/PRNewswire/ — Aztelekom, part of the AZCON holding company, and Huawei announced today that the national broadband strategy “Online Azerbaijan” has covered 99.7% of the territory of Azerbaijan.
Up to 3 million homes and businesses, in major cities and remote villages, now have full access to high-speed internet and digital services, with 2 million of them joining in the last two years. Today, practically all 10.45 million inhabitants of the country have access to high-speed Internet.
Khinalig in Azerbaijan is one of the remote mountain villages connected through “Online Azerbaijan” / Image credit: Huawei
“We approached this initiative not only as a technological modernization, but as a strategic investment aimed at reducing digital inequality, ensuring fair access to digital services and enabling the digital transformation of public services,” said Hasan Omarov,
CEO of Aztelekom. “The ‘Online Azerbaijan’ megaproject is one of the largest infrastructure initiatives in the history of our country. For the first time, regardless of the place of residence, citizens have equal access to high-speed and reliable Internet services and the same digital opportunities. Huawei’s high technical potential, innovative solutions and proven ability to implement large-scale projects have played a key role in the development of Azerbaijan’s digital infrastructure. Following the foundations of the “Online Azerbaijan” megaproject, it will enable deployment of advanced technologies such as 10G and 50GPON, providing ultra-fast, reliable and high-capacity broadband services to households and businesses in the near future.”
The “Online Azerbaijan” initiative, launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, is in line with the government’s goals to increase the average internet speed in a stable broadband network to 50Mbps by 2025. As part of its TECH4ALL digital inclusion program, Huawei has played a key role in building infrastructure, including connecting some of the country’s most remote villages with all-optical gigabit fiber optic solutions.
“Huawei is committed to using its technologies and solutions to help bridge the digital divide and enable an inclusive and sustainable digital world,” said Cui Yangyang, Director of Huawei’s TECH4ALL Program Office. “Ensuring access to high-speed internet for everyone, no matter where they are, opens up opportunities for every citizen and allows them to contribute to the country’s growing digital economy and prosperous future.”
Huawei’s all-optical telecommunications solutions focus on building a comprehensive infrastructure that replaces traditional electrical switching with optical technologies to meet high bandwidth and low latency requirements.
Project goals were set based on population density, infrastructure potential, and social indicators of each of Azerbaijan’s 14 economic regions. At the start of the project, the average internet speed in Azerbaijan was only 11.7Mbit/s, by 2025 it has increased more than sevenfold to 88.84Mbit/s. This progress is a direct result of the massive and widespread deployment of optical infrastructure, including the complete replacement of outdated copper fiber-based networks with fiber optics. In just one year, Azerbaijan moved up nine places in the UN ranking for the development of electronic public administration, and in 2025, for the first time, it reached the highest rank in the field of digital public administration.
The project has been presented as a case study at various professional events for several years. It has also won five different international awards and has been published as an exemplary business case in Harvard Business Review Türkiye and in Principles of Modern Marketing by Philip Kotler.
Previously, many rural areas of Azerbaijan had limited access to modern connectivity and digital services. For example, in traditional remote mountain villages like Khinalig, the introduction of high-speed and reliable connectivity has greatly enhanced local opportunities, supported small and medium-sized enterprises, stimulated tourism and allowed local artisans to share their traditional crafts with a global audience via live streaming. Improved connectivity has also expanded access to online education for rural schools, helping bridge the digital divide and giving rural students greater access and educational opportunities comparable to those of their urban peers.
In addition to online education, projects related to telemedicine and smart cities are being implemented throughout the country. In the next phase, the “Online Azerbaijan” project will focus on the expansion of 5G and the Internet of Things to the most remote regions, with a strong emphasis on energy efficiency and the introduction of green technologies.
The TECH4ALL initiative
TECH4ALL represents Huawei’s long-term initiative and action plan in the field of digital inclusion. Through innovative technologies and partnerships, TECH4ALL strives to create an inclusive and sustainable digital world: https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all
