Kcell was awarded the title of the fastest mobile internet provider in Kazakhstan in 2023. Victor Zeng, the Sales Director at Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband network analytics in the Asia-Pacific region, presented the award to Askhat Uzbekov, CEO at Kcell, during the Digital Almaty international forum on February 1.
Based on nearly 600,000 measurements on the Speedtest Ookla platform, Kcell's internet speed recorded the highest result in Kazakhstan in Q2 and Q3, 2023 at 67.35 Mbps. This figure is expected to increase with the deployment of the fifth-generation communication standard and the ongoing modernization of the 4G network. Notably, Kcell has already installed nearly 600 5G base stations in the country. From 2020 to 2023, Kcell invested ₸184.4 billion in the development and expansion of its network and plans to increase infrastructure investment until 2028.
I believe that Ookla's SpeedTest Index is the most popular, trusted, and independent tool for measuring internet access quality globally. It is a great pleasure that our efforts and investments in improving communication and internet speeds have a tangible effect. And it’s twice as great to be recognized by such a reputable company as Ookla. Kcell will not be complacent about its achievements; we have many plans and tasks ahead of us. This award and the title of the fastest operator is both an achievement recognizing our efforts and a great responsibility. I am sure this is not our last award in telecommunications.
Last December, Ookla released its regular monthly rating, the Speedtest Global Index. According to the results, Kazakhstan's mobile internet speed ranked 72nd among 146 countries at 35.07 Mbps. The country’s result was best in Central Asia and the EEU. In comparison, Armenia ranked 92nd with a speed of 26.43 Mbps, Uzbekistan was 95th at 25.20 Mbps, Russia took 99th place at 24.47 Mbps, followed by the Kyrgyz Republic at 100th place at 24.43 Mbps. Belarus ranked 136th (12.75 Mbps), and Tajikistan’s 8.15 Mbps secured 141st spot in the Index.
City-wise, Almaty ranked 69th out of 169 cities in the Speedtest Global Index, with a mobile internet speed of 51.25 Mbps, while Astana ranked 85th with 38.83 Mbps.
"Based on the results of in-depth analysis of customer-initiated tests conducted by Speedtest, Kcell was named the fastest network in Kazakhstan by Ookla's Speedtest Awards. This award recognizes operators, whether mobile or fixed networks, that demonstrate exceptional speed and performance compared to other major networks in the market for Q2 and Q3 2023. We are pleased to recognize Kcell for this achievement, which is a result of their continued focus on delivering superior communication services to their customers," said the Sales Director of APAC at Ookla, Victor Zeng.
The Ookla rating is based on measurements of access speeds, network latency, and traffic loss using special servers deployed in over 190 countries around the world, comprising approximately 10,000 servers. Kazakhtelecom, the largest telecom operator in Kazakhstan, has installed about twenty such servers across the nation. The presence of multiple servers in each country and major city allows Speedtest to obtain accurate performance data without the need for long or even international transit for testing.
According to GSMA Intelligence data, the average mobile traffic consumption by a subscriber in Kazakhstan is 17.2 GB, while the global average is 12 GB. Kazakh users consume more traffic than residents of Singapore, Turkiye, Italy, and many other countries. Even without taking into account the introduction of 5G, mobile traffic in the republic grew at a rate of 60% in 2019 to 21% in 2022, and this trend continues. Therefore, experts believe that Kcell's achievement—being the operator providing the fastest internet against the backdrop of traffic growth—is not an easy task.
