Telecom Armenia and AzerTelecom Sign Agreement: Azerbaijani Side to Have Access to Cable, Not Data

YEREVAN– Armenian telecommunications company Telecom Armenia and Azerbaijan’s AzerTelecom have signed a bilateral agreement that provides for the commercial transit and delivery of internet traffic through the territories of the two countries, Telecom Armenia’s public relations department reported.

According to the company, the Azerbaijani side will be able to use Armenian infrastructure to provide internet connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan.

“Under the agreement, Telecom Armenia, as a leading transit operator in the region, is expanding the number and geography of countries to which it supplies international internet traffic, ensuring transit through its own infrastructure to Azerbaijan.

The agreement aims to promote the diversification of communication routes in the region, increase the reliability of telecommunications networks and develop cooperation in the telecom sector,” the company said.

Connections will be made in Kornidzor and Yeraskh. According to Telecom Armenia Deputy Director Aram Barseghyan, the National Security Service must first issue the relevant authorization.

Barseghyan said the Azerbaijani side will have access only to a cable with a capacity of 100 gigabits per second, not to the data transmitted through it.

According to him, the Azerbaijani side will not connect to the Armenian network but will be able to use the cables.

AzerTelecom is one of Azerbaijan’s major backbone internet operators, providing the country’s connection to the global internet network. Founded in 2008, the company operates as part of Azerconnect Group, which is part of the international NEQSOL Holding group. The holding operates in several countries in the fields of energy, telecommunications, high technology and construction.

In its statement, AzerTelecom said that under the deal, it will provide internet transit toward Armenia through its own infrastructure and expand the geography of its services.

“The purpose of the agreement is to diversify communication routes in the region, increase the reliability of telecommunications networks and develop sectoral cooperation,” the Azerbaijani telecom operator said in its statement.