Kazakhstan Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in kazakhstan, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Information and Communication Technologies
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Overview 

Kazakhstan continues to upgrade existing infrastructure and integrate ICT into projects implemented in different economic sectors.  In 2017 the government launched the Digital Kazakhstan 2018-2022 program (https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2018-kazakhstan) aimed at improving the country’s digital infrastructure. The Program’s budget is under USD 1 billion and equally divided between the public and private sectors. The program focuses on five key areas: digitization of economic sectors including  energy, transportation, agriculture, e-commerce and financial sectors; transition to a digital state including government services and smart cities; development of high-speed and secure communication networks and IT infrastructure across the country; increasing digital literacy in secondary, technical and vocational higher education; and, providing conditions for the development of technological entrepreneurship, the start-up environment and financing ecosystem. 

To attract foreign investment into the sector,  Kazakhstan officially lifted restrictions on foreign ownership of telecommunications companies in 2022, with the exception of the country’s main communications operator, Kazakhtelecom. 

The total Kazakhstani ICT market in 2021 is roughly estimated at USD 2.3 billion, which represents 3% of GDP, with the telecommunication and information technology markets respectively making up 66% and 34% of the total sector.   In 2021, total revenue from telecommunication services totaled about USD 1.5. billion, including Internet (38%), mobile communications (26%), and the remainder other telecommunication services.

According to the International Telecommunication Union, in 2017 (the latest report available) Kazakhstan ranked 52nd out of 176 countries on the ICT Development Index.  Internet penetration in Kazakhstan is estimated as almost 86% (2022).    In 2021, the number of fixed telephone lines amounted to approximately 2.75 million;  24.5  million mobile subscribers, of which almost 17.5 million have Internet access; and, 2.6  million fixed internet subscribers.

Leading Sub-Sectors

  • Digital technologies to be used for developing e-government services, smart transportation, city infrastructure, and financial sector applications;     
  • Process automatization technologies for oil and gas, mining, and agriculture industries;
  • Upgrade and extension of existing fixed and mobile networks;
  • Content-rich mobile value-added services;
  • 5G mobile communications technologies;
  • Mobile number portability (MNP) technologies;
  • Internet of Things (IoT) equipment and technologies;
  • Satellite telecommunications technologies.

Resources

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

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The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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