Baku, Azerbaijan, April 26
By Huseyn Valiyev – Trend:
The unequal conditions that benefit only public providers prevail in Azerbaijan’s internet market, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Internet Forum (AIF) Osman Gunduz told Trend April 26.
“There is such a problem that private business still can not get access to the use of the infrastructure of cable and sewage facilities, which belong to the state,” he said.
"The infrastructure of cable and sewage facilities is used only by public providers,” Gunduz said. “Two years ago, when the monitoring of this infrastructure was launched, it was mentioned that the rules for the use of cable and sewage facilities will be worked out following the monitoring. According to the rules, private and public providers will be able to take advantage of this infrastructure on equal terms. Monitoring has been completed, but there are no rules."
“It would be correct for these rules to be worked out by the country’s government as the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies may have its own interests as two internet service providers, namely, Bakinternet and Aztelekom.net, subordinate to the ministry,” he said.
“Presently, only state companies have an access to the cable and sewage facilities, which adversely affects the development of broadband internet in the country,” he said. “Two public providers can not cope with this task.”
“According to the international statistics, the average speed of internet is 3.5 - 4 megabits per second in Azerbaijan, while in neighbouring countries this figure starts from 10 megabits per second,” he said.
"It is necessary to ensure development of private business for this figure to somehow increase in Azerbaijan,” Gunduz said. “If we rely only on two public providers in this issue, it will take at least 10 years for broadband internet to be widely developed in the country. In this case, the participation of private business is important. AIF has repeatedly appealed to the ministry regarding this issue, but there is no reply from the ministry yet."
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