AzerTelecom and Kazakhtelecom, the leading telecommunications companies of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, signed a strategic partnership memorandum on the project of laying a fiber-optic cable line along the bottom of the Caspian Sea as part of the "Digital Bridge" international technological forum held in Astana. The Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic subsea data transmission cable line will measure 380 kilometers in length. The project is part of the "Digital Silk Way" mega project, which provides for the formation of a digital telecommunication corridor between Europe and Asia.
According to Caspian News, the Digital Silk Way mega project – launched by NEQSOL Holding and implemented by its subsidiary AzerTelecom – is a cutting-edge digital infrastructure project that aims to build a modern transit fiber-optic infrastructure network connecting Europe to Central and South Asian markets. Once complete, it will serve as the most advanced route for digital connectivity between two continents, make a significant impact towards enhancing digitalization and connectivity in the region, including Caucasus, Central and South Asia.
The document envisages a strategic partnership between the two operators within the framework of the Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic cable project on the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan route. “Cooperation between our companies within the framework of the digital infrastructure project — the Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic Cable Project, which is part of the Digital Silk Way project — will open up opportunities for us to enter new sales markets, expanding our transit capabilities. Also, with the help of this cooperation, we will be able to improve the reliability of providing telecommunications services to consumers in our countries,” said Sergey Nazarenko, Chief Operations Officer at AzerTelecom at the signing ceremony in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.
For his part, Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kazakhtelecom, said building direct relationships between the companies is the most optimal formula for resolving joint problems and interests: “Joint activities with AzerTelecom involve the exchange of information, best practices, experience and promotion of joint projects. All this, in turn, will contribute to the development of new market opportunities in terms of availability and increase in network bandwidth in both countries”.
Representatives of telecommunication operators expressed their interest in the further development of bilateral business in the field of international telecommunication services, and cooperation opportunities for further development of the digital transformation and digital infrastructure in both countries.
The parties also expressed confidence that the document would contribute to further cooperation on digital infrastructure development and the expansion of new market opportunities in terms of accessibility and the networks’ transmission capacity in both countries.
