Turkmenistan’s only mobile operator, Altyn Asyr, has stopped selling new SIM cards for phones. This was reported by a correspondent for the Turkmen service of Radio Liberty.
Ashgabat residents told him that 16-year-old citizens who have received passports cannot buy a SIM card, since the company says that they do not have available numbers. Previously, it was possible to stand in line for a SIM card, but now even this is impossible.
Another resident of the capital noted that it is impossible to get a SIM card for either new numbers or existing ones, and neither at the main office nor at branches. The company said that you can only change the tariff.
Altyn Asyr, which operates under the TMCell brand, explained that they do not have the technical ability to increase the number of SIM cards, but did not make any official statements on this matter. And this is happening in the era of digitalization! The operator began restricting the sale of SIM cards back in the spring of 2023, and by October, the queues at the offices were occupied until the spring of 2024.
Recall that the authorities of Turkmenistan have practically not responded to the poor quality of the Internet and the lack of a sufficient number of SIM cards from the mobile operator Altyn Asyr. The Internet in the country remains extremely slow and expensive, making it one of the slowest in the world. Residents of Turkmenistan often face blocking of sites and applications, especially those that provide access to independent information or allow communication with the outside world. VPN services that could help bypass these restrictions are also blocked by the authorities.
Problems with the Internet are not limited to low speed and high tariffs. In Turkmenistan, the Internet is used as a tool for controlling information. Government services block access to social networks, instant messengers and independent media in order to limit freedom of speech and prevent the dissemination of information that may be critical of the government. Thus, the state policy is aimed at the complete isolation of citizens from the outside world, which causes criticism from the population, but the authorities continue to ignore these problems, leaving the country’s residents in information isolation.
