DUSHANBE, July 7, 2010, Asia-Plus -- Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Beg Zuhurov, is concerned over the present relations between the national and private communications operators within in the area of the Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communication (RCC).

He remarked this at a joint two-day session of the RCC’s Board of Electric Communication Operators and the Commission for Electric Communication that has opened in the Tajik capital today.

“Relations that were established between the state-run and private communications operators within the RCC area lately have affected the state-run operators,” the deputy minister said.

According to him, notions “national communications operator” and “private communications operator” are frequently being confused, “and this is typical not only for Tajikistan, this is typical for all countries of the region.”  “If we do not take any measures, this problem may affect the economies of our countries,” he added.

He considers that the private operators should be built on the basis of the national operators instead of the other way round.

In the meantime, cases of cutoff of cellular communications operators by open joint-stock company (OJSC) Tajik Telecom (Tajikistan’s fixed-line telecommunications network) from its network became more frequent lately that leads to irregularities in work of communications operators or even to lack of communications.  Private communications operators in Tajikistan also protest state’s proposal to have total control over the country’s satellite connections.  They argue that Beg Zuhurov’s proposed “one gate” system will act as a censor and scare away foreign investment.