Kcell JSC, which operates under the Kcell and activ brands, has brought fourth-generation connectivity to residents of the villages of Aralkol and Druzhba in the Kamystinsky district of the Kostanay region. Before the upgrade, only voice communication via satellite channels was largely available here, and there was no mobile internet at all, the website infohub.kz reports.
The project is part of efforts to narrow the digital divide — an agenda that President of Kazakhstan Qasym-Jomart Toqaev set out in his address to the nation. In 2020, telecom operators joined forces under the "250+" project to bring mobile internet to sparsely populated villages. Today the task remains relevant for remote communities as well, where launching connectivity requires tailored technical solutions.
New base stations connected via radio relay links have been built in Aralkol and Druzhba. To arrange ground-based traffic transmission, company specialists developed a separate scheme through the village of Razdolnoye. In Aralkol, the equipment was placed on an existing mast, while in Druzhba a new 30-meter antenna mast structure was erected. Each station operates on three sectors, providing coverage in the villages as well as along sections of access and exit roads. According to measurement results, mobile internet speeds reach about 70 Mbps in Druzhba and around 40 Mbps in Aralkol.
Despite the small populations of Aralkol and Druzhba, access to modern communications services matters to residents of any community. The village of Druzhba in the Kamystinsky district is currently home to 94 people and has a general education school, a feldsher-midwife station and an akimat office. The school has 22 children and six teachers. An akimat office also operates in Aralkol. The village is currently home to 81 people.