Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Jan.14 / Trend, H. Hasanov /
Turkmenistan takes measures to expand the cellular communication system of the national operator Altyn Asyr (TM Cell), including on purchase of equipment from several foreign partners and financing of agreements, the Turkmen government said on Saturday.
"At present, Turkmenistan creates all conditions so that the Internet and modern communication technologies became available to every citizen, great importance is paid to the intensive development of telecommunications," President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov said at the last government meeting.
After Russian mobile operator MTS, whose clients were more than 2.4 million people, stopped its activity in Turkmenistan in December 2010, Altyn Asyr became mobile communication monopolist in the country.
According to the presidential order, it is expected that the sphere of mobile communication services in the country will be transferred to private hands, including privatization of Altyn Asy is also expected. Berdimuhammadov explained this necessity with "emerging competition, as well as regular expanding of volume and quality of services rendered to the public, especially for ensuring the high-speed Internet communications.
It is expected that the new companies and Altyn Asyr will create a joint ventures with foreign capital with control stock of domestic shares.
Earlier it was reported that negotiations are underway with the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) from the UAE - one of the major mobile operators in the world (over 100 million subscribers). The company provides communications services in over 20 countries of the Middle East, Asia and Africa.