The village of Basbek in Kostanay Oblast has received internet access for the first time — a public Wi-Fi hotspot connected via OneWeb non-geostationary satellite technology has been launched in the settlement. The connectivity presentation event was held with the participation of Mazhilis Deputy of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva, representatives of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the company Jusan Mobile.
Internet in Basbek Under the National Project “Accessible Internet”
The connection of Basbek village to the internet was made possible through the implementation of the national project “Accessible Internet,” carried out by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to the ministry’s materials, one of the project’s key priorities is providing internet access to remote and sparsely populated villages where laying fiber-optic communication lines or installing mobile base stations is not economically viable.
Basbek is precisely such a settlement. According to the ministry, in such cases non-geostationary satellite (NGSO) technologies are employed, enabling high-speed and stable internet connectivity where other technical solutions are not applicable.
OneWeb Technology and the Project Operator
The connection was established using the OneWeb system — a non-geostationary satellite constellation providing broadband internet access. The project operator in Kazakhstan is Jusan Mobile. Under the national project utilizing NGSO technologies of the OneWeb system, 328 villages across the country have already been connected to the internet, according to the ministry’s materials.
Mazhilis Deputy Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva noted at the presentation that domestic providers had offered an effective technical solution and that all work is being conducted within the legal framework. “Most importantly, this network of satellite receivers fully complies with Kazakhstan’s legislation in terms of security and deployment conditions,” the ministry’s statement quotes her as saying.
Assessment of the Project by the Relevant Authority
Chairman of the Committee on Telecommunications Damir Seisembekov described the connection of Basbek as part of the first infrastructure initiative of the national project “Accessible Internet,” which, according to him, was successfully and fully completed last year. No additional details regarding the timeline and parameters of the project’s completion are provided in the published materials.
How Basbek Residents Tested the Connection
During the technology presentation, village residents personally verified the network’s functionality: they connected their devices to the Wi-Fi, tested internet speeds using Speedtest, and made video calls to relatives in other cities and regions of the country.
One Basbek resident shared his impressions: “Before, we could only communicate with our loved ones by landline phone. Now, thanks to the internet, we can access all the information we need and stay in touch with family at all times. My son lives in Germany — now I can talk to him directly from the village over Wi-Fi,” the ministry’s statement quotes the local resident as saying.
Context: The Purpose of “Accessible Internet”
The national project “Accessible Internet” aims to eliminate the digital divide between urban and rural areas of Kazakhstan. Particular attention is paid to settlements that cannot be reached by traditional connectivity methods — cable laying or mobile tower construction — due to the high cost of infrastructure relative to the small population size.
NGSO satellite technologies, unlike geostationary satellites, operate at lower orbits, which enables lower signal latency and higher data transfer speeds. This is precisely what makes them suitable for delivering quality broadband access in hard-to-reach areas. According to the ministry, 328 villages in Kazakhstan have now been connected using this technology under the project, with Basbek being one of them.
Jusan Mobile’s own position regarding further plans for coverage expansion is not reflected in the published materials. The broader context of the country’s digital transformation is captured in Kazakhstan’s digitalization in 2025, as the country steadily consolidates its position as a regional IT leader.
Источник: Министерство искусственного интеллекта и цифрового развития Республики Казахстан
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