Devices & Platforms

ZTE signs smartphone/FWA deal with Kazakhstan’s Kcell

ZTE signs smartphone/FWA deal with Kazakhstan’s Kcell

ZTE revealed on Monday it has signed a strategic cooperation MoU with Kazakh telco Kcell covering smartphones and fixed wireless access (FWA) terminals, which also marks a major push by the Chinese vendor into the Kazakhstan market.

Under the partnership deal – which was signed at Mobile World Congress earlier this month but made public on Monday – ZTE and Kcell will jointly promote a wider range of ZTE's smartphone devices to the Kazakh market.

The MoU also calls for deeper cooperation between ZTE and Kcell on FWA services using ZTE's customer premises equipment (CPE).

Kcell CEO Askar Zhambakin said its collaboration with ZTE aims to significantly improve connectivity experiences for local households and businesses, while also bringing high-speed internet access to more users across the country.

"We work with different global technology partners to make mobile internet faster and more reliable, including through the development of our 5G network,” he said in a statement. “Our cooperation with ZTE supports this approach by expanding access to devices and developing fixed wireless access – bringing fast internet to areas where traditional connections are not available.”

Kcell first launched its 5G network in March 2023 with 12 live sites in Almaty and Shymkent. Later the same year it contracted Ericsson to expand its 5G network to cover at least 50% of Kazakhstan's territory.

According to its web site, Kcell said it was providing 5G in 625 locations in Kazakhstan by March 2024. It launched 5G connectivity at metro stations in October 2024.



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