China’s Huawei, under a contract with Uzbektelecom, has delivered and assembled 70 base stations, installed two and upgraded one exchange for 40,000 numbers.

"We have test-launched a CDMA-450 network in nine regions. Now that this project has been completed we can provide the whole of Uzbekistan with mobile phone services," Gafurbekova said.

The project was financed using a loan from the Chinese Bank for Development complemented by Uzbektelecom’s own resources.

Uzmobile this year signed a contract valued at about $2 million with Alcatel-Lucent to develop the network. The first equipment is expected in August.

Uzmobile was formed in 2004 to provide telecommunication services, including with the use of the CDMA-45- standard.

The CDMA-450 standard fulfils two state tasks - that of providing universal telecommunication services to all populated areas, including far-flung ones, and that of building an Internet network in Uzbekistan.

The company has 20,000 clients. It plans to more than double the number of customers by the end of 2008.

The company has invested a total of $18 million into the development of the network.