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Uzbektelecom JSC (Uzbektelecom) plans to modernize its nationwide optical fiber networks in order to enhance the transmission capacities. The contact has been finalized with the Japan-based Toyota Tsusho Corporation (Toyota Tsusho) and NEC Corporation.

The opitcal fiber network updgradatin work will be carried out using the funds provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.

Over the past 20 years, loans extended by the Japanese government have supported the Republic of Uzbekistan’s deployment of optical fiber cables and the construction of fixed communication systems across the country. Today, trends are demanding faster speeds and larger capacity from fixed networks, and mobile communications are requiring large capacity from fixed networks to provide LTE services.

The president of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the past had outlined large-scale plans and important tasks for ICT infrastructure in the country. The Uzbekistan government announced the development of a comprehensive national information and communication plan, and decided to increase the speed and quality of transmissions through the renewal of the country’s nationwide data communication system.

Toyota Tsusho and NEC will carry out the implementaion of the network modernization. The expansion and modernization project is scheduled for completion in 2019. Since most of the work would be carried out at the system side, not really on the Outside plant physical network installaiton, the parties involved estimates that the implementation time could be shorter.

Toyota Tsusho and NEC have been selected by Uzbektelecom to provide high-end optical network data communication systems that are capable of multiplexing and transmitting multiple signals of different wavelengths via optical fiber. This is in addition to the provision of a microwave radio communication system as backup for the optical network data communications system, and the provision of a gateway to convert existing analog signals to IP and other systems.

Through the introduction of these advanced solutions, the communication speed of backbone data networks will be 20 times faster, while minimizing the investment cost by using existing optical fibers. This will meet telecommunications needs from the widespread use of mobile phones and the Internet as a communication infrastructure that leads the economy of Uzbekistan. Moreover, it will contribute to the introduction of ICT in a wide array of fields and the construction of cloud-based e-government infrastructure that utilizes this communication infrastructure as the foundation.

Wavelength division multiplexing technologies significantly enhances the transmission capacities of an optical fiber. Known as the xWDM technologies, the CWDM and the DWDM bundles the data-packed wavelengths and transmit along the fiber simultaneously. This multiplexing is done at a wavelength spacing of 20nm in CWDM technology. In DWDM technology, the wavelenth spacing is too narrow that the spacing is expressed in terms of GHz.

DWDM uses wavelengths ranging from 1490nm to 1610nm in the S, C and L bands of the spectrum. In the L-band, a wavelength spacing of approximately 0.78nm is equal to 100GHz and the ITU-T G.694.1 specifies the spectral grids for DWDM transmission.

In the network upgrading project, the Toyota Tsusho will play a coordinating role to facilitate the project as the main contractor, thereby contributing to the improvement of the business environment and the quality of life for residents throughout Uzbekistan.

NEC has been actively operating in Uzbekistan since 1992.and now for this project, NEC will provide an optical wavelength multiplexing data communication system and microwave radio system, in addition to training operators from Uzbektelecom.

Uzbektelecom or Uztelecom, based in Tashkent was founded in 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet regime. Uztelecom provides telecom services to residents, offices, businesses and government departments in the country. Uztelecom rents channels to fixed and mobile operators. Uztelecom also provides international telephone services on prepaid cards, VPN services, construction and development of corporate networks.