Trans-Caspian subsea cable connecting Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan now being laid
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Kazakhstan said on Friday that the first phase of the Trans-Caspian Submarine Cable System connecting Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan is now being deployed, and is on track to be ready for service by the end of this year.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, the cable ship has departed the port of Baku and begun laying the network. The 380-km cable is expected to be laid within 15 to 20 days, weather permitting.
The landing stations and fibre optics for Sumgait in Azerbaijan and Aktau in Kazakhstan have already been constructed and tested, the ministry said.
The project is being implemented by CaspiLink, a joint venture set up by Kazakhtelecom JSC and Azertelecom in 2024 specifically for this project, with subsea cable project management firm Pioneer Consulting hired to oversee construction of the subsea system in April 2025. The desktop study and marine route survey for the cable were completed last year.
The ministry said all technological works and commissioning for the subsea cable are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.
While the Trans-Caspian cable is intended to directly link the respective telecoms infrastructures of AzerTelecom and Kazakhtelecom with 400 Tbps of capacity, it’s also part of the “Digital Silk Road” project spearheaded by Beijing as an offshoot of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Kazakhstan is one of 17 countries that have formally signed on to the Digital Silk Road initiative.
A planned second phase for the Trans-Caspian cable will connect Sumgait to Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan, although no timeline has been given.
