In Kazakhstan, 20 thousand kilometers of optical fiber laid to villages

In 2020, the Internet has become the most demanded among all segments of the population as never before. Everyone from young to old — schoolchildren, students, civil servants and private sector workers needed a high-quality Internet.Vice Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Askhat Orazbek spoke about how the issue of connecting to the Internet was solved during the pandemic and when a 5G network will appear in Kazakhstan.

“Over the past 2 years, 1,257 settlements have been connected to optical communication lines. As of the end of 2020, out of almost 6,500 settlements, 5,322 are covered by the Internet,” Orazbek said.

Thus, measures to lay fiber to remote villages, undertaken in previous years, made it possible to stay in touch during the quarantine period, be able to go online, study and work in a remote format.

Thanks to the work done earlier in the field of improving the provision of the Internet, about 70-80% of civil servants, employees of the quasi-public sector, and private corporations could carry out full-fledged remote work during the pandemic without reducing efficiency.

“20 thousand km of optics were laid in the country to rural settlements. Thanks to this, 99% of the population can use the services of mobile broadband Internet,” said the vice minister of digital development, innovation and aerospace industry.

Orazbek spoke about the planned projects and practical innovations that may soon be applied in Kazakhstan. So, according to him, the department initiated proposals for the installation of fiber-optic cables to apartment buildings and schools at the construction stage.

Already this year, a pilot mode of 5G network functionality will be launched in the capital. In cities of republican significance, it will appear by the end of 2022, and by the end of 2025, it plans to have all regional centers.

“We have launched a draft law that will allow the allocation of frequencies for 5G through tenders or auctions, which will significantly liberalize the market and allow operators to take these frequencies on a competitive basis among themselves and use them. In addition, there are norms for the fight against frequency latifundism — when someone buys a frequency, pays money for it, but does not use it. One of the norms presupposes that in the case of receiving a frequency and not using it for 2 years, we withdraw it. We think that operators will use these networks effectively,” he concluded.

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