UCA partners with Naryn Oblast to establish Central Asia’s first free Wi-Fi enabled town

A special event in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan on Friday 6 December marked the launch of Smart Naryn 24, a groundbreaking initiative introducing free Wi-Fi across key public spaces including parks, schools, libraries, museums, and hospitals. The University of Central Asia (UCA) partnered with the Naryn Oblast to implement this landmark project, making Naryn the first town in all of Central Asia to have this facility. Sky Mobile LLC (TM Beeline) and SkyNet Telecom also partnered in the project.

The University operates two teaching facilities in Naryn - its undergraduate programme through the School of Arts and Sciences and its continuing education courses offered at the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE).  The Smart Naryn 24 is part of UCA’s broader collaboration with the Naryn Oblast to transform the town into an educational, economic, and intellectual hub in Central Asia.

At the launch event for the Smart Naryn 24 project, the Naryn Governor’s Office presented a certificate of appreciation to UCA recognising the University’s contribution to the project and for its support to the broader socio-economic development of Naryn. The event programme included cultural performance by UCA students who showcased the regional representation of its student composition.  

“This project brings numerous benefits to Naryn, including tourism development, improved internet access for youth, and the promotion of entrepreneurship,” noted Deputy Governor Shabdan Abdyraim uulu, who presided over the event.

“I am particularly pleased that this project provides free Wi-Fi in Naryn’s educational institutions. We frequently rely on the internet for accessing information and knowledge,” said Ms Nurayim Amanbek kyzy, a university student from Naryn.