A submarine fiber-optic communication line will be laid along the bottom of the Caspian Sea. The document on the design and construction of the fiber-optic communication line (FOCL) was signed during the official visit of Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov to Baku, Kursiv.kz reports, citing the press service of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
“The project has strategic significance for improving the quality and reliability of communications and expanding data transmission between Asia and Europe,” the statement said.
The construction of the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic communication line (FOCL) is expected to be completed in 2025. The project is being implemented by Azerbaijan’s AzerTelecom and Kazakhstan’s Kazakhtelecom. The companies will invest over $50 million in the project on a parity basis.
This initiative is part of the "Digital Silk Road" project. It will enable the transit of Chinese traffic through Kazakhstan, then via the underwater cable to Azerbaijan, and further to Europe.
The FOCL will be laid from Aktau to the Azerbaijani city of Siyazan, covering a distance of approximately 370 kilometers.
In 2024, trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $533 million. Kazakhstan is ready to increase exports of 130 types of non-resource goods to Azerbaijan, worth over $340 million.
Kazakhstan is also currently exploring the possibility of constructing an oil pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian Sea toward Azerbaijan.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 3, 2025