Freedom Telecom positions telecommunications, digital infrastructure, and connectivity as drivers of economic growth in Kazakhstan. The company oversees a $230m infrastructure programme that includes building a 3,100km fibre highway connecting three datacentres and deploying a 5G wireless network. It also sits at the centre of a partnership intended to deliver in-flight broadband across Kazakhstan’s aviation corridors. The rollout is described as moving quickly, supported by a new regulatory regime that makes network supply easier. The company’s approach connects reliable telecoms to the development of a successful fintech industry. Past underinvestment is attributed to government-regulated consumer tariffs, which limited investment capacity and left two of three mobile carriers government-owned. Freedom Telecom entered the market about three years ago via a mobile licence auction and faced initial competition from government companies.
"Freedom Telecom CEO Kairat Akhmetov explains just how the firm sees telecommunications, digital infrastructure and connectivity as key drivers of economic growth in Kazakhstan. Moreover, there is the sheer scale of this undertaking namely, overseeing a $230m infrastructure programme that includes constructing a 3,100km fibre highway connecting three datacentres and a 5G wireless network. And just for good measure, being at the centre of a partnership that will bring in-flight broadband to Kazakhstan's aviation corridors."
"This is infrastructure at a national scale, and it's moving fast, says Akhmetov, adding that supplying the network is easier than before thanks to a new regulatory regime. The idea behind Freedom Telecom was that without reliable telecoms, you can't have a successful fintech industry. Historically, the [Kazakh] telecoms industry was underinvested, maybe for several reasons."
"One of them was that the government regulated the tariffs for the consumers, and so holding it back, and therefore the companies could not invest well enough. As a result, two of three mobile carriers were government-owned, he says. We started in this business about three years ago [when] we applied for [a mobile licence] through auction. We could not win it from the first attempt, because we were bidding against government companies, adds Akhmetov."
"[Now] we have fibre construction datacentres, and we already have the biggest Wi-Fi network in the region, and we successfully launched a fixed wireless service, which is essenti"
#digital-transformation #telecommunications-infrastructure #5g-and-fibre-networks #fintech-enablement #regulatory-reform
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