Beeline & ZTE Launch Giga City 2.0 to Accelerate Kazakhstan's Smart and Green Digital Future

Beeline Kazakhstan, part of VEON Group, has teamed up with ZTE to launch Giga City 2.0 – Green & AI New Era, a major initiative to expand and modernize Kazakhstan's digital infrastructure. Building on the foundation of the original Giga City project, the new program introduces green, AI-enabled innovations aimed at improving network performance, customer experience, and sustainability.

A key highlight of the initiative is the deployment of Magic Poles in downtown Astana. These innovative structures integrate base stations with urban street lighting, providing robust mobile coverage while blending seamlessly into cityscapes. Magic Poles also enable future smart-city applications, ranging from connected sensors to IoT-driven public services.

Another milestone is the installation of renewable-powered highway masts along the Astana-Borovoe corridor. These standalone units operate entirely on solar and wind power, delivering reliable mobile connectivity in remote areas without reliance on the national grid. This marks a significant step toward carbon-neutral network expansion in Kazakhstan.

To address coverage gaps in high-traffic indoor areas, Beeline and ZTE have piloted QCell indoor systems at the Mega Silkway shopping mall. The solution eliminates dead zones, enhances signal strength, and ensures seamless user experiences for data-intensive applications such as video streaming, e-commerce, and digital payments.

The project also leverages AI-driven upgrades for smarter resource allocation and efficient operations. Earlier network enhancements, including the deployment of FDD Massive MIMO in the Akmola and Turkestan regions, delivered a 134% boost in throughput. Giga City 2.0 builds on these results to deliver scalable improvements nationwide.

Executives from Beeline and ZTE emphasized the initiative's dual focus on customer experience and sustainability. By integrating AI, renewable energy, and advanced telecom infrastructure, the companies are working toward Kazakhstan's national digitalization agenda while reducing operational costs and environmental impact.

In collaboration with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, Giga City 2.0 underscores the importance of public-private partnerships in driving inclusive digital growth. The program provides a blueprint for other markets seeking to merge technological innovation with sustainability.

With Giga City 2.0, Beeline Kazakhstan and ZTE are setting a new benchmark for telecom modernization — positioning Kazakhstan at the forefront of green, intelligent connectivity in Central Asia.