The signing ceremony of the agreements on the European satellite Internet program for Central Asia (TEI Digital Connectivity) took place on March 18 at the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan.
The parties to the agreements were the European Union, the international technical cooperation agency Expertise France, the European provider SES (Satellite Communication Service Provider, a supplier of multi-orbit satellite communications) and the European Investment Bank.
“In addition,” the European Commissioner added, “I am pleased to be present at the signing of an agreement on the development of infrastructure between the European Investment Bank and SES, a leading supplier of satellite technologies. Thanks to a grant from the European Union and a loan from the EIB, SES will deploy satellite technologies and ground terminals to connect remote regions of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the Internet.”
These two components, the legal framework and the infrastructure, complement each other. "Together, we will strengthen digital sustainability in Central Asia, support economic development and promote social integration," he concluded.
Before signing the documents, negotiations were held between the Minister of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan Sherzod Shermatov and Jozef Sikela.
During the conversation, the European Commissioner noted that the launch of the software component of the project, which includes the creation of a regulatory environment for satellite Internet, has already begun.
"We are also ready to launch the infrastructure component of this regional initiative. This year, we are ready to begin deploying ground satellite stations for digital communications in remote and sparsely populated areas," said Jozef Sikela.
He emphasized that the project offered Uzbekistan "real digital autonomy" thanks to the proposal to place a regional satellite gateway on its territory.
Sherzod Shermatov in his speech emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation between Uzbekistan and European countries in the IT sector.
"European companies want to reduce their costs. We, in turn, have young specialists who speak English and other languages. We work closely with many countries - Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, [which are interested in our personnel]. And European companies can also hire young people here, expand their business to this market," the minister emphasized.
