Uzbekistan aspires to become the IT hub of the region

In our country, emphasis is placed on digitalization of various sectors of the economy and the formation of a digital government. Comprehensive programs have been adopted and are being effectively implemented, contributing to the introduction of the latest technologies even in the most remote corners of the republic, strengthening human resources, strengthening international cooperation in this direction.

As a result, in a short period of time, the domestic IT industry has gained recognition at the international level, becoming one of the leading sectors of the New Uzbekistan. This contributes to strengthening the attractiveness of our country for foreign IT companies.
According to Loren Moss, executive editor of the leading international company "Unido Digital Media", Uzbekistan is becoming an ideal place to start a business, where everyone can successfully realize their potential. 
"It is surprising that Uzbekistan began its development in the IT industry relatively recently and practically from scratch. I have witnessed that in the last seven or eight years the country has been rapidly developing in this direction and becoming a leader in the region," the expert emphasizes. — Legislation that meets international standards is in force here, modern infrastructure is developed, tax and customs privileges have been introduced, education in the field of IT and related fields is actively developing. I believe that focusing on information technology is the right strategy. Companies come here for business development, and the state supports this sector. The country has huge potential, especially with the younger generation who are well versed in the digital world. It is important to continue moving forward along the chosen path."
Progressive digital infrastructure and effective support from the state, the availability of qualified labor, effective measures in the form of benefits and preferences contribute to the development of Uzbekistan as a regional IT hub. 
So, if in 2019 the number of residents of the locomotive of the sphere — "IT Park" was 147 units, then by the current year this figure has reached 1,400 residents. At the same time, if in 2017 the volume of services rendered by them amounted to 179.9 billion soums, by the end of 2022 this figure reached 5.1 trillion soums, an increase of 28.3 times, and exports increased 82 times — up to 140 million dollars. 
The opportunities provided to foreign IT companies attract new partners to Uzbekistan. This is clearly illustrated by the fact that their number in the sphere has increased in seven years from four to 200. 
It is also noteworthy that in 2016 remote self-employment in Uzbekistan was not developed, and the population almost did not work in this direction. Now 45 thousand freelancers are engaged in remote work in an online format. In addition, thanks to the development of the industry, young people have mastered many new highly profitable professions. Taking into account these and other opportunities, 187 BPO companies engaged in outsourcing business processes have been created in the republic in recent years, 500 young people have been employed.
Viktor Pereda, the founder of the world-famous NearSol BPO company, who visited our country, also highly appreciated Uzbekistan's opportunities in the field of ICT.
"I am sure that the digital market of Uzbekistan has excellent prospects," he said. — Your country has a great potential in this area, in addition, the workforce that you have at your disposal is quite powerful. I find the education and technology I've seen here relevant and well-chosen. They will allow us to support the industry in which we plan to work together in the near future.
It is worth noting that the company "NearSol" currently employs over three thousand specialists, and the prospect of opening its office in Uzbekistan, along with obtaining the status of a resident in the "IT Park" promises to provide hundreds of young Uzbeks with jobs."
According to experts, young people are the most significant resource in the IT sphere. However, until 2016, the state did not allocate sufficient funds to support initiatives and projects of representatives of the younger generation. Now all opportunities have been created for them both in getting an education and in implementing their ideas. For talented young people, a system has been introduced to cover 50 percent of the costs of obtaining international IT certificates. Thousands of young men and women have already taken advantage of this opportunity. Moreover, since October 1 of this year, young people who have received such certificates will be reimbursed 100 percent of their expenses. 
Another significant news: in order to increase the number of innovative projects of young people able to compete in the global IT market, a competition "President Tech Award" with a prize fund of one million dollars has been announced in Uzbekistan. 
According to forecasts, by the end of 2023, 65 thousand people will be employed in the IT sector in our country. Just a few years ago, in 2016, the number of such specialists barely reached 2.5 thousand.
The rapid dynamics of the industry is reflected in the results. They're impressive. So, if in 2020 the annual export of IT services amounted to $ 47 million, then this year this milestone was mastered in excess of just three months. 
Tangible growth has also been achieved in the development of telecommunications infrastructure. The cost of connecting to the Internet at a speed of 1 Mbit/s, which was 522 thousand soums in 2016, has been reduced to 30 thousand soums in 2023. In order to cover the regions with fast and high-quality Internet, the length of fiber-optic communication lines has been increased from 20 to 170 thousand kilometers, that is, by 8.5 times.
It is also worth emphasizing that the cost of connecting to the international Internet for operators and providers has decreased by almost 33 times during this period. As a result, the number of Internet subscribers reached 31.1 million by the end of 2022. At the same time, over the past seven years, the cost of mobile Internet has decreased almost nine times, and Uzbekistan has risen from 68th to 15th place in the world ranking of the cost of the Internet.
All these successes are an important step towards achieving the key goal of turning Uzbekistan into an IT hub of the region.