Uzbektelecom Selects Toyota Tsusho, IIJ, NEC for Telecoms Infra Development

Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Internet Initiative Japan Inc., NEC Corporation, and NTT Communications Corporation announced the conclusion of a contract with JSC Uzbektelecom ("Uzbektelecom"), a state-owned telecommunications operator in Uzbekistan, for a telecommunications infrastructure development project ("the Project") to provide data center and telecommunications infrastructure for an advanced data communication system.

Installation of the System is scheduled to begin in 2023 and the sequential launch of operations is expected to significantly improve the communications environment of Uzbekistan.

In response to the rapidly growing data communication demand driven by the digitalization of various industries, Uzbekistan is expanding its telecommunications infrastructure aimed at issues such as improving communications quality and closing the digital divide between urban and rural areas. In accordance with this background, the government of Uzbekistan has made the decision to accelerate digital transformation (DX) and introduce the latest information technologies for its digitalization strategy, Digital Uzbekistan 2030.

For the Project, launched under Digital Uzbekistan 2030, the four companies will provide telecommunications equipment and services required for Uzbektelecom’s data centers in three major cities (Tashkent, Bukhara, and Kokand), expansion of the telecommunications transport and data networks, as well as the international data communication network. This is expected to significantly increase the speed, capacity, and quality of the telecommunications infrastructure and to contribute to propelling DX in Uzbekistan, thereby facilitating the country's transition to a digital economy in the future.

The Project is funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), and the MUFG Bank, Ltd.

Through the Project, the four companies will contribute to the realization of a more convenient and comfortable society, as well as the sustainable development of industries in Uzbekistan and other countries in Central Asia.