From 2026, Satellite Internet Operators to Provide High-Speed Internet to Remote Regions of Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 21 October, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that the country’s growing demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure cannot be met solely through government funding. He made this statement during a meeting dedicated to the development of the IT industry and high technologies.

As part of the second phase of the IT Park project, launched on Tuesday, a 12 MW data center will be commissioned in partnership with the Saudi company Data Volt, with investments totaling US$150 million. In subsequent phases, the capacity is planned to expand to 500 MW through additional investments of US$3 billion.

The President highlighted the need to create more attractive conditions for investors, including the expansion of supercomputing clusters and data centers. Since approximately 70% of operating costs for such facilities is accounted for by electricity, preferential tariffs were proposed. The project will begin in Karakalpakstan: for investors contributing over US$100 million to AI infrastructure development, the electricity tariff will be set at 5 cents per kWh instead of the current 8.3 cents. These companies will also benefit from IT Park resident privileges, and imported equipment will be exempt from customs duties.

“This will allow a significant leap forward in the development of the sector and make a worthy contribution to the economy of Karakalpakstan,” the President emphasized.

Additionally, starting in 2026, satellite internet operators will begin providing high-speed internet to remote regions of the country. They will be exempt from land and property taxes, corporate income tax, and VAT for a period of five years.

Earlier, in March, representatives of the European Union, Expertise France, the European Investment Bank, and the SES provider signed agreements in Tashkent on satellite internet deployment for Central Asia. EU Commissioner Josef Síkela noted that a regional satellite gateway could be established in Uzbekistan.

In early October, Uzbekistan also reached a preliminary agreement with Amazon on the launch of satellite internet, signing a memorandum of understanding with Amazon Kuiper Commercial Service.