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Beeline is the mobile operator I have used since 2012 as a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) and find it works just fine in most areas of Kazakhstan (the NE, far east and SE) I travel in.

I mainly use it for SMS and occasional calls (both inside Kazakhstan and to Australia) but only use data vary rarely (if there is in-home internet or power failure) so my spend is quite low, perhaps topping up to KZT20 000 every few months.

Be warned, if you travel to Kyrgyzstan (and other countries), it is best to get a local SIM, because the cost of roaming can be quite high if you are on PAYG, KZT2 000 for a couple of minutes.

The parent company of KCell is another big mobile supplier here, but there was news recently that they are exiting Kazakhstan ...



Landline is one of the lesser used communication methods here, perhaps as a legacy of the CCCP-era where not all people had landlines.

This has meant that take-up of mobile 'phones and fibre-optic internet (in particular) was very quick here in comparison to many western nations because there was no large alternative legacy copper-wire infrastructure to compete with.

Even here out on the far eastern edge of Kazakhstan in Ust-Kamenogorsk, most places are connected with fibre-optic cabling for both internet and TV.

----- Land Lines

As far as I am aware Land Lines are only available from Kazakhstan Telecom; they have several office and you have to visit the one closest and responsible for your area to apply in writing for a Phone Line.

You will have to take your passport with you and complete an application form the process takes approx. 3 days; not all offices have English speaking staff so if your Russian in not very good, it best to take a Russian speaking friend with you.

I am not sure of the costs involved, but it is negligible and I know that some of my local friends tend to call Land Line to Land Line and Mobile to Mobile as apparently it is cheaper!

----- Mobile Operators

We have Tele2, Kcell and Beeline as the main operators; service is a little patchy with all of them, so you are likely to choose the one that has best coverage where you frequent the most.

There is no monthly fee as far as I am aware and you pay using cash in kiosks that are dotted all over Kazakhstan as and when you need to top-up.

Internet Access without a package is very expensive and will eat into your credit very fast; I am not sure if is it still available, but at the time I was interested in Internet Access they had a promotion for $50 which covers 12 months access - so I snipped it up fast!

I don't call many people using my direct mobile provider - but using Viber so I have no idea and so my credit seems to last for almost forever!

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I hope this helps.

Darren Thompson