VEON Backs Uzbekistan Bid to Become Central Asia IT Hub

Amsterdam, 30 August 2022: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and services, today announces its commitment to support Uzbekistan's plan to become a major IT hub in Central Asia through best-in-class connectivity and digital services, education, upskilling, and new job opportunities. VEON plans to house an international operations hub in the newly opened IT-Park in Tashkent for its IT and digital teams and provide international promotion for country's digital transformation ambition as part of the Government's Digital Uzbekistan 2030 programme.

The announcement was made at a meeting between the Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and the CEO of the VEON Group, Kaan Terzioglu, at the opening of the country's prestigious IT Park that will house Uzbekistans leading telecoms and IT companies, including Beeline Uzbekistan, VEON's digital operator in the country.

The Digital Uzbekistan 2030 programme is an ambitious and well-planned strategy to build national prosperity through IT expertise and form an IT hub in Central Asia. We are proud to be able to support this initiative and to work as a partner with the government of Uzbekistan, promoting the country's vision on the global IT arena, states Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of VEON Group. Telecoms operators are uniquely positioned to be key partners for governments in accomplishing digital transformations. VEON has significant digital capabilities which we are proud to bring to Uzbekistan. Our investment is based on the enormous human potential of the country, its digital focus, and the exemplary attitude of the Government in its plans for long-term sustainable growth.

VEON's initiative will include the sharing of digital capabilities, the launch of new digital services in Uzbekistan and the expansion of access to digital services through 4G networks, including, the provision of 4G mobile Internet connectivity for the new high-speed Afrosiab trains on the Tashkent-Samarkand route.

VEON will also expand its commitment to digital education and upskilling in Uzbekistan. Already a supporter of tertiary education in IT and data skills at the Astrum Academy, VEON will now provide digital education materials through its SINAPS platform that was recently launched in a test mode. Being committed to creating job opportunities, VEON has also recently expanded its BeeLab software development team in Uzbekistan from 15 to 100 staff and plans to open a Beeline IT Academy in Uzbekistan to provide its own digital education hub across areas including cybersecurity. VEON previously announced in May 2022 that it would invest $250 million over the next five years to the develop the communications infrastructure and ecosystem of digital services in Uzbekistan.

LINK:	https://www.veon.com/media/media-releases/2022/veon-backs-uzbekistan-b...
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