Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have been linked by a 380-kilometer fiber-optic communication line laid along the bottom of the Caspian Sea. President of Kazakhstan Qasym-Jomart Toqaev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev took part in the ceremonial launch, according to infohub.kz.
The subsea cable will form part of a new data transmission route between Central Asia, China and Europe, the Akorda press service said. The project was implemented jointly by Kazakhtelecom and Azerbaijan's AzerTelecom.
Speaking at the ceremony, Qasym-Jomart Toqaev said the new line would strengthen cooperation between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in developing the Middle Corridor.
"We have launched a very important project that will have international significance. The most important thing is that this is a corridor of a new type. It is not a transport corridor, but something new that fits the modern era, the era of digitalization. This is a fundamentally new format of cooperation, a kind of digital embodiment of the Middle Corridor," the President of Kazakhstan emphasized.
The Trans-Caspian fiber-optic line will give Kazakhstan an additional international communications channel. It is expected to create conditions for attracting global technology companies and for developing cloud services and artificial intelligence infrastructure. In the future, the line could be connected to subsea communication systems in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Ilham Aliyev noted that the new infrastructure will be used by countries of Central Asia, the South Caucasus and other regions.
"This project has become another contribution to deepening cooperation, since the fiber-optic line will be used by both Central Asian countries and the countries of the South Caucasus and the broader geographic neighborhood. Today we have launched a global project," the President of Azerbaijan said.
Also speaking at the ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan Rashad Nabiyev, and Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakhtelecom Bagdat Mussin.
Marine laying of the cable between Aktau and Sumqayit began in July 2026. On August 5, the government announced completion of that stage. Work continued around the clock with the participation of 70 specialists aboard a vessel with a displacement of more than 20,000 tonnes. After that, it remained to connect the cable to onshore infrastructure, complete land-based work and test the system.
CaspiLink B.V., a joint venture of Kazakhtelecom and AzerTelecom International, is responsible for the construction and further operation of the line. According to the government, the operators financed the project from their own funds, without attracting budget money.
Back in 2023, Kazakhtelecom told Kursiv that the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic line would become the country's third major outlet to the global network after the Russian and Chinese directions. The project is part of the Digital Silk Road and is intended to provide an additional route in case of disruptions on existing lines.