Baku, Azerbaijan, March 11
By Huseyn Valiyev - Trend:
The Trans-Asia-Europe fibre optic backbone will be used as a backup line to ensure the sustainability of the AzNET segment, a source in the Azerbaijani telecommunications market told Trend on March 11.
The issue of backup using TAE as the key backbone will be realised after the start of the implementation of an action plan for the development of broadband Internet in Azerbaijan, according to the source. Currently, the action plan is under the consideration of government departments.
The plan will cover 2014-2016. The project's ultimate objective is to provide the country with high speed Internet in the range of 10-100 Mbit /s, across all territories including remote rural areas. The total cost of the project is estimated at more than 450 million manat. Some 103 million manat will be allocated from the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAR) in the initial stage of the project.
A TAE backbone is one of the elements of the technological and telecommunication fibre infrastructure for provision of broadband services to rural regions.
Implementation of the project was agreed with a tripartite protocol signed on October 21, 1999 between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. In December of the same year, construction began on the Azerbaijani segment of TAE. Construction of the internal segment was completed in late 2012. The commissioning fibre backbone allowed the establishment of a direct link between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, Russia and Ukraine.
A protocol was signed in January, 2013, officially confirming the presidency of Azerbaijan in the TAE for the period of 2013-2015. The chairmanship passed to Azerbaijan from the Ukrainian side.
The Azerbaijani side stated it will make the necessary efforts during its presidency for further improvement of the TAE effectiveness given the constant, growing demands of globalisation.
During the construction of backbone, TAE network optic lines of FO-12, FO-16, FO-20 and FO-24 standards have been used which given the internal consumption growth of Internet traffic in the long term, cannot overwhelm the transportation of large amounts of data, according to the source. The issue of replacing existing optical infrastructure with the FO-48 cables standard is being realised in this regard.
"The issue of delivery of Internet traffic in Azerbaijan is not as relevant as its distribution within the country. Insertion of the main backbone lines and creation of cable infrastructure to deliver broadband services to end users is the main task indicated in the action plan for the development of broadband Internet in Azerbaijan," the source said.
Translated by S.I.
Edited by S.M.