Features - The Times Of Central Asia

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GSMA Summit

Uzbekistan AI and 5G Push in Focus at GSMA M360 Eurasia

Policymakers, telecom executives, investors and technology leaders gathered in Samarkand on May 20-21 for GSMA M360 Eurasia 2026, a regional summit focused on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, connectivity and the future of telecommunications across Eurasia. The event brought together government representatives and industry figures to discuss how countries in Central Asia and neighboring regions can translate expanding mobile connectivity into long-term economic growth. Questions surrounding 5G deployment, AI infrastructure, education, startup ecosystems and digital skills featured prominently throughout the discussions. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, Tair Ismailov, Strategic Engagement Director at the GSMA, discussed what governments should realistically expect from 5G, the challenges of building AI ecosystems and why education may ultimately determine whether countries benefit from rapid technological change. His comments come as Uzbekistan expands investment in telecommunications, data infrastructure and AI education while positioning itself as one of Central Asia’s fastest-growing digital economies. Why 5G May Matter More to Industry Than Consumers For many governments, 5G deployment has become a symbol of technological progress. Yet Ismailov said the economic benefits differ significantly depending on how countries adopt the technology. “Each country has its own path,” he said. “There are countries that have been pioneers in 5G, for example the U.S., South Korea and China, because they have ecosystems of equipment that they need to produce and drive.” Other countries, he argued, may benefit from moving later. “Sometimes it’s better for developing countries not to be in the avant-garde, but rather to follow examples and learn from existing cases,” he said. According to Ismailov, one of 5G’s most immediate functions is helping networks manage growing internet demand. Digital consumption patterns have changed dramatically over the last decade, he noted. “Back in the day, we never streamed videos, now we take it for granted,” Ismailov said. “Average internet consumption in the region is around 17GB per month per user. These are big numbers.” As traffic increases, networks require greater efficiency and capacity. “For networks simply to cope with this traffic, they need to be more productive, and 5G brings this productivity,” he explained. However, he suggested that the technology’s most significant economic impact may emerge outside consumer markets. “If you look at China and other markets, the biggest 5G benefits are granted to the B2B sector,” Ismailov said. “Businesses benefit from low latency and higher speeds.” Consumers may not immediately notice improvements, he added, but industries relying on automation, logistics, manufacturing or cloud services could see larger gains. “On the consumer side, you might not notice it,” he said, “but when you don’t have it, you start noticing it.” [caption id="attachment_49335" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: TCA/Sadokat Jalolova[/caption] Building AI Requires More Than Data Generation As artificial intelligence expands globally, governments have begun viewing data as a strategic resource. Asked whether Uzbekistan has enough high-quality and accessible data to build a meaningful AI ecosystem, Ismailov argued that generating information is no longer the primary challenge. “I don’t think the question is generating data,” he said. “The question is...

TCA Interviews

Interview: Kazakhstan Pushes Middle Corridor as Global Trade Routes Shift

As war, sanctions, and disruption reshape trade between Europe and Asia, Kazakhstan is trying to turn the Middle Corridor from an alternative route into a more predictable logistics system. The route, formally known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, links China and Central Asia with the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, Turkey, and Europe, bypassing Russia. For Kazakhstan, the project is both economic and geopolitical. It promises faster access to foreign markets, new transit revenue, and a stronger role for the country as a logistics hub between China and Europe. However, the corridor still faces practical constraints, including port capacity on the Caspian Sea, uneven digital systems, border procedures, tariffs, and coordination between several states and operators. The Times of Central Asia spoke with Alua Korpebayeva, Head of the Project Office for Transport and Logistics under the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan, about what still needs to change and how Kazakhstan views the corridor’s long-term role. TCA: Why has the Middle Corridor become more urgent for Kazakhstan and Central Asia, and how much have the war in Ukraine and tensions around Iran and the Persian Gulf changed the calculation? Alua Korpebayeva: The government of Kazakhstan has assigned the national railway company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, a strategic objective of increasing total transit volumes to 55 million tons by 2026, representing a 65% increase compared to last year. This target reflects the scale of the country’s ongoing transport transformation. Achieving this goal is closely tied to the development of the Middle Corridor. The route is especially important because it is becoming a foundation for stable and predictable supply chains in global trade. The Middle Corridor provides Central Asian countries with an opportunity to strengthen connectivity with both Europe and China while increasing the region’s role as an independent transport and logistics hub. Geopolitical factors have undoubtedly increased business interest in alternative routes. For Kazakhstan, however, development of the Middle Corridor is primarily part of a broader effort to expand transport capacity and improve logistical resilience. That is precisely why deeper regional cooperation is so important. Unlocking the corridor’s full potential requires close coordination among all participants, from infrastructure modernization and tariff harmonization to end-to-end digitalization and simplified customs procedures. The World Bank has noted that a fully functioning Middle Corridor could strengthen supply-chain resilience and, if accompanied by investment and efficiency measures, could triple freight volumes and cut transportation times in half by 2030. TCA: Are Kazakhstan and its partners moving toward unified transit rules and tariffs along the corridor? What has already been agreed, and where do gaps remain? Alua Korpebayeva: Work on creating unified transit rules and coordinated tariff policies is ongoing. The current focus is shifting from fragmented national tariffs toward a unified through-route pricing system across the corridor. Within the framework of the Action Plan for Eliminating Bottlenecks along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, signed by the railway administrations of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia, the parties agreed to establish a single long-term tariff for the route. In practical terms,...

Myths

Kazakhstan’s Haunted Steppe: Myths, Cold War Ruins, and Unexplained Phenomena

Kazakhstan’s vast steppes, deserts, mountains, and abandoned Soviet sites have produced a mythology of their own. Some stories are folklore. Others grew from real geography, ecological disaster, nuclear testing, secretive institutions, and the long shadow of the Cold War. That mix helps explain why tales of lost islands, strange stones, atomic ghosts, and unidentified flying objects still circulate across the country. The most interesting stories are not necessarily the ones that prove anything paranormal. They are the ones that show how history and landscape can turn into legend. You Will Go But Never Return One of Kazakhstan’s best-known mysterious places is Barsakelmes, whose name is usually translated from Kazakh as “You Will Go But Never Return.” The former island, once located in the Aral Sea, was less than 20 kilometers long, but it acquired an outsized reputation during the Soviet period. [caption id="attachment_49303" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Barsakelmes[/caption] Today, Barsakelmes is no longer technically an island. The Aral Sea has largely dried up after one of the world’s major ecological disasters, and the surrounding landscape has changed almost beyond recognition. The island’s name did much of the work. So did Soviet-era popular culture. Russian science-fiction writer Sergei Lukyanenko, who was born in Kazakhstan, helped deepen its mystique through a story published in the Soviet magazine Tekhnika Molodezhi. In that fictional version, Barsakelmes became a deadly place linked to secret laboratories, biological experiments, and mutant soldiers. The confirmed history is less lurid, but still striking. Local accounts and researchers have linked the name to earlier tragedies, including stories of herders who died while trying to cross the frozen Aral Sea. Over time, those disappearances became part of the island’s reputation as a place from which people did not return. The mystery deepened in the 2000s, when archaeologists found burial grounds and remains of ancient settlements on the dried seabed near Barsakelmes. The finds, dated to the 11th-14th centuries, included religious structures and evidence of trade links that may have extended toward China. Some homes reportedly contained jars still filled with grain, suggesting that residents left suddenly. Whether they fled a flood, conflict, or another disaster is less certain. But it is easy to see how the physical evidence of abrupt abandonment fed older stories about a cursed landscape. Even the island’s natural features became part of the legend. Fishermen once avoided the area after seeing what they thought were huge bones along the shore. They were, in fact, large gypsum formations glinting in the sun. Today, Barsakelmes is also a protected area and a refuge for rare wildlife, showing how a place associated with loss can also become a site of recovery. The Stone Spheres of Mangystau Another of Kazakhstan’s strange landscapes lies on the Mangystau Peninsula in the west of the country, about 150 kilometers from Aktau. There, in a valley that resembles a Martian plain, hundreds of large stone spheres are scattered across the ground. Some are several meters in diameter. Visitors have compared them to giant balls, prehistoric eggs, or...

GSMA Summit

GSMA M360 Eurasia in Samarkand Highlights Push for Faster Digital Growth

Government officials, telecom executives, investors and startup founders gathered in Samarkand this week for GSMA M360 Eurasia 2026, an event focused on one of the region’s biggest questions: how to turn expanding connectivity into long-term economic growth. Held on May 20-21, the summit brought together policymakers and technology companies to discuss artificial intelligence, 5G deployment, digital public services, investment and startup ecosystems. New data released by the GSMA during the event suggests the mobile industry is becoming an increasingly important economic engine across Eurasia. According to the newly published Mobile Economy Eurasia 2026 report, mobile technologies and services generated $270 billion in economic value across Eurasia in 2025, equivalent to 8.1% of regional GDP. That contribution is projected to reach $300 billion by 2030. Opening the event, John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer at the GSMA, said decisions made now on regulation, infrastructure and investment will shape Eurasia’s digital future. “The mobile industry is a powerful driver of growth across Eurasia, contributing around $270 billion to the regional economy today and set to reach $300 billion by 2030,” Giusti said during the keynote session. “Hosting M360 Eurasia in Samarkand is especially fitting. Uzbekistan’s rapid digital progress shows how mobile connectivity can modernize public services, boost productivity and improve lives across the region.” The GSMA report estimates that the mobile ecosystem supported approximately 750,000 jobs across Eurasia in 2025. By 2030, mobile’s economic contribution is expected to grow faster than overall regional GDP growth. Yet expansion remains uneven. Despite wider internet coverage, a significant usage gap persists: nearly 29% of people covered by mobile networks across Eurasia still do not use mobile internet. The report identified affordability, digital literacy and trust as the main barriers. [caption id="attachment_49256" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: ТСА, Sadokat Jalolova[/caption] Uzbekistan’s 5G Push and Why 4G Still Matters One of the summit’s recurring themes was 5G deployment. The GSMA forecasts that by 2030, almost 30% of all mobile connections in Eurasia will use 5G technology. Uzbekistan is expected to exceed that average, with more than 40% of connections projected to run on 5G by the end of the decade. Still, Giusti cautioned against focusing exclusively on next-generation networks. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, he said maintaining investment in existing technologies remains critical. “I think obviously Uzbekistan is leading in terms of 5G deployment,” Giusti said. “But I think it’s very important that we not lose sight of continued investment in 4G.” “We have a lot of 4G devices out there, and I think LTE is offering a huge amount of opportunity for citizens. So, I think it’s this complementary approach of making sure we invest both in the next generation of technology and continue to facilitate the growth of existing technologies.” His comments reflect a broader debate in emerging digital economies: whether governments and operators should prioritize cutting-edge infrastructure or maximize access through already established networks. For many consumers, especially outside major urban centers, 4G remains the primary gateway to digital services. Digital Services Beyond...

Sanctions

Kyrgyzstan Orders 50 Companies to Cease Activity Over Sanctions Risks

Kyrgyzstan has ordered 50 companies to cease activity after state agencies flagged them for sanctions risks, as Bishkek faces growing pressure over Russia-linked trade and payment channels. The move follows months of pressure from Western governments, which say some routes through Central Asia can be used to bypass sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine. The Ministry of Justice did not name the companies, their owners, or their sectors. It also did not say whether any of them had direct links to Russia. The list was prepared by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and other state bodies after checks into possible attempts to evade sanctions restrictions. The order was issued under an interagency mechanism for identifying dishonest participants in foreign economic activity and transactions with increased sanctions risks. The mechanism allows state bodies to use a simplified procedure to terminate the activity of legal entities after a formal submission. The Justice Ministry linked the move to efforts to protect the national economy from possible secondary sanctions. The European Union adopted its 20th sanctions package against Russia on April 23, less than a month before the Ministry of Justice order. The package added measures on energy, finance, trade, and crypto channels. It also used the EU’s anti-circumvention tool against Kyrgyzstan for the first time. Under that measure, the EU banned exports of computer numerical control machines and radios to Kyrgyzstan when there is a high risk that the goods will be re-exported to Russia. The Council of the EU said trade data showed a sharp rise in re-exports of common high-priority items through Kyrgyzstan to Russia. The EU treats the goods as sensitive because they can support industrial production, communications, and military-linked supply chains. The financial aspect of the sanctions has also reached Kyrgyzstan. The EU said it was targeting four financial institutions in third countries for circumventing sanctions or connecting to Russia’s financial messaging system. Local media identified Keremet Bank and Capital Bank as the Kyrgyz banks included in the package. The EU also designated a Kyrgyz entity that operates a platform where significant amounts of the A7A5 stablecoin are traded. Local outlets identified the entity as TengriCoin, registered in Bishkek, and linked it to the Meer platform. The pressure on Kyrgyz banks and crypto companies has been growing. The U.S. Treasury designated Keremet Bank in January 2025, saying the bank had coordinated with Russian officials and Promsvyazbank, a sanctioned Russian state defense lender, to support cross-border transfers. In August 2025, the UK government sanctioned Capital Bank of Central Asia, its director Kantemir Chalbayev, Grinex, Meer, TengriCoin, Old Vector, and other targets linked to Russian payment and crypto channels. London said the ruble-backed A7A5 token had moved $9.3 billion on a dedicated crypto exchange in four months. Kyrgyz officials have rejected the broader claim that the country helps Russia evade sanctions. The Foreign Ministry said on April 28 that Kyrgyzstan acts within national laws and its international obligations. It said Bishkek had supplied the requested documents to European partners...

Rule of Law

American Professor and Longtime Central Asia Researcher Denied Entry to Kyrgyzstan

Professor Steve Swerdlow of the University of Southern California (USC) arrived at the Bishkek airport at 4:30 am on May 19, leading a group of 16 students for a trip of a lifetime: two weeks in Kyrgyzstan and two weeks in Kazakhstan. Swerdlow, a veteran Central Asian researcher who had previously worked for Human Rights Watch in Uzbekistan (2010), Kazakhstan (2011), and Kyrgyzstan (2012-2019), had led similar trips to Kyrgyzstan with USC students in 2022 and 2024. This time, however, there were problems immediately upon his arrival at Bishkek. “I was taken out of line at passport control and whisked away to the departure area, and then taken to a little room,” Swerdlow told TCA. “There were three guys there and they said, almost with a smirk, that we only work here and were told not to allow you into the country.” Swerdlow attempted to get clarification as to why he was being denied entry to Kyrgyzstan, but the border officials merely said their instructions were that Swerdlow was not to be admitted. They told him that an official letter stating the reason for the denial of entry would come, but Swerdlow said he was never given such a document. The border officials said he was to be deported on a plane to Istanbul that was due to leave at 10:00 am. The officials gave Swerdlow his passport with a letter in it addressed to the people at Turkish Airlines, who later showed Swerdlow the contents. It said only that Swerdlow was being denied entry to Kyrgyzstan because entry to Kyrgyzstan was “closed” to him. Swerdlow’s passport was returned to him when he reached Istanbul, but there was another complication. Kyrgyz border control officers had told Turkish Airlines that Swerdlow was being sent all the way back to Los Angeles, so his luggage was transferred at Istanbul to a flight preparing to leave for California. He managed to retrieve his luggage from that flight but remains in Istanbul, where he is trying to coordinate with his students, USC, and officials in Kyrgyzstan. The students are Swerdlow’s main concern. The trip was organized with help from the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, so the students have accommodation, and there are people who speak English helping them. During previous trips, students met with people from Kyrgyzstan’s presidential administration, the human rights ombudsman, and visited parliament. It is unclear if this group will now be able to do the same. Some parts of the trip will almost surely be canceled. Swerdlow mentioned that the group had yurts reserved at Tamga on the shore of Issyk-Kul, the immense alpine lake that is Kyrgyzstan’s premier tourist attraction. “It was going to be a cultural event,” Swerdlow said. “We were going to watch a kok-boru match, attend some cooking classes for local dishes, and a reading of Manas.” Kok-boru is a national sport in Kyrgyzstan, something like polo with players on horseback trying to drag a replicated sheep carcass to goals at either end...