Azernews.Az

By Sara Israfilbayova

Baku held a regular meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) on December 19.

Addressing the meeting, Ramin Guluzade, minister of transport, communications and high technologies, said that the Ministry is starting construction of a reserve DATA-center for AzInTelecom LLC, which will be based in Azerbaijan’s Yevlakh region.

Earlier, AzInTelecom LLC said the new DATA-center will make it possible to reserve data placed in the main DATA-center.

The reserve DATA-center will be commissioned before the end of the first half of 2018. Presently, the necessary equipment is being purchased.

Answering the question about the ministry’s plans to ensure security of personal data at the level of global vendors (LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.) he stressed that the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan is a structure responsible for security of IT users in the country.

Earlier, the Ministry reported that it was in talks with international companies [Facebook, Google, Apple] regarding their usage of the resources of the DATA-center of AzInTelecom LLC.

The DATA-center of AzInTelecom LLC has ample opportunities, in particular in rendering services to both government departments and business structures.

Further, touching upon Azerspace 2, Guluzade noted that its construction, the second telecommunications satellite of Azerbaijan, is being conducted according to the plan, adding that launch of the satellite is scheduled for mid-2018.

The satellite will be launched from the Kourou space center using the Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle.

French company Arianespace, which earlier launched Azerbaijan's first satellite Azerspace/Africasat-1a, will send the Azerspace-2/Intelsat-38 into the orbit.

The satellite's manufacturer is Space Systems Loral (SSL), which is also a provider of satellite control systems.

The minister went on to say that free Wi-Fi has already covered more than 20 parks in Baku and added that the project is of social nature and is intended to provide citizens and guests of the capital with access to the internet.

Deployment of wireless Wi-Fi points in the territory of Baku is handled by Baku Telephone Communication LLC. Work to expand the coverage of the wireless Internet network has been ongoing since March as part of the project “Public Wi-Fi.” The goal of the project is to provide residents and guests of the capital with access to the Internet in public places.

Speaking of new generation identity cards, the minister said that issuance will start in 2019.

Guluzade added that in the new IDs the integration of the electronic signature is envisaged.

“Microsoft is involved in the project, which became the winner of the previously announced tender,” he explained.

To date, work to adapt the infrastructure of new generation ID cards to the national certification services center has been completed. The specialists of the center conducted tests to determine their parameters and software, with the help of which it will be possible to make e-signature certificates in identity cards.

Also within the framework of the project, the integration of personal data into IDs is being tested. The list of personal data that will be entered in the identity card is already approved.

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