In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the deputy head of the communications service agency, Ilhomjon Atoyev, said on July 12 that Internet speed is improving in Tajikistan from year to year. 

“Thus, in 2019, Internet came to the country at a speed of 20 gigabits per second, while current speed of Interne tin Tajikistan is 70 gigabits per second,” Atoyev noted.  

According to him, there are no serious shortcomings in the speed of the Internet in the country.  

“If subscribers have problems with the Internet, they should ask the Internet service providers (ISPs) for explanations,” Tajik communications official noted.  

Recall, Mr. Jan-Peter Olters, World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan, noted in March this year that Tajikistan today is suffering from limited access to, and high prices for, internet services, especially in rural areas, where more than 70 percent of the population lives.  In 2019, far less than one in a hundred households reportedly had broadband internet access (primarily in urban areas), and only 35 percent had mobile internet access.

Similarly, only a handful of enterprises have broadband access and fewer than one percent offer digital services, according to him.

This limited use of the internet has reportedly hindered economic development, including the transformation of the country’s industrial sectors.

Mr. Jan-Peter Olters notes that the situation is aggravated by high prices for international connectivity, the high cost of public services, limited local connections, and weak content development.

“It is understood that, without the expansion of high-speed internet, digital transformation will not be possible in Tajikistan, and e-government services and mobile financial applications cannot be advanced. Without a focus on the required reforms, prices will remain among the highest in the world, even in face of limited access and low speeds,” Mr. Jan-Peter Olters said. 

Speeds Global index in January ranked Tajikistan 129th among 140 nations in terms of mobile Internet speeds and 99th among 175 nations in terms of wired Internet speeds.