE THE BEST ROUTE. THIS WILL PROVIDE IN TASHKENT, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, TRUE TCP/IP WHICH WILL BE ABLE TO SERVE ALL OF CENTRAL ASIA WITH THE SAME POWER AS MOSCOW. THIS SERVICE IS EXPECTED TO BE ON-LINE AS EARLY AS MID-MAY. AS SOON AS THIS ENTREPRENEUR PROVES THAT SHE IS COMMERCIALLY VIABLE -- AND MCDONALD CONFIDENTLY PREDICTS THIS WILL OCCUR WITHIN ONE YEAR -- SHE EXPECTS TO BE ABLE TO RAISE THE VENTURE CAPITAL FOR FULL- SERVICE, COMMERCIAL SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS.