DUSHANBE , February 13, Asia-Plus - Non-government electric communication operators in Tajikistan have appealed to the Majlisi Oli (Tajik parliament), Tajikistan ’s Government and Anti-Monopoly Committee asking not to allow establishing of a commutation center for access to world information resources. 

 The appeal, in particular, notes that the country’s Ministry of Communications has worked out this project without “competent and impartial legal grounds against president’s decree “On National Strategy of Information-Communication Technologies for Development of Tajikistan” and contrary to Tajikistan’s Constitution, Civil Code and Law “On Competition and Limitation of Monopolistic Activity on Commodity Markets.” 

They hold it is fraught with “ruinous consequences.”  “Establishment of a state-run monopoly in a form of the single commutation center for access to world information resources under this project will lead to discrimination of separate economic entities, restriction of competition and hurting of interests of entities and citizens,” the appeal stresses, noting that endorsement of the project will lead to increase in the prices of all kinds of services and worsening of quality of the rendered services because all communication operators result will have to launch their traffics via the additional center.  

The appeal has been signed by the Cellular Operator’s Association, Internet-users’ Association of Tajikistan as well as the majority of largest non-government telecommunication companies, including “Babilon M”, “Indigo”, “Eastera”, “Telecom Technology”, “Saturn Online”, “MKF-Invest”, etc.  

 In the meantime, Tajikistan ’s Anti-Monopoly Committee notes in its official reply to this appeal that they have not supported the project offered by the Ministry of Communications.  “The submitted project is in contrary to the communications reforms program having been implemented in the republic over the past several years, especially to its provisions such as demonopolization of activity in the area of the electric communication, development of liberalization of market of services in the area of telecommunications, entrepreneurship and free competition,” a statement released by the Anti-Monopoly Committee says.  Therefore the Anti-Monopoly Committee has not supported this project.   

Head of the “Internet Policy Civic Initiative” Public Foundation, Asomiddin Atoyev also considers an idea of the establishment of the single gate having no prospects.   “A model of the establishment of the single commutation center had previously been put into operation in Uzbekistan and two or three years ago it was a complete failure,” Mr. Atoyev said.  Such monopoly finishes competition and does not allow introducing innovative technologies, according to him.  “Due to competition, we today have 20 communication operators and advanced technologies,” the “Internet Policy Civic Initiative” Public Foundation head said.