Telecommunications in Kazakhstan


Telecommunications in Kazakhstan include fixed and mobile telephony, broadcasting, and the internet. The market is led by Kazakhtelecom, the partially state-owned incumbent, which operates national backbone networks and provides fixed broadband and pay television to residential and business customers. Mobile services are provided nationwide by Beeline Kazakhstan, Kcell, and Mobile Telecom Service which uses the Tele2 and Altel brands. Fifth-generation mobile services launched in December 2022 and have expanded under licence obligations that run to 2027. Kazakhstan retained the shared country code +7 after a 2024 decision to continue code-sharing with Russia, following an earlier ITU reservation of +997 for Kazakhstan in 2021.

Telephones

Telephone numbers

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.
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 that offer services ranging from fixed-line telephony to mobile and internet packages. The introduction of mobile number portability 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 aim to improve connectivity in rural and remote areas as part of a national push to bridge the digital divide.

Fixed-line

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.

Mobile

As of 2021, there were estimated to be over 24 million cellular subscriptions; 127 per 100 inhabitants of Kazakhstan.
RankOperatorTechnologySubscribers
Ownership
1Beeline
GSM-900 MHz
900/2100 MHz UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSPA+
800/1800/2100 MHz LTE, LTE-A
n78 5G NR		9.8 VEON
2Kcell
GSM-900 MHz
900/2100 MHz UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSPA+
800/1800/2100 MHz LTE, LTE-A		7.957 KazakhTelecom, Jysan Bank, free float
3Tele2 Kazakhstan
GSM-900 MHz
900 MHz UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSPA+
1800 MHz LTE, LTE-A
n78 5G NR		7.255 KazakhTelecom

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

Satellite

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.

Broadcast transmission

Radio broadcast stations: AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 Radios: 6.47 million ; 12 million ;Television broadcast stations: 12 ; 149 ;
In Kazakhstan the most popular station is the state run Qazaqstan station.The state also runs the stations Khabar TV, El-Arna, and Eurasia 1.

Internet

  • Top level domain : .kzInternet Service Providers : 10 ; 22 ;Internet hosts: 33,217 ; 80,000 ;
  • Internet users: 100,000 ; 400,000 ; 1,247,000 ; 3,130,000 ; 4,700,000 ; 15,160,000
As of 2021, it is estimated tha 91% of Kazakhstan residents have access to the internet.
In 2023, Kazakhstan will begin the construction on the joint Trans Caspian Fiber Optic project.
The Kazakhstan government carries out the surveillance of telecommunications and internet traffic in the country. As of 2010, they were found to filter content related to social and political issues, as well as prepare a list of websites to be blocked twice per year. 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.

Key developments

In December 2022, Kcell and Tele2-Altel, both major Kazakhstani mobile network operators, launched limited 5G services in the country following their acquisition of 5G spectrum licenses.
The two companies plan 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.