OneWeb and Kazakhstan National Railways to work together

OneWeb and Kazakhstan National Railways to work together
by Staff Writers
Almaty, Kazakhstan (SPX) Feb 03, 2023

OneWeb, a company specializing in low Earth orbit satellite communications, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kazakhstan National Railways Company "Kazakhstan Temir Zholy" to investigate providing high-speed, low-latency broadband satellite connectivity to railway stations and rolling stock throughout Kazakhstan.

This collaboration aims to enhance the connectivity and digitalization of Kazakhstan's railway network, enabling the implementation of innovative technologies and improved services for passengers and operators.

The MoU signed at the "Digital Almaty" forum marks a significant step forward in the relationship between OneWeb and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, as they work together towards improving the country's railway network. The agreement will aid in transforming Kazakhstan National Railways into a cutting-edge, international multimodal digital logistics operator. The MoU also includes plans to conduct service trials for both fixed and mobility solutions, as a prelude to the commercial launch scheduled for later in the year.

Ben Griffin, VP Mobility and AMEA Region, OneWeb, commented: "OneWeb's philosophy has always been to work closely with partners and customers across the globe to develop and deploy best in class solutions 'for the industry, by the industry'.

"We are happy for the opportunity to cooperate with the National Railways in Kazakhstan in developing connectivity solutions to address the current and future connectivity needs for fixed sites, such as railway stations, cargo terminals and seaports, and moving platforms, including rolling stock."

Anuar Akhmetzhanov, Deputy Chairman for Strategy and Digitalization at Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, said: "OneWeb's low Earth orbit constellation can provide the capabilities needed to drive the innovation and advance the digitalisation in the railway industry.

"At KTZ JSC, we're pleased to cooperate with OneWeb to explore the technological solutions that provide high-speed connection with low latency and constant connectivity to ensure digitalization of the transport and logistics corridor from East to West, including seaports, railway stations, marine vessels and rolling stock."

The MoU was signed on the side-lines of the international "Digital Almaty" forum hosted by the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mayor of Almaty City, TechGarden.kz and Astana Hub.