Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have agreed to design and build a fiber-optic cable between the two countries on the Caspian Sea seabed. The arrangement was officially signed during a visit of Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov to Baku, Azerbaijan, as reported by Primeminister.kz
«The project is of strategic importance for enhancing the quality and reliability of communications, as well as improving data transmission between Asia and Europe,» the press release stated.
The construction of the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic cable is expected to be completed in 2025. The project is being implemented by AzerTelecom and Kazakhtelecom, with both companies investing more than $50 million on an equal footing.
The initiative is part of a larger project, implemented by AzerTelecom, called Digital Silk Way, which aims to streamline the transit of Chinese traffic to Europe via Kazakhstan and then through the seabed cable to Azerbaijan.
The cable is expected to span 370 kilometers from the Kazakh city of Aktau to the Azeri city of Siyazan.
Notably, in 2024, mutual trade turnover between the two countries reached $533 million, with Kazakhstan expressing readiness to boost exports of 130 non-resource goods worth more than $340 million to Azerbaijan.
Currently, Kazakhstan is also considering constructing a submarine oil pipeline across the Caspian Sea toward Azerbaijan.
