The metro in Almaty is gaining popularity. Since the opening of the first line in 2011, the number of passengers has been steadily increasing. But is it possible to catch Internet down below? A Tengri Life correspondent decided to check the quality of the Internet in the metro to find out how stable and fast the connection can be in this mode of public transport.
We began our journey at the "Rayymbek Batyr" station. To evaluate the quality of the connection, we chose a late Thursday evening, after 9 PM.
We will also clarify how long it takes to travel from "Rayymbek Batyr" station to "Bauyrzhan Momyshuly" station. While many locals previously referred to the metro as a museum due to its lack of popularity, the situation has dramatically changed. During peak hours, it gets quite crowded. Therefore, we decided to wait for late evening and take a calm ride for our experiment.
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There weren't too many people, so we easily found a spot in the carriage. It turned out that there is indeed mobile Internet at the "Rayymbek Batyr" station. We have attached a screenshot showing the time and the 4G icon.
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Next, we took a ride from "Rayymbek Batyr" station to "Zhibek Zholy" station. Unfortunately, mobile Internet quickly disappeared during the journey, but it reappeared at the "Zhibek Zholy" station.
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Between the next stops, mobile Internet was lost again. Meanwhile, the number of passengers increased. Next, as you know, is the "Almaly" stop. 4G is available at the station. So, you can send a message or a funny meme to friends; there's time.
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At "Abay" station, unfortunately, mobile Internet was lost. By the way, we haven't felt the New Year atmosphere yet while traveling on this public transport. So, we decided to choose bright thematic wallpapers for our phone. (The photo of the tree was taken by the author of the text.)
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The next stop is "Baikonur" station. Here, the Internet is not available yet, but at "Auezov" station, you can confidently reply to a message in the messenger, as the Internet is accessible.
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At "Alatau" station, the Internet is available again, and mobile Internet is accessible. Starting from "Sairan" stop, then "Moscow", "Saryarka", and reaching "Bauyrzhan Momyshuly" station, we were unable to catch mobile Internet.
We arrived at "Bauyrzhan Momyshuly" station at 21:29. The journey took us about half an hour. The fare cost 120 tenge.
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Thus, during our trip, we found that mobile Internet is currently operational only at the following stations:
- "Rayymbek Batyr";
- "Zhibek Zholy";
- "Almaly";
- "Auezov Drama Theater";
- "Alatau".
The press service of the metro promised to provide all details regarding the operation of the Internet at stations later. Stay tuned for updates with us.
By the way, for several years now, residents and visitors of the city have been waiting for news regarding the launch of a metro line to Almaty airport. You can read about the current status of the project and how soon it will be implemented in updates as of October 2024 through the link.
Moreover, many Almaty residents and visitors are anticipating the opening of "Kalkaman" station. Earlier, Tengri Life investigated why the construction timelines were shifted and whether additional funding was allocated for this. Details - here.