GOOOOOAL - KYRGYZ MOBILE PHONE USERS ENJOY SPECIAL WORLD CUP SERVICE
Chris Schuepp: 6/03/02

The following message, in Russian, popped up on hundreds of mobile phones in Kyrgyzstan, minutes after the end of the opening match of the World Cup soccer tournament: "France – Senegal 0-1. Goal scored by Papa Bouba Diop in the 30th minute."

The result was something of a shocker, as France is the defending world champion and is considered one of the favorites again this year. Far less surprising is the rapidly growing market for mobile telecommunications in Kyrgyzstan.

Many Kyrgyz, like billions of others around the globe, are closely following the month-long, 32-team World Cup tournament, which concludes June 30. This year, with the games being played in South Korea and Japan, the time difference makes it difficult for many in Kyrgyzstan to watch the contests. But the new phone message service enables affluent Kyrgyz to stay informed, at a cheaper price than that paid by soccer fans in the wired West.

The World Cup news flashes are being provided by BITEL, one of Kyrgyzstan’s two leading mobile communication companies (the other one being KATEL). The flash messages are widely used in Western Europe and account for a significant share of the revenue that mobile communication providers make. But in Kyrgyzstan, the service is relatively new, having been introduced last January. Yet in recent months the volume has increased significantly. According to BITEL spokeswoman Saida Sapieva, 200,000 messages are being sent every month by the company’s 25,000 subscribers, an average of eight messages per customer.

The rising usage totals indicate that even in a country like Kyrgyzstan, where the economy continues to languish a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there appears to be strong growth potential for communications and information services. The country’s dilapidated infrastructure often makes mobile phones the logical choice for communications in many areas. In addition to World Cup updates, providers offers an array of message services, including the latest weather and money exchange rates.

Sapieva said the full World Cup alert service gives the half time and the final scores of all 64 World Cup matches. The total cost is 150 Kyrgyz soms, or the equivalent of 3 US dollars. That’s far cheaper than in most technologically advanced countries. In Switzerland, for example, one single flash message with World Cup news will cost the football fanatic half a Swiss franc each, or around 30 US cents.

Most of the users of the World Cup alert package in Kyrgyzstan are locals from Bishkek and the suburbs of the Kyrgyz capital. "The information will be provided in Russian, therefore the main target for the service is local users," Sapieva said, adding that just 2 percent of the company’s subscribers are foreigners.

Although there is broad interest in the World Cup games in Kyrgyzstan, the country does not enjoy a strong soccer tradition. Indeed, the Kyrgyz national team performed poorly in World Cup qualifying matches. The team’s World Cup 2002 campaign ended in the first qualifying round when it finished third in its group. The other Central Asian countries shared the same fate with the exception of Uzbekistan, which almost made it to the final qualifying stage before being eliminated by China. In the official FIFA rankings, Kyrgyzstan is ranked 165th out of 200 countries, Tajikistan 155th, Turkmenistan 114th and Kazakhstan 102nd while Uzbekistan is ranked 67th.

Editor’s Note: Chris Schuepp is a freelance journalist who specializes in Central Asian developments.

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Posted June 3, 2002 © Eurasianet
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