Kazakhtelecom and AzerTelecom are starting work on a subsea cable to connect Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan via the Caspian Sea.

The two operators signed an agreement to develop a new fiber route back in October 2022. It will be the first fiber project laid in the Caspian seabed.

Bagdat Mussin, chair of Kazakhtelecom, last week noted that work is finally underway on the Trans-Caspian Fiber Optic Cable Project.

“For the first time in history, a fiber-optic cable will be laid along the Caspian seabed, connecting Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, from Aktau to Sumgait,” he said. “We’re officially entering the active phase of the project, and I’m proud to be part of it — to have, as they say, played a role.”

Mussin said coastal surveys have been completed, and the companies have selected the locations for beach manholes and cable landing stations. A seabed survey is about to take place; a specialized vessel equipped for studying the seabed has departed from the port in Bautino, Kazakhstan.

Chairman of the board of AzerTelecom, Emil Masimov, added: “Work under the Trans-Caspian Fiber Optic Cable project is progressing rapidly. With the launch of the marine route survey, we are now entering the main phase of construction. I am confident that the work on both the Azerbaijani and Kazakh sides will be completed successfully and on schedule.”

The 380km (236.1 mile) cable will reportedly offer some 400Tbps of capacity and is expected to go live by the end of 2026. The Caspian is not linked to any ocean. Details on the cable landing stations haven't been shared.

Founded in 2008, Azertelecom is a subsidiary of Bakcell, Azerbaijan's first mobile network operator. The company, which is a part of NEQSOL Holding, claims to provide the country's fastest Internet services.

Meanwhile, Kazakhtelecom is Kazakhstan's biggest mobile operator. Established in 1994, its majority owner is the government-owned Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund. The company announced the launch of a 56.4 petaflops (FP16) ‘AI factory’ supercomputer over the summer, powered by Nvidia H200 GPUs.