Telecommunications in Kazakhstan

Telecommunications in Kazakhstan include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the internet.[1]

The largest telecommunications company in Kazakhstan is Kazakhtelecom, which is responsible for infrastructure such as cables and exchanges, and provides internet, television and telephone connections to individuals and businesses.[2] The state of Kazakhstan is a major shareholder in Kazakhtelecom.

## Telephones

[edit]

### Telephone numbers

[edit]

Main article: Telephone numbers in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's international calling code is +7, it is used in combination with the zone codes 6xx and 7xx. It is the only former Soviet country except Russia not yet to have transitioned away from +7, but that does not mean there were not attempts to switch their code. In 2021, the number +997 was allocated by the ITU, and was set in motion to be activated in 2023. However in early 2023, the country applied instead for the number +77 before finally deciding to keep +7.[3]

Telephone numbers, both fixed and mobile, are 10 digits long.

Kazakhstan's telephone numbering system is structured with zone codes 6xx for fixed-line services and 7xx for mobile phone services. The country has several major telecom providers offering services ranging from fixed-line telephony to mobile and internet packages. The introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) has increased competition among operators by allowing users to switch carriers without changing their phone numbers.

Efforts to improve telecommunications infrastructure have led to expanded 4G coverage in urban areas, with pilot projects for 5G networks being tested in cities such as Almaty, Astana, and Shymkent. Government initiatives also aim to improve connectivity in rural and remote areas as part of a national push to bridge the digital divide.

### Fixed-line

[edit]

Telephone density of fixed telephone subscriptions is decreasing, standing at 16 per 100 people in 2021, compared to its peak of 26 per 100 in 2012.[4][5]

### Mobile

[edit]

As of 2021, there were estimated to be over 24 million cellular subscriptions; 127 per 100 inhabitants of Kazakhstan.[4]

Rank | Operator | Technology | Subscribers
(in millions) | Ownership

|
|
|
|

1 | Beeline
(including izi) | GSM-900 MHz (GPRS, EDGE)
900/2100 MHz UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSPA+
800/1800/2100 MHz LTE, LTE-A
n78 5G NR | 9.8[6] (October 2021) | VEON
2 | Kcell
(including activ) | GSM-900 MHz (GPRS, EDGE)
900/2100 MHz UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSPA+
800/1800/2100 MHz LTE, LTE-A | 7.957[7] (Sep 2021) | KazakhTelecom (51%), Jysan Bank (24%),[8] free float (25%)
3 | Tele2 Kazakhstan
(including Altel, Fmobile) | GSM-900 MHz (GPRS, EDGE)
900 MHz UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSPA+
1800 MHz LTE, LTE-A
n78 5G NR | 7.255[9] (Dec 2019) | KazakhTelecom

Kazakhstan has 4G mobile internet and has begun work on 5G as of 2021.[1]

### Satellite

[edit]

Kazakhstan's national DAMA satellite communication network was established in 1999 in order to provide communication services to sparsely populated areas with poor road access.[10]

## Broadcast transmission

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* Radio broadcast stations: AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)
* Radios: 6.47 million (1997); 12 million (2009);
* Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998); 149 (2009);

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2023)

|

## Internet

[edit]

Main article: Internet in Kazakhstan

* Top level domain (country code): .kz
* Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (with their own international channels) (2001); 22 (2009);
* Internet hosts: 33,217 (2007); 80,000 (2009);
* Internet users: 100,000 (2002); 400,000 (2005); 1,247,000 (2006); 3,130,000 (2008); 4,700,000 (2009)[1]; 15,160,000 (2019)

It is estimated that as of 2021, 91% of Kazakhstan residents have access to the internet.[4]

In 2023, Kazakhstan will begin the construction on the joint Trans Caspian Fiber Optic (TCFO) project.[11]

The government of Kazakhstan carries out surveillance of telecommunications and internet traffic in the country and, as of 2010, was found to filter content related to social and political issues, as well as preparing twice per year a list of websites to be blocked.[12] ISPs are required to prohibit users from disseminating materials or information not in accordance with the country’s laws, including pornography. Since 2015 it is an imprisonable offense to spread unverified information online. Kazakhstan has also throttled or shut down the internet as a response to political dissent, such as during country-wide political unrest in January 2022.[13][14]

## Key developments

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In December 2022, Kcell and Tele2-Altel, both major Kazakhstani mobile network operators (MNOs), launched limited 5G services in the country following their successful acquisition of 5G spectrum licenses. This marked the beginning of the 5G era in Kazakhstan.

The two companies have ambitious plans to expand their 5G network infrastructure, aiming to deploy at least 7,000 5G base stations and achieve 80% population coverage by the end of 2027.[15]

## See also

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* Kazakhtelecom
* Kaznet
* Kazpost
* .kz

## References

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1. ^ a b "Kazakhstan - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses". www.marketresearch.com. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
2. ^ "JSC "Kazakhtelecom"". telecom.kz. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
3. ^ "Kazakhstan May Change the Calling Code from +7 to +77 - Qazaqstan Monitor". qazmonitor.com. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
4. ^ a b c CIA World FactBook: Kazakhstan
5. ^ "Telecommunication in Kazakhstan". worlddata.info. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
6. ^ "VEON - Earnings Release 3Q21 results" (PDF). VEON. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
7. ^ "Kcell JSC Results for January-September 2021" (PDF). Kcell.kz. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
8. ^ "Kcell completes 24% share sale via bourse; Jysan Bank picks up stake". CommsUpdate. 2021-10-04. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
9. ^ "Tele2 и Altel объявили итоги за 2019 год". Profit.kz. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
10. ^ "Kazakhtelecom sets up satellite communication for remote regions". kase.kz. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
11. ^ "Chinese Internet traffic across the Caspian Sea will reach Azerbaijan". azernews.az. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
12. ^ "Kazakhstan - OpenNet Initiative". telecom.kz. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
13. ^ "How Kazakhstan protests over fuel devolved into Internet blackout and deaths". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
14. ^ "How the crisis in Kazakhstan went from fuel protests to a 'shoot to kill' order by the president". Washington Post. 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
15. ^ Lancaster, Henry (February 2024). "Kazakhstan Telecoms Market Report". BuddeComm. Retrieved 2 February 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Telecommunications

History|

* Beacon
* Broadcasting
* Cable protection system
* Cable TV
* Communications satellite
* Computer network
* Data compression
* audio
* DCT
* image
* video
* Digital media
* Internet video
* online video platform
* social media
* streaming
* Drums
* Edholm's law
* Electrical telegraph
* Fax
* Heliographs
* Hydraulic telegraph
* Information Age
* Information revolution
* Internet
* Mass media
* Mobile phone
* Smartphone
* Optical telecommunication
* Optical telegraphy
* Pager
* Photophone
* Prepaid mobile phone
* Radio
* Radiotelephone
* Satellite communications
* Semaphore
* Phryctoria
* Semiconductor
* device
* MOSFET
* transistor
* Smoke signals
* Telecommunications history
* Telautograph
* Telegraphy
* Teleprinter (teletype)
* Telephone
* The Telephone Cases
* Television
* digital
* streaming
* Undersea telegraph line
* Videotelephony
* Whistled language
* Wireless revolution

Pioneers|

* Nasir Ahmed
* Edwin Howard Armstrong
* Mohamed M. Atalla
* John Logie Baird
* Paul Baran
* John Bardeen
* Alexander Graham Bell
* Emile Berliner
* Tim Berners-Lee
* Francis Blake
* Jagadish Chandra Bose
* Charles Bourseul
* Walter Houser Brattain
* Vint Cerf
* Claude Chappe
* Yogen Dalal
* Donald Davies
* Daniel Davis Jr.
* Amos Dolbear
* Thomas Edison
* Philo Farnsworth
* Reginald Fessenden
* Lee de Forest
* Elisha Gray
* Oliver Heaviside
* Robert Hooke
* Erna Schneider Hoover
* Harold Hopkins
* Gardiner Greene Hubbard
* Bob Kahn
* Dawon Kahng
* Charles K. Kao
* Narinder Singh Kapany
* Hedy Lamarr
* Roberto Landell
* Innocenzo Manzetti
* Guglielmo Marconi
* Robert Metcalfe
* Antonio Meucci
* Samuel Morse
* Jun-ichi Nishizawa
* Charles Grafton Page
* Radia Perlman
* Alexander Stepanovich Popov
* Tivadar Puskás
* Johann Philipp Reis
* Claude Shannon
* Almon Brown Strowger
* Henry Sutton
* Charles Sumner Tainter
* Nikola Tesla
* Camille Tissot
* Alfred Vail
* Thomas A. Watson
* Charles Wheatstone
* Vladimir K. Zworykin
* Internet pioneers

Transmission
media|

* Coaxial cable
* Fiber-optic communication
* optical fiber
* Free-space optical communication
* Molecular communication
* Radio waves
* wireless
* Transmission line
* telecommunication circuit

Network topology
and switching|

* Bandwidth
* Links
* Network switching
* circuit
* packet
* Nodes
* terminal
* Telephone exchange

Multiplexing|

* Space-division
* Frequency-division
* Time-division
* Polarization-division
* Orbital angular-momentum
* Code-division

Concepts|

* Communication protocol
* Computer network
* Data transmission
* Store and forward
* Telecommunications equipment

Types of network|

* Cellular network
* Ethernet
* ISDN
* LAN
* Mobile
* NGN
* Public Switched Telephone
* Radio
* Television
* Telex
* UUCP
* WAN
* Wireless network

Notable networks|

* ARPANET
* BITNET
* CYCLADES
* FidoNet
* Internet
* Internet2
* JANET
* NPL network
* Toasternet
* Usenet

Locations|

* Africa
* Americas
* North
* South
* Antarctica
* Asia
* Europe
* Oceania
* Global telecommunications regulation bodies

* Telecommunication portal
* Category
* Outline
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Kazakhstan articles

History|

| Prehistory|

* Saka
* Kangju
* Wusun
* Huns

|

Early history|

* Tele
* Rouran Khaganate
* Göktürks
* Kangar union
* Kimek Khanate
* Karluks
* Oghuz Yabgu State
* Xueyantuo Khaganate
* Uyghur Khaganate
* Kyrgyz Khaganate
* Kara-Khanid Khanate
* Mongol Empire
* Chagatai Khanate
* Golden Horde
* White Horde
* Uzbek Khanate

Since 1465|

* Kazakh Khanate
* List of Kazakh khans
* Jüz
* Russian Turkestan
* Alash Autonomy
* Kazakh ASSR
* Kazakh SSR
* Republic of Kazakhstan

By topic|

* Postal

Geography|

* Aktogay Canyon
* Altay (Altai) Mountains
* Aral Karakum Desert
* Borders
* Caspian Sea
* Kazakh Steppe
* Khan Tangiri Shyngy
* Kyzylkum Desert
* Lake Balkhash
* Sharyn Canyon
* Syr Darya
* Tien (Tian) Shan
* Ural River
* Zhetysu

Subdivisions|

* Cities and towns
* Districts
* Regions

Politics|

* Constitution
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Government
* President
* Prime Minister
* Human rights
* Freedom of speech
* LGBT
* Law enforcement
* Military
* Parliament
* Political parties

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Energy policy
* National Bank
* Stock Exchange
* Science and technology
* Telecommunications
* Tenge (currency)
* Transport
* Waste management

Culture|

* Alphabet
* Anthem
* Architecture
* Clothing
* Coat of arms
* Cuisine (wine)
* Flag
* Kaznet (Internet)
* Kazakhs
* Media
* Music
* Religion
* Sport
* Squatting
* Television
* Wedding ceremony
* Y-DNA
* Kazakh tribes

Demographics|

* Education
* Health
* Language
* Women

Peoples|

* Armenians
* Azerbaijanis
* Dungan
* Germans
* Greeks
* Jews
* Kazakhs
* Koreans
* Poles
* Russians
* Tatars
* Turks
* Ukrainians
* Uyghurs

* Outline
* Index

* Category

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