Center for Civil Society International (ccsi@u.washington.edu)
Wed, 15 Nov 1995 15:46:29 -0800 (PST)
Sender: kedzie@rand.org (Chris Kedzie)
Subject: IREX Kyrgyzstan Internet Project Update
Date: Wed, 8 Nov 1995 12:51:39 +0600
>From: Jonathan Korn <jkorn@NLKR.INFO.BISHKEK.SU>
Subject: IREX Kyrgyzstan Internet Project Update
The IREX Internet email public access site has been open for two
months and, as with the Internet in general, the number of users has been
growing exponentially. The pubsite currently serves over 250 registered
users from all over Bishkek. Most users are students, teachers and
professors; any individual representing a local non-commercial or
educational organization is free to open an email account at the site.
The "pubsite" occupies a small room on the second floor of the National
Library of the Kyrgyz Republic and is staffed by a full-time local
email trainer. The pubsite is equipped with a 486 running "Linux" (a
free, and simpler, version of UNIX) and two additional PCs for typing.
The station also contains a dot-matrix printer, several Internet books
for users' reference, and some old Intel posters on the wall.
Next week, we will install a main Internet server and, shortly
thereafter, begin offering full Internet services at the pubsite.
The server itself will be located at the Kyrgyz-Russian (Slavic)
University. The pubsite at the National Library will connect to it
over a dedicated line.
Then, in close cooperation with various local organizations, the task
of developing a genuine "Free-Net" will begin. This entails running
leased lines from the server to various educational institutions and
NGOs around Bishkek so that users will have the option of accessing the
Internet from their offices and classrooms.
Later IREX intends to open pubsites in at least two other Kyrgyz cities,
Osh and Jalal-Abad.
We also intend to work with local specialists to develop ftp and
webservers at Slavic University, and perhaps elsewhere. Students and
academics will be able to place articles, reports, and, hopefully,
the first Central Asian digital "zines" on the server for the
perusal of anyone interested in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. This
server will become one of the only sources of on-line information
from and about Kyrgyzstan.
It should be emphasized that the network is for the exclusive use of the
educational and non-profit communities. It is our intent to bring the
Internet to users who are unable to pay the local commercial providers
for Internet access. By introducing students, educators and researchers
to the resources of the Internet, IREX is contributing to the
development of the local information marketplace. We are confident
that Kyrgyzstani data communications providers will realize significant
future gains as graduating students, for instance, turn to them as new
subscribers for continued Internet access.
This effort has been underwritten by the US Agency for International
Development through The Eurasia Foundation, and the Carnegie
Corporation of New York.
For further information, please contact the IREX Internet Fellow for
Kyrgyzstan Jonathan Korn at <jkorn@infotel.bishkek.su>.
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