A fourth telecommunications operator may emerge in Kazakhstan within the next two years. This was announced at a government briefing by Asхат Оразбек, the Vice Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, as reported by a correspondent from the Kapital.kz business information center.
"A Qatari company is already present in Kazakhstan, represented by Tele2 and Altel, two brands. The question is what steps they will take. I believe this will become clear within the next six months. I want mobile operators to hear this now. If the market situation does not change, we have prepared frequency bands for another operator. We will launch a fourth mobile operator if nothing changes. Therefore, they should consider retaining their market position by listening to their users' needs, or we will be forced to further intensify competition in this market," he stated.
According to Asхат Оразбек, there was a duopoly in the mobile communications market in Kazakhstan for some time.
"Like an oligopoly, a duopoly is not ideal, so we have high hopes for the deal that has taken place and rely on the so-called invisible hand of the market, primarily competition. The competition among three independent mobile operators will enhance the quality of communication. We are confident that this will influence prices and tariffs. You may recall that when Tele2 entered the market, they significantly reduced tariffs, forcing KCell and Beeline to lower their prices as well. We expect a similar effect. I believe that in the next six months, the new team will be addressing the current situation in the company. We hope that during this time, some measures will be initiated," emphasized the Vice Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry.
At the Ministry of Digital Development, they expect that by the end of the year, the new owner of the mobile operators will start taking actions to balance and improve the market.
Recall that on January 14, JSC "Kazakhtelecom" completed the deal to sell "Mobile Telecom-Service," which includes the mobile operators Tele2/Altel and PIH Communication LLC.