Opening Up the Internet
Opening Up the Internet
Although Turkmenistan’s new president appears to be sticking to election promises for greater internet access, NBCentralAsia observers say it’s too early to call this a breakthrough in freedom of information.
During his inauguration ceremony on February 14, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov repeated one of his pre-election statements, saying that the internet will be available to everyone.
Two days later, two state internet-centres were launched in the capital Ashgabad. Government authorities have announced that similar centres will be established in 15 other cities throughout the country.
Turkmenistan has consistently been near the top of the list of countries most hostile to the web. Until now, less than one per cent of the population has had access to a tightly controlled internet service and most of them work for state agencies and international organisations.
Turkmentelecom, the only internet service provider, ISP, in the country, is controlled by a special department of the national security committee, NSC.
It keeps track of all websites visited - blocking sites the state deems undesirable - and personal as well as professional email correspondence.
Several internet users were arrested under former dictator Saparmurat Niazov for criticising the authorities via email.
But despite Berdymuhammedov’s gesture, there are grounds to suggest that controls over certain websites and email correspondence will remain as tight as ever.
According to an NBCentralAsia observer based in Ashgabat, NSC officers “are sceptical about the prospects for relaxing ideological controls”.
The state’s monopoly over Turkmenistan’s ISP means that restrictions can only be lifted by the government. Even if private internet cafes open up, they will be forced to go through Turkmentelecom, says the observer.
But even under these restrictions, broader internet access will give Turkmen a chance to develop their skills. People will be able to take distance-learning courses and communicate with one another more easily.
Observers are hopeful that web access won’t be confined to urban internet centres like the two opened in Ashgabat last week, and they expect that schools and universities will also go online.
While access to certain websites will remain blocked everywhere, observers acknowledge that current disruptions to the web could partly be related to Turkmentelecom’s poor technical capacity.
The ISP is incapable of providing proper connection speeds to its existing users and is unlikely to be able to cope with any more.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
During his inauguration ceremony on February 14, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov repeated one of his pre-election statements, saying that the internet will be available to everyone.
Two days later, two state internet-centres were launched in the capital Ashgabad. Government authorities have announced that similar centres will be established in 15 other cities throughout the country.
Turkmenistan has consistently been near the top of the list of countries most hostile to the web. Until now, less than one per cent of the population has had access to a tightly controlled internet service and most of them work for state agencies and international organisations.
Turkmentelecom, the only internet service provider, ISP, in the country, is controlled by a special department of the national security committee, NSC.
It keeps track of all websites visited - blocking sites the state deems undesirable - and personal as well as professional email correspondence.
Several internet users were arrested under former dictator Saparmurat Niazov for criticising the authorities via email.
But despite Berdymuhammedov’s gesture, there are grounds to suggest that controls over certain websites and email correspondence will remain as tight as ever.
According to an NBCentralAsia observer based in Ashgabat, NSC officers “are sceptical about the prospects for relaxing ideological controls”.
The state’s monopoly over Turkmenistan’s ISP means that restrictions can only be lifted by the government. Even if private internet cafes open up, they will be forced to go through Turkmentelecom, says the observer.
But even under these restrictions, broader internet access will give Turkmen a chance to develop their skills. People will be able to take distance-learning courses and communicate with one another more easily.
Observers are hopeful that web access won’t be confined to urban internet centres like the two opened in Ashgabat last week, and they expect that schools and universities will also go online.
While access to certain websites will remain blocked everywhere, observers acknowledge that current disruptions to the web could partly be related to Turkmentelecom’s poor technical capacity.
The ISP is incapable of providing proper connection speeds to its existing users and is unlikely to be able to cope with any more.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
