Page Updated: 12-Feb-2007
SPS Homepage > News 2007

Enhanced service for the Virtual Silk Highway

The NATO-funded Virtual Silk Highway Project brings global Internet connectivity through state-of-the-art satellite technology to Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
 
And now this service just got better!   The contractor for this project, Telenor Satellite Services, who was appointed after an international call for bids last year, began services at the beginning of 2007. 

This new contract, which will last for two years, will provide for more bandwidth, giving the countries on the Virtual Silk Highway network faster, more flexible access to the Internet, improving communications and facilitating the flow of information.

The Telenor engineers are working in close collaboration with the Virtual Silk Highway engineers, to get the system up to speed as soon as possible.  NATO has shipped and installed new transmitters and receivers to equip the satellite dishes in each of the nine countries to handle the increase in traffic.

The appointment of this new contractor and the enhanced service it will provide, clearly demonstrates the commitment of NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme to improving education opportunities and facilitating research, ultimately leading to greater security and stability in the Caucasus and Central Asian region.

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