Information and communications technologies (ICTs) drive socioeconomic progress, and with the advent of advanced and emerging technologies, there is a growing demand for fibre-optic networks that can deliver broadband services. As the cost of building the fibre-optic infrastructure is high, co-deployment could minimize costs during construction. Moreover, co-deployment creates opportunities for new business models for various infrastructure facilities, and initiates long-term strategic planning for the development of infrastructure networks.

The telecommunications sector in Kazakhstan is one of the most advanced in the North and Central Asia region. Significant efforts have been made to develop the information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure with existing fibre-optic communications lines located along main highways and major cities. Telecommunications services are generally affordable, and as a result, a relatively high percentage of its population has access to broadband services.

Mongolia, a country of 3 million people, is located in Central Asia and is land-locked by Russia to the north and China to the south. It is the nineteenth largest country in the world with a total area of approximately 1.6 million square kilometers. While Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world, with less than 2 people per square kilometer, two thirds of its population live in urban areas with more than one million people living in the capital city Ulaanbaatar.

Information and communications technology (ICT) has become an indispensable tool in our daily lives. The evolution of ICT through the Internet is making the globe a community that can create, share and acquire information and knowledge across locations and time. The impact of ICT on economic and social development is what we call the Third Industrial Revolution.

Trans-boundary infrastructure development in energy, ICT, and transport sectors is critical for improving regional economic cooperation and integration across Asia and the Pacific and is vital for socioeconomic development of landlocked developing countries. However, such development faces many challenges including the need to mobilize substantial financial resources, address potentially damaging impacts of natural disasters and ensure the principle of “no one left behind”.