Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has repeatedly emphasized that one of the priority tasks for Uzbekistan's sustained socio-economic development is to widely introduce information and communication technology and digital technology. Digital technology is an effective tool for ensuring high-quality reforms in the economic sector and public life. In President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's speech to the Uzbekistan parliament and people in January 2020, digital development issues occupied a central position. Uzbekistan has announced that 2020 will be a symbolic year for the development of science, education, and digital economy. It was during this period that a series of documents were passed, laying the regulatory and legal foundation for further digital reforms.

In the past two years, even facing the challenge of COVID-19, the country has also carried out large-scale digital reform. In 2020, the resolution on "Measures to Widely Introduce Digital Economy and E-Government" and the "Digital Uzbekistan -2030 Strategy" were passed, and in 2021, the "Implementation Measures Plan for Artificial Intelligence Technology Research from 2021 to 2022" was formulated. The goals outlined in the "New Uzbekistan Strategy 2022-2026" released in January 2022 include the development of e-government and digital economy. In August 2022, measures were also formulated to elevate information and communication technology to a new level by 2022-2023.

Development Status

According to the National Statistical Committee of Uzbekistan, the GDP of Uzbekistan reached 734587.7 billion Sums in 2021, with a growth rate of 7.4%, higher than the 1.9% in 2020 and 5.7% in 2019. The added value of the information economy and e-commerce sector in 2021 was 1.77387 trillion Sums, an increase of 6616.9 billion Sums from 2020, with a growth rate of 59.50%. The added value in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was the highest, reaching 1229.88 billion Sums, an increase of 289.95 billion Sums from 2020, with a growth rate of 30.85% (see Table 1). The added value of the information economy and e-commerce sector accounted for 2.6% of the gross domestic product in 2021, 0.6 percentage points higher than in 2020, with the largest proportion in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector at 1.8% (see Table 2).

表1 2020～2021年信息经济和电子商务领域的增加值

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Table 1 Value added in the field of information economy and e-commerce from 2020 to 2021

表2 2020～2021年信息经济和电子商务领域创造的增加值在国内生产总值中的占比

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Table 2: The proportion of added value created in the fields of information economy and e-commerce in the gross domestic product from 2020 to 2021

In 2021, there were 53782 employees in the information and communication industry, an increase of 3625 compared to 2020, and they were concentrated in Tashkent city, where the number of employees in the information and communication industry reached 34687 (see Table 3). The information and communication industry is one of the high-income sectors in Uzbekistan. The average monthly revenue of the information and communication industry in 2021 was 5.5772 million Sums, an increase of 27.03% compared to 2020. The region with the highest average monthly income in the national information and communication industry is Tashkent, with 6.8512 million Sums, which is 22.84% higher than the national average level (see Figure 1). The average monthly income of the information and communication industry in other regions of the country is generally lower than the national average level. For example, the average monthly income of the information and communication industry in Tashkent Oblast is 54.87% of the national average level, in Andijan Oblast it is 50.64%, in Samarkand Oblast it is 61.65%, and in Khorezm Oblast it is 53.16%.

表3 2020～2021年ICT领域法人实体的员工人数

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Table 3 Number of employees of legal entities in the ICT field from 2020 to 2021

Figure 1: Average Monthly Revenue of the Information and Communication Industry in Various Regions in 2021

1. Development of ICT services

Uzbekistan pays special attention to the development of ICT services. According to the draft development plan for the Republic of Uzbekistan's e-government system, it is planned to increase the proportion of ICT services to GDP to 5.0% by 2025 and to 10% by 2030. In 2021, ICT services accounted for 6.0% of all service structures, with a growth rate of 121.8% and a total volume of 1.71172 trillion Sums, an increase of 3264.9 billion Sums from 2020 (with a growth rate of 123.8% and a total volume of 1.38523 trillion Sums in 2020).

Telecommunication services (transmission and mobile communication, Internet services, satellite communication services, etc.) account for the largest proportion of ICT services, accounting for 69.9%. The proportion of computer software services is 12.5%, the proportion of other communication and information services is 12.6%, and the proportion of publishing services is 5.0% (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 ICT Service Structure in 2021

The regions with high growth rates of ICT services in 2021 are Tashkent Oblast (131.1%), Syr Darya Oblast (126.8%), and Tashkent City (124.8%). The regions with lower growth rates compared to 2020 are Andijan Oblast (111.2%), Namangan Oblast (112.9%), and Karakalpakstan Republic (114.6%) (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Growth rates of ICT services in various regions in 2021 compared to 2020

The region with the highest total ICT service volume in 2021 is Tashkent, with 1.02119 trillion Sums, indicating that the majority of enterprises and organizations engaged in ICT services in the country are located in Tashkent. In addition, regions with a large total ICT service volume include Fergana Oblast (905.2 billion Sums), Samarkand Oblast (833.3 billion Sums), Tashkent Oblast (652.9 billion Sums), Andijan Oblast (649.8 billion Sums), Kashkadarya Oblast (599.1 billion Sums), and Namangan Oblast (588.4 billion Sums) (see Table 4).

表4 2021年各地区ICT服务总量

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Table 4: Total ICT Services by Region in 2021

The development of ICT industry benefits from the increase of fixed assets investment in ICT field. From 2020 to 2021, the amount of fixed assets investment in ICT will increase from 4.8 trillion soum to 7.5 trillion soum, accounting for 3.06% of the total fixed assets investment. This includes foreign investment and lending in this field reaching 2.1 trillion Sums in 2021, accounting for 2.01% of the total foreign investment and lending (see Table 5).

表5 2020～2021年ICT领域固定资产投资额变化

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Table 5 Change of fixed assets investment in ICT from 2020 to 2021

2. Development of Telecommunications Infrastructure

The telecommunications infrastructure in Uzbekistan is actively developing. From 2020 to 2021, the length of fiber optic communication lines laid nationwide increased from 68600 kilometers to 118000 kilometers (see Table 6), and the number of mobile communication base stations increased from 31700 to 45900 (see Table 7).

表6 2020～2021年各地区铺设光纤通信线路长度

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Table 6 Length of fiber optic communication lines laid in various regions from 2020 to 2021

表7 2020～2021年各地区移动通信基站数量

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Table 7: Number of Mobile Communication Base Stations in Various Regions from 2020 to 2021

From 2020 to 2021, the number of mobile communication users in China will increase from 25.9713 million to 29.0224 million (see Table 8), and the number of Internet users will increase from 19.981 million to 22.9872 million (see Table 9).

表8 2020～2021年各地区移动通信用户数量

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Table 8: Number of Mobile Communication Users in Various Regions from 2020 to 2021

表9 2020～2021年各地区互联网用户数量

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Table 9 Number of Internet Users by Region from 2020 to 2021

The Internet speed of consumers has also improved. According to the latest data from Speedtest Global Index, in August 2022, the download speed of users' broadband internet was 41.84Mbps, an increase of 13.73Mbps from August 2021. The upload speed of users' broadband internet was 43.11Mbps, an increase of 11.74Mbps from August 2021. The network latency speed was 9ms, a decrease of 2ms from August 2021 (see Figure 4). In August 2022, the download speed of mobile Internet users will be 15.07 Mbps, 1.73 Mbps more than that in August 2021, the upload speed of mobile Internet users will be 7.60 Mbps, 1.14 Mbps more than that in August 2021, and the network delay speed will be 26 ms, 2 ms less than that in August 2021 (see Figure 5).

Figure 4 Broadband Internet Speed in Uzbekistan (August 2021 to August 2022)

Figure 5 Mobile Internet Access Speed in Uzbekistan (August 2021 to August 2022)

3. Development of e-commerce

According to the Statista Institute of the US Department of Commerce's Office of International Trade, Uzbekistan's e-commerce revenue in 2020 was $481.3 million, accounting for 68% of the country's total digital revenue, with the remaining 32% coming from digital media, e-services, and e-tourism. By 2025, Uzbekistan's e-commerce revenue will grow at an annual rate of 6.3%. The expenditure on digital technology in Uzbekistan is very small, accounting for 1.2% of per capita consumption expenditure in 2020, compared to the Asian average of 3.1%. Most people purchase fashion products (32%) and electronic products (31%) online, followed by food and personal care products (14%), toys, hobbies, and DIY products (11.5%), and furniture and household appliances (11%).

Overall, Uzbekistan's e-commerce industry is in the early stages of development. The most popular online platform is Glotr, which allows local businesses to create websites to sell goods and services. Personal transactions are more popular on OLX and Arba. The global AliExpress market dominates cross-border e-commerce in Uzbekistan. E-commerce companies also actively use social networks to promote their products and services. Some banks provide payment tools for sellers and companies, creating e-commerce sections on their websites and applications that allow customers to pay for goods and services online.

According to a report by international consulting firm KPMG, the e-commerce market size in Uzbekistan in 2021 was $168 million. The country's market is approaching a phase of positive growth, with trading volume expected to reach $264 million by the end of 2022 and $783 million by 2025. KPMG points out that the proportion of e-commerce in Uzbekistan's total retail sales is not high, but the market potential is enormous. The expected growth is caused by several factors: the demand of buyers, the existence of affordable infrastructure in the form of mobile Internet. In Uzbekistan's e-commerce characteristics, the proportion of young people is very high: 48% of all citizens in the country are 15-45 years old, and there are about 25 million mobile Internet users.

In October 2020, the Uzbekistan Export Promotion Agency established a partnership with Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba and created a "Made in Uzbekistan" section on the Alibaba platform, showcasing products from some Uzbekistan companies.

The state-owned company "Uzbekistan Postal Services" created a national online trading platform in March 2021, where sellers can auction their products. Postal services will transport the purchased goods to the buyer's address, thereby assuming the responsibility of a guarantor between the seller and the buyer. In addition, Uzbekistan's postal service plans to increase the number of logistics centers to 30 by 2025, and increase the number of goods on the platform to 1.5 million, with the number of local and international online stores growing to 125. Uzbekistan Postal Service has also created a nationwide online trading platform Unisavdo, with plans to transform it into a large-scale market by 2025.

Starting from July 1, 2022, the "Open Digital Ecosystem" comprehensive e-commerce information system will be launched, and the Digital Transformation Center under the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade will be responsible for its operation. The ecosystem will have custodial accounts to ensure that trading parties fulfill their contractual obligations, and the income tax rate for such platform operators integrated into the digital ecosystem will be reduced by 50%. This policy will continue until January 1, 2024.

Global Digital Competitiveness

Uzbekistan has shown remarkable performance in multiple international ratings of information technology development.

The Global Innovation Index (GII) is an annual ranking jointly established by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Cornell University, and the European Business School in 2007. It ranks 132 economies based on 80 indicators, including intellectual property application rates, mobile application development, education spending, technology publications, and more. In the latest 2022 GII ranking, Uzbekistan has risen 4 places from 2021 and ranks 82nd out of 132 economies worldwide. This article focuses on the sub indicator of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), with Uzbekistan ranking 55th out of 132 economies worldwide (76.1 points), up 10 places from 2021. Compared with neighboring countries, Uzbekistan lags behind in information and communication technologies (ICTs), ranking and scoring lower than Russia, Kazakhstan, and China, with a significant gap. But it can be seen that Uzbekistan's ranking has risen rapidly, jumping up 10 places (see Table 10).

表10 2021～2022年乌兹别克斯坦及周边国家的信息和通信技术（ICTs）分指标

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Table 10 Sub indicators of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Uzbekistan and neighboring countries from 2021 to 2022

In the three refined indicators under the sub indicators of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Uzbekistan in 2022, the score and ranking of ICT usage have significantly increased, the score of ICT accessibility has increased but the ranking has decreased, and the score and ranking of government online services and electronic participation remain the same as in 2021 (see Table 11).

表11 2021～2022年乌兹别克斯坦信息和通信技术（ICTs）分指标

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Table 11 Sub indicators of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Uzbekistan from 2021 to 2022

The GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index is compiled by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA Association), and all mobile operators in Uzbekistan have joined the association. This index reflects the development and use level of mobile Internet, and measures the performance of the main driving factors in the promotion of mobile Internet in more than 170 countries/regions: infrastructure, affordability, consumer readiness, content and services. The index can help the mobile industry determine which aspects to focus on to promote the wider use of mobile Internet. From 2020 to 2021, Uzbekistan's performance in the index increased significantly from 47.0 points to 50.9 points. Compared with neighboring countries, Uzbekistan has a lower mobile communication index, lagging behind Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and only leading Tajikistan (see Table 12).

From 2020 to 2021, the scores of the four sub indicators of the Uzbekistan Mobile Communication Index have all increased, indicating that infrastructure (including network coverage, network quality), affordability (including mobile phone fees, mobile phone prices, taxes and fees), consumer readiness (including whether they own a mobile phone, whether they have basic usage skills, and whether men and women can use mobile communication equally), and content and services (including local relevance, accessibility, and online security) are all showing an increasingly good development trend (see Table 13).

表12 2020～2021年乌兹别克斯坦及周边国家的移动通信指数

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Table 12 Mobile Communication Index of Uzbekistan and Surrounding Countries from 2020 to 2021

表13 2020～2021年乌兹别克斯坦移动通信指数四项分指标

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Table 13 Four sub indicators of Uzbekistan Mobile Communication Index from 2020 to 2021

The E-Government Development Index (EGDI) is compiled by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, based on three sub network indicators: the development of online public services, telecommunications infrastructure, and human capital. According to various indicators of the index, Uzbekistan's score increased from 0.67 to 0.73 from 2020 to 2022, and its ranking among 193 countries rose from 87th to 69th. Both the score and ranking have improved, indicating a strong development of e-government in Uzbekistan in the past two years. Compared with neighboring countries, Uzbekistan's e-government development index is in the middle range, lagging behind Kazakhstan, Russia, and China, and leading Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan (see Table 14).

表14 2020年和2022年乌兹别克斯坦及周边国家的电子政务发展指数

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Table 14 E-government Development Index of Uzbekistan and Surrounding Countries in 2020 and 2022

Three national policies

Digital finance and IT parks are key areas for development by the Uzbekistan government from 2020 to 2022. Since the COVID-19 in 2020, non cash payments have developed rapidly, making the financial banking industry move towards digital transformation. The special military operation by Russia against Ukraine in 2022 and related Western sanctions have led to the outflow of Russian IT experts, driving Uzbekistan's development measures to attract IT experts. On April 14, 2022, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a conference on the development of the information technology industry. At the meeting, Mirziyoyev emphasized the need to develop Uzbekistan into a regional IT center

1. Digital finance

In today's world, the digital transformation of the banking industry is an indispensable part of the development of the digital economy. Within the framework of the "Digital Uzbekistan -2030 Strategy", necessary measures have been taken nationwide to develop digital financial services, particularly to ensure that ordinary people have access to remote services and improve service quality. At present, there are 3 digital banks and 34 non bank payment institutions in China, of which 10 are listed in the directory of electronic currency system operators. In 2021, 53% of deposits, 40% of small loans, 48% of utility and other payments, and 15% of currency exchange transactions were conducted remotely (see Figure 6).

Figure 6 Proportion of remote/on-site transactions in 2021

There are retail payment systems based on bank cards in the national market - Uzcard and Humo. The launch of the Humo retail payment system in 2018 helped to create a competitive environment, significantly increasing the scale of non cash payments in the economy and reducing risks associated with payment service provider activities. Contactless payments are rapidly becoming popular. When making payments on public transportation, contactless payment systems using bank cards and transportation cards have also been introduced. The urgent task is to introduce modern payment services on the basis of existing infrastructure development, in order to create comfortable conditions for customers. For example, NFC payment at retail service points without a bank card is achieved through the use of HumoPay technology installed on mobile devices (similar to Apple Pay or Google Pay).

In addition, in 2021, the National Bank launched the QR online payment system, which provides a new way for commercial entities and individual operators to accept payments (in addition to POS terminals), reducing operating costs by using QR codes. An example of creating innovative services is Tap to phone technology, which allows commercial entities and individual operators to accept payments through NFC on their smartphones. The launch of the instant payment system in 2020 is another important achievement in Uzbekistan's non cash payment field. This service provides real-time remittance for legal entities and individual operators. The system is built on the basis of network service technology, allowing users to conduct round the clock interbank transactions through remote banking systems. Users do not need to visit the bank, and the funds received in the account can be immediately used for further transactions (see Figure 7).

Figure 7 Transaction situation through instant payment system

Nowadays, there are 127 legal entities in Uzbekistan operating as non bank credit organizations - small credit organizations and pawnshops, many of which offer small loans that can be disbursed online and repaid and credited through almost any payment application. And a system for remote biometric recognition of users has been introduced, which can optimize the process of providing financial services to residents and businesses and improve quality to ensure the automatic collection of reliable and detailed information about individuals.

The development trend of Uzbekistan's fintech market is rapidly changing: if we had only focused on the necessity of digital transformation before the pandemic, today we have seen the market's actions and adaptation. During the epidemic, banks quickly launched remote services and products, improved infrastructure, and conducted experiments, which have continued to this day. Overall, the market trend is quite positive: regulatory agencies quickly adapt to changes, many new players emerge, and large international companies begin to show interest in the industry. Human capital is also constantly developing, especially in relation to the recent international situation. Uzbekistan has begun to actively attract IT personnel from abroad.

Of course, the market still has enormous growth potential. Uzbekistan is currently facing the challenge of developing financial technology and adapting financial instruments to current practical needs. The fintech community in Uzbekistan is still very small - less than 50 companies. It has many ideas, but there are not always suitable conditions, including regulatory conditions, to implement these ideas. In May 2022, the FinTech Association was established in Uzbekistan as a platform to support the development of fintech, fintech startups, and promote dialogue between businesses and regulatory agencies. By creating a "regulatory sandbox," the association brings together regulatory agencies and fintech participants to test new technologies in a secure environment and quickly and effectively adapt to regulatory frameworks.

Technological development includes open APIs, banking as a service model, cloud solutions, big data work, and solutions adapted to advanced Western countries. For the rapid development of the industry, it also plans to test future oriented technologies and focus on outsourcing models, which will reduce the holding cost of products and quickly bring them to the market. Fintech should take on the task of technical components so that banks can focus on their business rather than competing with fintech in terms of IT expertise.

2. IT Park

During Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's first visit to India from September 30 to October 2, 2018, both Uzbekistan and India agreed to expand cooperation in the field of information technology. The Ukrainian side expressed interest in collaborating with Indian information technology companies to establish an information technology park in Uzbekistan based on their best practices in software development, accelerated entrepreneurship, and other areas. Therefore, it can be said that the IT park was created at the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, with the aim of improving the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the implementation of entrepreneurial projects. On July 24, 2019, Uzbekistan's first IT park opened in Tashkent city. On November 20, 2019, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the IT park and stated, "The stability of our country's economy, high-quality and effective work in various fields, and the convenience of people's lives depend on information technology. Therefore, it is necessary to create broader opportunities, necessary infrastructure, stimulate experts, and educate capable young people in this field

The country has successively issued a series of relevant laws and regulations to develop IT parks: Resolution No. 17 of the Cabinet of Ministers on January 10, 2019 "Measures to Establish Software Product and Information Technology Parks", Resolution No. 589 of the Cabinet of Ministers on July 15, 2019 "Measures to Organize Activities in Software Product and Information Technology Parks", and Presidential Decree No. 4851 of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on October 6, 2020 "Measures to Further Improve the Education System in the Field of Information Technology, Develop Scientific Research and Integrate IT Industry". By 2024, the IT park project in Tashkent will expand to cover nearly 7 hectares of land, including office areas, IT schools, IT residences, hotels, and more. Future IT parks will open branch offices in Nukus, Bukhara, Namangan, Samarkand, Gulistan, and Ulgench.

Since its establishment, the IT park has provided a series of special welfare measures for resident enterprises and experts (see Table 15), helping startups, developing business plans, supervising IT visas, carrying out projects, and engaging in educational courses in the IT field. For technology startups, the park offers incubation and acceleration programs. The main directions are financial technology, medical technology, agricultural technology, e-government, e-commerce, Internet of Things, automotive technology, online education, and game development. The incubation program promises to help transform entrepreneurial ideas from the plan into the final product within three months. Participants will receive office, legal, and accounting support, as well as interaction with mentors and the business community. Accelerators are designed for more complex ideas that lack the ultimate breakthrough to enter the market. The IT park promises to provide assistance in promoting and registering intellectual property rights, as well as accessing investment platforms. In addition, IT parks also provide investors with opportunities to invest in startups.

After the outbreak of armed conflict in Ukraine, the West imposed severe sanctions on Russia and Belarus. Some citizens of Russia and Belarus decided to change their residence and workplace, and some of them decided to relocate to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. On April 14, 2022, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev mentioned at a conference on the development of the information technology industry that 3000 foreign IT experts have come to Uzbekistan since the beginning of 2022. The Ukrainian government has issued multiple measures to attract more experts to stay in Uzbekistan.

IT park resident enterprises enjoy multiple rights. Firstly, enterprises settled in the IT park can be exempted from paying all types of taxes or mandatory deductions to the national trust fund, as well as social taxes, before January 1, 2028; Pay customs duties on equipment, components, parts, accessories, and software imported to meet one's own needs (these equipment, components, parts, accessories, and software are not produced within Uzbekistan). In addition, before January 1, 2028, employees who sign employment contracts with companies settled in the IT park shall pay personal income tax in the form of salary at a uniform tax rate of 7.5%; Not included in the personal annual total income determined for tax purposes (according to Presidential Decree No. УП -5099 of June 30, 2017). The IT Park also provides a guarded office with an area of 15 square meters and rent subsidies. The office is equipped with high-speed Internet and uninterrupted power supply.

表15 IT园区入驻企业的权利和义务

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Table 15 Rights and Obligations of Enterprises Settling in IT Parks

According to the information on the IT park website, starting from April 1, 2022, more preferential treatment will be provided to experts and investors in the IT field. The IT visa grants the right to enter Uzbekistan without obstruction for three years. In addition, holders of such visas can enjoy the following benefits: obtaining a residence permit in a simplified manner; Obtain the same social services (healthcare and education) as Uzbek citizens; The tax rate for dividends will be set at 5% instead of 10%; Personal ID card number can be obtained without obtaining work right confirmation.

Four Development Prospects

In the 2021 presidential election, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev put forward the propositions of "in the name of human honor and dignity" and "the state for the people". In order to implement these proposals, a development strategy for 2022-2026 has been formulated based on public opinions and suggestions. This strategy identifies the short-term and medium-term development trends of Uzbekistan and sets development priorities. Special attention should be paid to ensuring the continuity of reforms based on the principle of "from action strategy to development strategy". On January 26, 2022, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev presided over a video conference to discuss Uzbekistan's new development strategy for 2022-2026, with Goal 9 being the development of e-government and Goal 25 being the development of the digital economy.

The goal of developing e-government is to develop an "e-government" system that achieves a 100% share of electronic public services and eliminates bureaucracy. Specifically, it includes: expanding public services through mobile applications; Introduce a mobile personal identification system when providing public services; Through the interdepartmental integration platform of the "e-government" system, data exchange can be achieved between national institutions and private commercial organizations, reducing bureaucratic procedures; Implement a licensing and notification system to ensure the protection of personal data; Establish the practice of issuing and exchanging emergency documents to citizens to prove a certain fact, and provide them with comprehensive public services without the need for citizens to apply; Simplify the provision of public services to the elderly and disabled, and create necessary convenience for them; Within the framework of the "Digital Institutions" project, optimize administrative procedures and automate management processes by digitizing the work of national agency offices; Abolish the practice of requiring citizens to provide documents proving certain facts by introducing the "Citizen Digital Passport" project; Expand the provision of public services to overseas Uzbek citizens; Digitalization of public services, with 20% transferred to the private sector.

The goal of developing the digital economy is to determine that the development of the digital economy is the main driving force, and to increase the scale of the digital economy to at least 2.5 times its original size. Specifically, it includes: further developing digital infrastructure to ensure broadband network coverage of all settlements, social facilities, and major roads; By the end of 2026, the digitalization level of production and operation processes in the real economy sector, finance, and banking industry will increase to 70%; The scale of the software product industry has increased fivefold, and the export volume has increased tenfold to reach 500 million US dollars.

In addition to the mid-term development strategy from 2022 to 2026, specific short-term measures have also been formulated for the ICT field. On August 22, 2022, Presidential Resolution No. ПП -357 was passed, entitled "Measures to Upgrade Information and Communication Technology to a New Level in 2022-2023" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures"), which identified the main tasks for further developing the field of information and communication technology in 2022-2023.

By the end of 2022, the settlement coverage rate of broadband mobile network will reach 98%, and the high-speed mobile Internet coverage rate along the international highway will reach 60%; By building 40000 km of optical fiber communication lines and creating conditions for 800000 new households to connect to high-speed Internet, the coverage of optical fiber communication lines will reach 80%; By attracting the private sector to provide electronic public services, double the number of users of electronic public services to 4 million people; By establishing skill teaching and secure order centers for young people in various regions, the export volume of IT services has reached $100 million.

By the end of 2023, implement the development of a personnel training system in the field of digital technology through remote education, providing information technology training to over 6500 young people annually; Developed over 214 information systems and software products in national institutions, including local level national institutions, as well as enterprises in the real economy sector.

The detailed roadmap of the Measures includes the following aspects: developing the national digital industry and software product market; Developing digital government and increasing the proportion of e-government services; Further develop digital infrastructure; Ensure financial stability in the field of information and communication technology and implement investment projects; Further improve the training system for personnel in the field of information technology; Developing information and communication technology. It also includes a list of priority projects for digitalization in public administration and a list of priority projects for digitalization in economic entities. In addition, a roadmap has been developed for some government departments (such as the Ministry of Support for Maharaja and the Elderly, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health), large enterprises (such as Uzbekistan's Stontmyr Yulari Joint Stock Company), and various regions across the country (such as the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Andijan Oblast, Bukhara Oblast, Jizak Oblast, Kashkadarya Oblast, Navoi Oblast, Namangan Oblast, Samarkand Oblast, Surkhand Oblast, Syr Darya Oblast, Tashkent Oblast, Fergana Oblast, Khorezm Oblast, and Tashkent City).

With the outbreak of the global COVID-19 epidemic, the role of digital technology has significantly increased, and the importance of digital transformation has become obvious, especially for developing countries, including Uzbekistan. In fact, digital transformation has the potential to further achieve social modernization and integrate the national economy into global processes. Undoubtedly, Uzbekistan has achieved outstanding results in the fields of digitization and information and communication technology. The sudden COVID-19 and its global spread have had a significant impact on Uzbekistan's economy, but Uzbekistan still regards digital transformation as the top priority of government work and vigorously promotes it. In the future, it is necessary to attract advanced technology countries to enter the IT department of the country, making the geographical distribution of international partners more diverse. Investment in digital ecosystems, IT infrastructure, and electronic services will further drive the modernization of Uzbekistan's national economy and accelerate comprehensive growth in all sectors.