BY FIKRET PASHAYEV, SENIOR ADVISER OF THE TASIM SECRETARIAT AT HIGH-LEVEL REGIONAL ROUNDTABLE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONNECTIVITY IN CENTRAL ASIA ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN, 3 JUNE 2014
GLOBAL LOCATION OF DIGITAL CONTENT Total Datacenter Space, mln sq m Worldwide Datacenter Distribution Source: DCD Intelligence Source: www.datacentermap.com TOTAL DATACENTER SPACE HAS REACHED 31 MILLION SQ.M.; OVER 7 MILLION OF THEM IS AVAILABLE FOR COMMERCIAL LEASE; MOST OF DIGITAL CONTENT IS LOCATED IN USA AND EUROPE; CASPIAN REGION WILL REQUIRE A GOOD IP CONNECTIVITY TO EUROPE, MENA, ETC.
INTERNATIONAL INTERNET BANDWIDTH IN CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA, 2012 A WEAK INTERNATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE A MAJOR OBSTACLE TO ECONOMIC AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: DETACHMENT FROM DIGITAL ECONOMY; CONTINUED ECONOMIC INEFFICIENCIES AND RESTRAINED GROWTH; LACK OF ACCESS TO CRITICAL SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT TOOLS INCLUDING TELEMEDICINE, DISTANCE LEARNING, SCIENTIFIC/RESEARCH NETWORKS.
Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan: IP Transit >$100 per Mbps per month: Compared to Singapore: $10 per Mbps; Compared to Russia: $4 per Mbps; Compared to USA: $1 per Mbps. Source: TERABIT Consulting, 2012.
TRANS-EURASIAN INFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAY (TASIM) Proposed 2008 by Gov. of Azerbaijan; Endorsed by UN General Assembly Resolution, Dec. 2009; Project Group launched Apr., 2010; International Workshop on TASIM, Project Secretariat established, Jul 2011; 21st of December, 2012, UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a new resolution (A/Res/67/194), which contributed to the update of political support of the UN for project TASIM ; 3rd of December, 2013, Preliminary Agreement have been signed by China Telecom, IR&AC, KazTransCom, Rostelecom and Turk Telekom.
MOU SIGNING CEREMONY, 3RD OF DEC, 2013 UNGA resolution (A/67/L.78) unanimously supported creation of EuraCA in September, 2013; Overall, 4 workshops have been held in Baku, Istanbul and Budapest since 2011. New workshop is expected at the end of May. Operational secretariat of the EuraCA/TASIM projects exists on in-kind contribution from MCHT.
TASIM S MISSION Improve regional and global connectivity; Route diversification and improved disaster resiliency; Bridging digital divide and contribution to MDGs; Low latency.
EURASIAN CONNECTIVITY ALLIANCE (EURACA) At the 67th session (4 th of September, 2013) of the UN General Assembly a resolution on of Eurasian Connectivity Alliance (EuraCA) initiated by the Republic of Azerbaijan was unanimously adopted.
WHAT IS EURACA INITIATIVE? A Platform to: @ Promote policy dialogue @ Encourage regional partnerships and cooperation @ Raise awareness @ Facilitate experience and knowledge exchange 12
Review and development of connectivity projects, including telecommunication routes, broadband initiatives, satellite coverage, and Internet connectivity Identification of challenges and sharing of best practices Providing governments with advise on harmonization and improvement of regional and national regulatory frameworks Fostering open, competitive business telecom environments and ICT ecosystems OBJECTIVES-1
Linking business with opportunities for investment in regional connectivity Identification and global promotion of public-private partnership (PPP) opportunities in connectivity. Creation of high-level technical architecture for regional connectivity, including cloud computing infrastructure, internet exchange points and border crossings Promote inclusion of connectivity agenda into Sustainable Development Goals and post-2015 Development Agenda OBJECTIVES-2
Permanent Secretariat is reporting to the United Nations General Assembly Second Committee Economic and Financial Committee Permanent Secretariat is intended as a compact, efficient office and employ high-level experts and consultants. EuraCA forum brings together governments, international organizations, private sector, financial institutions, bilateral donors, NGOs, academia, prominent experts ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE
EuraCA intends to cooperate closely with United Nations Secretariat, Regional Commissions (ECE, ESCAP), specialized agencies (ITU, The World Bank Group), Funds and Programmes (UNDP), Related Organizations (WTO) EuraCA intends to cooperate with major financial institutions, including The World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Islamic Development Bank EuraCA intends to cooperate with regional organizations and groupings, particularly European Union (EU), Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), CIS (Commonwealth of the Independent States), Regional Commonwealth in the field of communications, Special Program for Central Asia (SPECA), Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC). COOPERATION WITH DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONS