Satellite Internet in Turkmenistan

Satellite Internet Access Service

The country of Turkmenistan is situated in central Asia and borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Iran. Throughout history, the country was an important stop on the Silk Road because of its strategic position between east and west. Its population of over 5.8 million is one of the lowest of the central Asian republics. It is the world’s ninth largest cotton producer and also has the world’s sixth largest reserves of natural gas and oil, and gas and cotton are its main exports. The country has also seen growth in its tourist market due to the Avaza tourist zone.

Remote and Isolated

Turkmenistan is a very rural country and its population is mainly rural too. In terms of telecommunications, the Turkmen infrastructure is in need of development. The Internet and telecommunications are state-run and monitored. Though there has been significant growth in mobile phone usage and mobile broadband coverage, the country still has very limited Internet access and it is only available to a small percentage of the population – 17.9%. Internet access in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, is provided largely through state-run Internet cafes though an increasing number of hotels do offer Internet access. Broadband speeds have increased in recent years and free Wi-Fi is gradually becoming more popular but much access is still paid-for. The towns and the cities are the areas that benefit from this connectivity.

The Turkmen government announced in 2016 that it had deployed a new national backbone network to enable then to deliver a range of services to for government, enterprise, mobile and residential end-users. In terms of mobile connectivity, the past decade has seen some real ups and downs in mobile voice and broadband access but this is set to improve in the future. Reaching the rural regions of Turkmenistan is very much where the challenge lies.

Satellite Services in Turkmenistan

BusinessCom Networks provides the cost-effective and flexible solutions that are required to enable expansion of important voice and data networks into hard-to-reach regions of Turkmenistan. We have a wealth of experience in the delivery of satellite-based services that can answer the diverse requirements of all users from enterprise, to government to communities. Our VSAT-based services extend the reach of ISPs, and we assist with the development of a network that is right for the business case and available budget. By making access available to communities that have not previously benefitted from an Internet connection, the door is opened for the provision of information that can transform its socio-economic development, giving access to governmental, health and educational services and also a route into development of business. Mobile Network Operators may also use VSAT-based solutions to expand their subscriber bases to the communities and enterprises that are hungry for mobile voice and data access, making the worldwide web available on a mobile phone handset, transforming communications and also enabling more sophisticated business connectivity such as videoconferencing and VoIP a reality for businesses that need to be connected in order to prosper.

For Turkmenistan, the potential for satellite-based solutions is significant as there is a need to connect the majority of the population which is small in comparison to many, and dispersed across a very rural country. BusinessCom’s knowledge and expertise in the design and installation of these critical networks can aid the digital development of Turkmenistan and can be tailored to the needs of every client, no matter what their requirements are.