Missing Internet in Kazakh Villages: A Challenging Situation
Lack of Dialogue in Tourist Hotspots: Musin's Perspective
It's a pressing issue in Kazakhstan: over a thousand villages are still without internet access. Minster of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry, Bagdat Mussin, shared this information during a briefing, as reported by Total.kz.
Mussin pointed out that tackling this problem collaborates with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, but there are hurdles that need to be overcome. National parks and tourist trails necessitate base stations for mobile signals, yet these stations can't just pop up on their own. Antenna-mast structures are needed instead, but power provision for these becomes a challenge.
At present, the assessments for needed funds are underway. The Ministry of Culture and Sports will take charge of securing the finances.
As things stand, rural Kazakhstan lacks internet access in 1200 villages. Operators struggle to bring connectivity to steppe and mountainous areas.
Mussin emphasized that the development of tourism potential calls for the ability to send SOS signals, which translates to the need for mobile signals. To achieve this, he suggested that the state should designate specific funds. Working together with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, they are contemplating how to allocate funds for these regions, thereby ensuring some internet coverage.
Mussin also stated that estimating the required sum is straightforward. They only need to file a request for funds from the relevant ministry within a month. After that, they are all set to kick-start the installation with operators the next day. However, the funding issue is a stumbling block. He believes that the industry ministry should determine the funding source.
In a broader context, Kazakhstan is striving to improve rural internet access, especially in the arenas of education and connectivity. However, tourism-centric details are less clear. Preliminary efforts include the integration of the Google for Education ecosystem into rural schools for better educational resources and connectivity. Regarding tourist regions, specific initiatives are scant.
Challenges in this endeavor include infrastructure and funding difficulties, digital divide, and unfavorable policy and regulatory environments that impact investment in underserved areas. Nevertheless, targeted efforts might be required to specifically cater to tourist areas' internet access needs.
- The Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry, Bagdat Mussin, has stated that developing tourism potential in Kazakhstan requires the ability to send SOS signals, which necessitates mobile signals.
- To achieve this, Mussin suggests that the state should designate specific funds for these regions, ensuring some internet coverage.
- working together with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, they are contemplating how to allocate funds for these regions.
- As things stand, rural Kazakhstan lacks internet access in 1200 villages, and operators struggle to bring connectivity to steppe and mountainous areas.
- Mussin also expressed that estimating the required sum is straightforward; they only need to file a request for funds from the relevant ministry within a month.
