Trans-Caspian cable linking Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan is operational
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The Trans-Caspian Submarine Cable System linking Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan was officially launched on Thursday, linking the respective telecoms infrastructures of AzerTelecom and Kazakhtelecom with 400 Tbps of capacity.
The approximately 380-km cable – which connects Sumgait in Azerbaijan and Aktau in Kazakhstan – was implemented by CaspiLink, a joint venture set up by Kazakhtelecom JSC and Azertelecom in 2024 specifically for the project, with subsea cable project management firm Pioneer Consulting hired in April 2025 to oversee construction of the system.
The desktop study and marine route survey for the cable were completed last year, and construction began in August this year.
The cable gives operators the option of routing traffic through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey toward Europe in addition to (or instead of) using existing terrestrial routes going through Russia.
“The project is of strategic importance in expanding the region’s international digital transit capacity, strengthening digital connectivity along the Middle Corridor, and diversifying data transmission routes between Europe and Asia,” said Emil Masimov, chairman of the board of AzerTelecom, in a joint statement.
“More than a subsea cable connecting Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, it represents a new digital route that will expand data transmission between Asia and Europ,” added Bagdat Musin, chairman of the board of Kazakhtelecom. “The project will strengthen international digital connectivity, enhance the resilience of telecommunications infrastructure, and create new opportunities for the digital development of our countries and the wider region.”
Kazakhstan president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a separate statement that the Trans-Caspian cable will play a key role in attracting global technology companies, and developing cloud services and AI infrastructure in the country.
Tokayev also described the cable is a digital counterpart to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) – a.k.a. the “Middle Corridor” – that will create a trade route from Southeast Asia and China to Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.
The Trans-Caspian cable has also been positioned by Kazakhstan as part of the “Digital Silk Road” project spearheaded by Beijing as an offshoot of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), of which Kazakhstan is a signatory.
A planned second phase for the Trans-Caspian cable will connect Sumgait to Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan, although no timeline has been given.
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