Internet audience is rapidly growing in Central Asia, 60-million region in the heart of Eurasian continent.
According to recent data, Internet users in the I quarter of 2011 accounted for 34.4% of the population in Kazakhstan and constituted nearly 5.6 million people. This statistics has been provided by Kazakh Minister of Communications and Information Askar Zhumagaliev.
“Today 2,685 mass media are operating in the country. They are represented by newspapers and magazines (1,441 editions), electronic media (233 – 20 television channels, 43 radio companies and 134 operators of cable television), information agencies (11),” the Minister said.
At the end of 2010, 16.4-million Kazakhstan reported 4.3 million Internet users.
In Uzbekistan, the most populated country of the region, estimated number of Internet users is even higher – up to 7.55 million people. This data reported by director-general of the Uzbek Agency of Communication and Information (UzACI) Hakim Muhitdinov at the session of the agency dedicated to the first quarter of 2011.
The UzACI head said that number of internet users made up 265.3 users per 1,000 habitants. He added that number of enterprises rendering data transfer service, including Internet, reached 903 and collective internet access points (Internet cafes) – 968.
Hakim Muhitdinov said that the investments and loans for US$64.12 million (110.1 billion soums) were utilized within investment programme for 2011.
The UzACI chief said that the level of digitalization of Uzbekistan made up 93.7%. He said that 10,914 educational establishments were connected to ZiyoNet network. He said that all information-library centers, 9403 schools, 131 lyceums, 1,204 colleges, 14 branches of Kamolot, 23 museums, 89 higher educational establishments and 35 scientific-research institutes were connected to ZiyoNet.
Revenue from courier services, rendered to economic courts, tax bodies, banks and other enterprise, made up 574.3 million soums.
In the first quarter of 2011, fund of information-library centers grew by 2,000 samples of literature and their total number reached 4.936 million copies. Currently, electronic catalogues of information-library centers has about 497,000 bibliographic records.
Source: CA-NEWS
