Kazakhstan Telecom Investment Tops $2.2 Billion, but Rural Fiber Gaps Persist

Investment in Kazakhstan’s telecommunications sector has exceeded $2.2 billion over the past three years. Yet as of October 2025, only 2,606 of the country’s 6,179 villages were connected to backbone fiber-optic networks. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev presented the investment figures at the 2026 Mobile World Congress in Doha. By the end of 2027, the government aims to make high-speed wired internet available in more than 90% of villages. An August 2026 government update said fiber-optic lines had been laid in just 12 villages under an agreement with Kazakhtelecom to bring high-speed internet to more than 3,000 villages. However, even the presence of a backbone network does not mean that every household has internet access. Connecting residents requires local distribution lines and additional equipment. In small and remote villages, building this infrastructure is expensive, while the number of potential subscribers is limited. With support from the World Bank, Kazakhstan is implementing a separate project to build the local networks needed to connect homes in 1,123 villages. Operators will be eligible for reimbursement of up to half their verified capital expenditures after completing the work. The project is intended to make connections available to more than 445,000 households, representing approximately 2.3 million people. The minimum target speed is 100 megabits per second. Where laying cables is too expensive, satellite connections offer another option. In September, Beeline Kazakhstan and Starlink Mobile launched a Direct to Cell service that allows compatible smartphones to exchange text messages and use certain online features via satellite. The technology is primarily intended for areas without terrestrial mobile coverage and is not yet a substitute for full broadband internet. According to the International Telecommunication Union, a basic fixed-broadband package in Kazakhstan cost the equivalent of 0.79% of monthly gross national income per capita in 2025, compared with a global median of 2.5%. For residents of remote villages, however, affordability also depends on equipment and connection costs, as well as whether a network is available. Kazakhstan is also developing international data transmission infrastructure. On October 15, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan inaugurated a submarine fiber-optic cable between Aktau and Sumgayit. The 380-kilometer line, with a planned capacity of more than 400 terabits per second, is intended to provide an additional data route between Asia and Europe through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, offering an alternative to existing routes through Russia. Configuration work on the Trans-Caspian cable was due to continue through the end of 2026. Bagdat Mussin, chairman of Kazakhtelecom’s management board, said the project’s first practical benefits were not expected before early 2027.