Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are building a digital bridge across the Caspian Sea

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan continue to implement the trans-Caspian fiber-optic communication line along the bottom of the Caspian Sea — the commissioning of the facility is scheduled for the end of 2026. At present, the project is in the stage of submarine cable laying.

The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan has approved the list of property being exported for the implementation of the project, which has provided the legal basis for the export of equipment and avoided administrative delays.

In 2025, land-based and marine engineering surveys were completed, a route was determined taking into account the bypass of anchorages and military exercise zones, and an environmental permit was obtained from the Department of Natural Resources and Nature Management Regulation of the Mangystau Region. Additionally, the production and factory testing of armored cable in China with the integration of ROPA-type optical amplifiers were completed.

The cable was delivered from China to the port of Kuryk in Kazakhstan, after which three transport baskets with a total weight of 600 tons were loaded onto a logistics vessel and delivered to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The baskets are now empty, and the cable has been transferred to a special cable tank on board the vessel. The vessel has departed from the port of Baku and has begun laying the line in the direction of the Kazakh port of Aktau.

A cable-laying vessel with a displacement of more than 20,000 tons, equipped with a dynamic positioning system, has been engaged for cable laying. There are 70 crew members on board, including technical supervision specialists and a representative of Kazakhtelecom. The project is implemented by the joint venture CaspiLink B.V., created by the Kazakh JSC Kazakhtelecom and the Azerbaijani LLC Azertelecom Int.. In case of emergencies, the vessel is equipped with a splicing room, where both the Kazakh and Azerbaijani parts of the cable are already located — both ends have undergone testing of conductors and optics.

Cable laying is planned to be completed within 15-20 days, and all complex technological and commissioning works between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will be completed by the end of 2026.

Source: gov.kz