Digital rendering of coverage from OneWeb’s future satellite constellation. Photo: OneWeb

OneWeb has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Astana International Financial Centre  (AIFC), a financial hub in Central Asia, to accelerate broadband connectivity in Kazakhstan. The partners will work to provide the first low-latency satellite broadband in Kazakhstan and to establish a technical hub in the country to support OneWeb’s communication service delivery across Central Asia. OneWeb said it was considering setting up a joint venture in the jurisdiction of AIFC to operate this Central Asia technical hub.

AIFC Governor Kairat Kelimbetov and OneWeb’s CEO Adrian Steckel signed the MoU during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The pair discussed how OneWeb will aid the implementation of a government program called “Digital Kazakhstan,” which aims to provide high-speed broadband across Kazakhstan by 2022, providing broadband access by satellite in 6,600 rural and remote communities.

“AIFC is looking forward to bringing innovative projects to Kazakhstan by offering the best environment for setting up business and helping drive inward investment. This is the first step of many that will help to develop our economy,” Kelimbetov said.