Uzbekistan plans national navigation system as part of broader digital transformation

The proposal comes as Uzbekistan seeks to strengthen its domestic digital infrastructure and reduce dependence on foreign digital platforms.

IT exports and startup ecosystem

Officials reaffirmed the government's targets of increasing annual IT exports to $5 billion by 2030, establishing 5,000 active startups, and attracting $2 billion in investment.

The presentation highlighted Uzbekistan's progress in the international StartupBlink rankings, where the country climbed 31 positions and was recognized as the world's fastest-growing startup ecosystem. Tashkent ranked first among Central Asian cities, while Samarkand and Fergana entered the global top 1,000 startup cities for the first time.

A new Talent Hub program is planned to allow foreign specialists and investors to remotely register businesses, open bank accounts, and obtain international payment cards in Uzbekistan.

Officials also proposed extending tax incentives for employees of IT Park resident companies until 2040, expanding the IT Visa and Zero Risk programs, and introducing additional support measures for IT exporters. These include partial reimbursement of payroll costs, compensation for international certification expenses, and assistance with relocation costs for attracting foreign clients and specialists.

More than 20 startup acceleration programs are also planned in Bukhara and Fergana to help local startups expand into international markets.

Telecommunications reforms

The presentation also focused on further developing Uzbekistan's telecommunications infrastructure.

Officials said the share of populated areas covered by telecommunications services has increased from 41% to 98% in recent years, while the country's total internet bandwidth has expanded 65-fold. At the same time, they acknowledged that the sector remains insufficiently attractive for domestic private investors and that fixed broadband penetration remains low in remote areas.

To improve the business environment, officials proposed merging the two existing license categories for designing and building telecommunications networks into a single license and reducing the licensing period from 25 working days to 10.

New apartment buildings would also be required to incorporate high-speed internet infrastructure during the design and construction stages, ensuring optical fiber connectivity from the outset.

Additional support measures include offering entrepreneurs entering the telecommunications sector concessional loans of up to UZS 530 million under the Future Entrepreneur program, with a seven-year repayment period, a two-year grace period, and a 15% interest rate. Preferential tariff plans are also planned for businesses operating in remote and rural areas.

Following the presentation, President Mirziyoyev approved the proposed measures and instructed officials to strengthen the integration of government data systems, improve the quality of digital public services, enhance cybersecurity and personal data protection, and create a more favorable environment for private-sector participation in the digital economy.