DUSHANBE , February 28, Asia-Plus - On Monday February 27, Tajik Minister of Communications Said Zuvaydov met with top managers of Internet service providers and cellular operators to discuss the issue of the establishment of the Unified Communications Center in Tajikistan .   

Jaffar Rustamov, editor-in-chief of the Dushanbe newspaper “Radif-Info”, who attended the meeting, has told Asia-Plus that during the meeting it was noted that “the establishment of the new center is necessary for controlling external traffic of telephony, both the traditional one and IP-telephony.”  

According to the Asia-Plus interlocutor, the Unified Communications Center will be established under the country’s main telecommunications provider, joint-stock company  “Tajiktelecom”.  

Representatives from the President’s Executive office, the Majlisi Namoyandagon ( Tajikistan ’s lower chamber of parliament) and the Anti-Monopoly Committee also attended the meeting.   

The Communications Ministry proposed to all participants at the meeting to submit their proposals, which will be included in the draft document that will be submitted for consideration to the government.   

As it had been reported earlier, independent operators complain that if the Unified Communications Center becomes a reality, the government would obtain a virtual monopoly over telecommunications and Internet service.  As a result the quality of service would likely suffer while customer prices would increase.