The new head of the Communications Service of Tajikistan, Isfandiyor Sadullo, has promised to increase the volume of mobile Internet packages by at least 20% within the existing tariffs (without increasing the cost). At a briefing on March 20, he shared with journalists the planned reforms in the telecommunications sector.

He stated that serious reforms are being undertaken to improve the level and quality of telecommunications services in the country. In particular, he noted that the cost of imported Internet was reduced this year, which led to a reduction in prices for mobile and wired Internet from domestic operators.

“From now on, the volume of mobile Internet packages will be increased by at least 20%. In addition, the rates of wired Internet providers have been reduced by 55%, and all tariff plans with a speed below 5 Mbit/s will be cancelled. Previously, the speed of wired Internet started from 0.5 Mbit/s,” the head of the Service said.

Isfandiyor Saidullo noted that more than 95% of the population of Tajikistan uses mobile Internet, and the number of its users is growing every day. In this regard, special attention is paid to the construction of new base stations for mobile communications.

“Mobile operators should have installed base stations in a timely manner and expanded technical capacities to increase coverage. But this work was not carried out satisfactorily enough, which led to a decrease in the quality of mobile communications,” he noted.

According to him, the Communications Service has developed a specific plan for mobile operators.

“Over the next three years, the country’s mobile Internet will completely switch to 4G and 5G standards, depending on the region, and the population’s access to wired Internet will reach 80%,” he added.

It was also announced that the “State Program for the Development of Communications in the Republic of Tatarstan for 2026-2030” had been developed and would be presented to the country’s government.

The head of the communications service said that there are plans to modernize the work of Tajikistan Post, including its integration with marketplaces, e-commerce and the digital economy, as well as attracting DHL, FedEx, UPS and TNT Express.

In addition, in the future, servicing of electronic wallets of financial and credit organizations of the country will be provided free of charge and even with a zero balance.

“That is, if the user’s balance is zero and even the volume of Internet traffic is exhausted, he will be able to make electronic and non-cash transactions,” the head of the service said.

Internet in the country is provided by 6 mobile and 15 wired companies. The problem of quality and speed of the Internet has remained unresolved for many years, and users regularly express dissatisfaction with the quality of services of mobile operators.

Internet in Tajikistan: expensive and slow

The head of the Communications Service promises to improve the quality of the Internet and reduce the price at a time when the population often complains about poor work and high prices, and the country occupies the last positions in world rankings.

Internet in Tajikistan is considered one of the most expensive in Central Asia and the world. There is no new data on the country’s position in world rankings for 2025. But according to the 2024 Internet traffic cost rating  compiled by Global Relocate, Tajikistan ranks 142nd among 238 countries and dependent territories of the world with an average cost of $1.65 per 1 gigabyte. 

For comparison, according to this rating, in Kyrgyzstan 1 GB costs on average $0.17 (8th place in the world), in Uzbekistan – $0.30 (22nd place), in Kazakhstan – $0.41 (35th place). In other words, the Internet in Tajikistan is almost 9.5 times more expensive than in Kyrgyzstan, 5.5 times more expensive than in Uzbekistan and 4 times more expensive than in Kazakhstan.

Tajikistan, according to the Speedtest Global Index  for February 2025, moved up several places in the fixed (wired) internet speed rankings and ranks 118th out of 154 countries. The average download speed was 33.77 Mbps, which is significantly lower than the global average of 98.3 Mbps.

Data on the average speed of mobile Internet in Tajikistan has not been updated in this rating for about a year. But in February 2024, Tajikistan was ranked 139th among 143 countries in the world, and in May 2024, the republic was in 143rd place (it is unknown whether there were countries after Tajikistan, or the republic occupies the last line).