Browser maker Opera published a new report on the state of mobile Web usage (ENG) in different countries around the world. It is soothing to see that the Opera team addressed one of the hot and –no surprise here – largely ignored trends in the field of global communications: mobile Web consumption in the post-Soviet republics.

The numbers are fascinating and reassuring at the same time. Central Asian republics experience an enormous growth in mobile usage and it would be helpful to see other bloggers at NewEurasia.net explaining implications of the report’s findings country by country.  On my part, I will concentrate on Uzbekistan and try to sketch general trends that will have an influence on communication practices in the country.

Page-view growth on mobile devices in Uzbekistan increased by 905 percent since 2008 and amounted to 293 page-views per user. The growth is significantly larger than in Russia (109 percent), Kazakhstan (357 percent), and Ukraine (195 percent) although the significance may be somewhat diminished by a relatively low amount of users in the country.

Like in the rest of developing world, mobile phones in Uzbekistan become more affordable to the general population. This is enforced by the fact that the vast majority of mobile devices are transported into the country by individuals and small firms without paying high import taxes and fees.  The proximity of China where the devices are manufactured at a very low cost also plays an important role here. Being one of the most profitable among semi-legal businesses in the republic, mobile devices market enjoys semi-healthy competition that benefits an average consumer.

Unlike with a conventional Internet access when one has to invest into a desktop or laptop computer and additionally pay high fees for the Internet connection (I blogged about it here), mobile devices are within the range of $100-$200 with data usage fees moderately priced.

Russian language Web sites are very popular among Internet users in Uzbekistan. This is also true for mobile Web. Russia social network Odnoklassniki.ru (ENG)  with 30 million registered users occupies a top position on the list of popular mobile Web site in the country.

A combination of mobile Web and social networks may restructure the principles of online communications within the country and provide opportunities for a new level of information dissemination.

I wish I could claim here that mobile Web is harder to censor and Uzbek citizens would be granted a total freedom in their Web browsing. Unfortunately, the Uzbek government has a long history of monitoring mobile devices for text messages and conversations. But add a social network here and you get a potential tool of interaction that is enormously difficult to censor.

Almost any social network can easily become a place where people exchange ideas, distribute information and chat with each other and in groups. The government will need to go a long distance to monitor all social networks accounts on located in Uzbekistan. Even then, it is pretty easy to change one’s location in on online profile to avoid unneeded attention from the Big Brother. Effectiveness of social networks in promotion and dissemination information can be a topic of my future post but it is clear that the growth of mobile Web and popularity of Odnoklassniki.ru present a new age in the way people consume online info in the country and give the authoritarian government a challenge that can be difficult to overcome with a minimal damage.