VZCZCXRO6749
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHPW RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #1144 2960930
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230930Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9585
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001144 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, EEB, DS/SI/IS, and DS/SI/CS. 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT ASEC ANET PGOV PHUM EAGR KPAO SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: IRC ASHGABAT REQUESTS DEPARTMENT APPROVAL TO 
OFFER WIFI INTERNET ACCESS TO PATRONS 
 
 
¶1. This is an action request.  See paragraph 5. 
 
¶2. The Information Resource Center in Ashgabat (IRC Ashgabat), part 
of Embassy Ashgabat's Public Affairs Section, would like to extend 
its Internet access service via wireless internet service (WIFI) to 
its patrons.  The availability of the Internet across Turkmenistan 
is one of the most limited in the world.  Turkmen Telekom, a 
state-owned enterprise with a near monopoly on telephony and 
multimedia services, has not issued new individual Internet accounts 
since 2004.  In a capital city with 500,000 inhabitants, there are 
just five Internet cafes at hourly rates unaffordable for the 
average citizen.  The bandwidth for the entire country is only two 
megabytes.  School classrooms may have computers but no Internet 
connection.  As far as post is aware, WiFi at IRC Ashgabat will be 
the first 'hotspot' in the country.  (Although a Russian 
telecommunications company has announced publicly it was working on 
a contract to bring wireless Internet access to Turkmenistan, as 
well as Internet access via cellphone.)  Needless to say, it remains 
a challenge for those seeking continued and stable access to the 
Internet for educational and professional development. 
 
¶3. The IRC will build WiFi service onto the existing contract with 
the Ashgabat-based international Internet Service Provider (the 
server is in Italy) and allow patrons to access it using their own 
laptops.  The Embassy's Public Diplomacy Section and IRC are located 
in a separate Turkmenistan government-owned hotel away from the U.S. 
Embassy compound. While the Public Diplomacy Section does have an 
SBU system, classified documents are not processed at the site and 
the SBU system is separated from the IRC by a guarded hardline. The 
SBU system and the IRC LAN are entirely independent and have no 
common cable runs, equipment locations, or signal paths. 
 
¶4. IRC Ashgabat offers the Turkmen public a rapidly growing 
selection of over 1,000 books, 400 DVDs and videos and more than 30 
periodicals on American culture, politics, and history.  There are 
self-study opportunities through its five learning stations and 
three access terminals dedicated for alumni of USG-sponsored 
exchange programs.  IRC Ashgabat patrons have access to Factiva, 
Lexis/Nexis and numerous other commercial databases as well as State 
Department publications and press releases.  Currently, the IRC has 
internet access through its nine desktop terminals. In our ongoing 
efforts to promote U.S. foreign policy, culture and values, we hope 
that offering wireless Internet access will increase the number of 
young and energetic alumni, students, and professionals who visit 
our center and benefit from the Internet. 
 
¶5. Action Request: Post seeks Department approval to install 
wireless internet service in its Information Resource Center.  Post 
understands that, if approved, there would need to be some controls 
for auditing, controlling and/or limiting access (i.e. limited range 
wireless) and would appreciate any guidance that the Department can 
provide. 
 
HOAGLAND