Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and Kazakhtelecom JSC have signed a memorandum of cooperation under the Accelerated Digitalization for an Inclusive Economy of Kazakhstan project.
The main focus will be telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas. The project plans to build fiber-optic communication lines in more than 1,000 villages across the country.
The initiative aims to narrow the digital divide between urban and rural areas. Better connectivity is expected to support distance learning, access to government services, entrepreneurship and the use of digital solutions in everyday life.
Damir Seisembekov, chair of the ministry’s Telecommunications Committee, said building optical lines directly to users in rural settlements is a key task under the Accessible Internet national project. He said Kazakhtelecom will provide local small and medium-sized operators with access to its backbone infrastructure, enabling them to deploy last-mile GPON networks with speeds of at least 100 Mbps.
Askar Kairov, general director of Kazakhtelecom’s corporate business division, said quality internet access is necessary for regional development and for residents’ opportunities in education, work and business.
The memorandum will provide a basis for coordinating the project participants’ work. The joint effort is intended to speed up the development of communications infrastructure in Kazakhstan’s rural areas.
