ZTE’s Magic Pole Brings Smart Infrastructure to Kazakhstan

Beeline Kazakhstan and ZTE have taken another step in transforming the country’s connectivity landscape through the launch of the Giga City 2.0 initiative. The collaboration builds on the earlier Giga City project from 2024 and aims to create a new generation of smart, green, and AI-enabled telecom infrastructure across Kazakhstan.

At the heart of this initiative is the introduction of ZTE’s Magic Pole, installed in the centre of Astana. It marks the first deployment of this smart infrastructure solution in Kazakhstan. Designed as a multifunctional unit, the Magic Pole integrates a mobile base station with street lighting, offering both enhanced network coverage and a platform for future smart city applications. Its compact and modern design allows it to blend into the urban environment while improving connectivity in dense city areas.

The Magic Pole reflects the growing trend of infrastructure convergence, where telecom functions are seamlessly embedded into existing urban structures. Instead of constructing traditional tower sites, operators can deploy these smart poles to provide 4G and 5G coverage while supporting IoT sensors, environmental monitoring, or even public Wi-Fi in the future. It’s an example of how telecommunications infrastructure can evolve to serve broader urban development goals.

Beyond city centres, Beeline and ZTE are also testing hybrid-powered sites along the Astana-Borovoe national highway. These autonomous towers operate completely off-grid using a combination of solar and wind power. The hybrid design provides reliable signal coverage even in areas without access to electricity, significantly reducing environmental impact and operational costs. This approach highlights how renewable energy and telecom infrastructure can work hand in hand to extend digital connectivity into remote regions.

The Giga City 2.0 programme also includes demonstrations of ZTE’s Qcell solution for improving indoor coverage. A pilot installation at the Mega Silk Way shopping mall showcased how the system eliminates indoor coverage gaps and delivers consistent high-speed connectivity for users in busy commercial spaces.

ZTE and Beeline’s efforts align with Kazakhstan’s national vision for digital transformation, which emphasises sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity. From the Magic Pole in Astana to the off-grid sites along major highways, these projects showcase a model for how infrastructure modernisation can be both technologically advanced and environmentally conscious.

With initiatives like Giga City 2.0, Kazakhstan continues to position itself as a regional leader in smart and sustainable connectivity. For ZTE, the Magic Pole represents more than just a new product—it’s a glimpse into the future of how cities and operators can collaborate to build integrated, intelligent, and green digital ecosystems.

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The Subsea Cables Infrastructure Keeping the World Connected

The internet may feel wireless, but most of the world’s connectivity depends on cables running deep beneath the ocean. Vodafone’s short documentary 'Making Connections: Subsea cables' takes viewers beneath the surface, exploring the complex world of subsea cables that carry almost all of the world’s data traffic.

The film highlights how this invisible infrastructure keeps everything from social media and cloud computing to financial systems and video calls running smoothly. Despite the rise of satellites, fibre-optic cables laid across the seabed remain the backbone of international communication. Vodafone operates or partners on more than 70 subsea cable systems spanning over 100 countries, connecting more than 700 million people worldwide.

At Vodafone’s cable stations in Cornwall, engineers monitor and maintain multiple systems that land on the UK’s southern coast. Each cable carries vast amounts of data at the speed of light through glass fibres thinner than a human hair. The documentary shows how these operations combine technology, precision and resilience. When a cable is damaged, locating and repairing it can be an immense challenge, involving ships that cost tens of thousands of dollars a day to operate and weeks of work at sea.

Subsea cables have a long heritage in the UK. The first transatlantic telegraph cable was laid in the 1800s, connecting Ireland and Newfoundland. The same site in Cornwall where Vodafone operates today once belonged to the Eastern Telegraph Company, later Cable & Wireless, and now forms part of Vodafone’s global network. The industry has evolved from transmitting a handful of words per minute to streaming millions of 4K videos simultaneously across continents.

The film also features partners such as Alcatel Submarine Networks and Ciena, whose technologies underpin and scale Vodafone’s subsea systems. Modern cables use optical amplifiers and repeaters to boost signals across thousands of kilometres, while intelligent monitoring systems detect issues before they disrupt service. Recent advances, such as spectrum sharing and higher-capacity modems, are extending both performance and flexibility.

The documentary pays particular attention to the 2Africa project, a monumental cable system encircling the African continent and landing in dozens of countries. Led by Vodafone and its partners, it represents one of the longest and most ambitious subsea builds ever undertaken, designed to bring affordable and reliable connectivity to hundreds of millions of people.

Maintaining such systems comes with real challenges. Natural events such as mudslides and turbidity currents, as well as human activity like fishing and anchoring, can threaten cables. Engineers describe how they bury and armour cables near shore and collaborate globally to ensure resilience and quick restoration when damage occurs. They also work with researchers to study environmental effects and improve sustainability, including using sensors embedded in cables to monitor ocean conditions and detect seismic activity.

Beyond technology, Making Connections highlights the people behind this critical infrastructure. Vodafone’s engineers, apprentices and early-career professionals are shown learning and innovating together. With a small but highly skilled global workforce, the subsea industry is investing in developing the next generation of talent to sustain and grow this essential network for decades to come.

Subsea cables may be out of sight, but their impact touches every aspect of modern life. Vodafone’s documentary is a reminder that the strength of our digital world depends on the cables stretching quietly beneath the oceans—connecting continents, economies and people around the globe.

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