Freedom Telecom and Nokia Officially Open a Lab in Silicon Valley

The companies will jointly develop solutions for telecommunications, cloud platforms and artificial intelligence (AI). This strategic partnership will help Freedom Holding Corp. build next‑generation data centers (DCs) and integrate AI services into its ecosystem. Nokia is not the Holding’s only major partner: the company also collaborates with Nvidia, Huawei, OpenAI and other leaders in the telecom and IT sectors.

The Silicon Valley Lab

Freedom Telecom and Nokia plan to build high‑tech facilities, including next‑generation DCs, in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Leveraging Nokia’s resources and expertise, the Holding aims to scale up its cloud and AI services. To this end, a joint development center has been launched on Nokia’s campus in Sunnyvale.

Nokia is one of key global players in telecom equipment, network infrastructure and operator solutions. The company operates in 150 countries and contributes to the development of 5G and 6G networks, cloud platforms and data centers worldwide. Its technologies are used by major telecom operators and corporate clients across Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East.

Another goal of the partnership is to advance digital services within the Freedom ecosystem. The lab will test voice and chat assistants, agent‑based AI systems and other products for telecom platforms and the Freedom SuperApp.

The Silicon Valley lab is part of Freedom’s global strategy to develop its proprietary telecom and cloud infrastructure and promote AI adoption in Central Asia.

International Partnerships

Freedom Holding Corp. has long pursued systematic collaboration with global leaders. For instance, together with Nvidia, Freedom is building a sovereign AI hub in Kazakhstan — the AI hub valued at $2 billion.

Freedom Telecom has signed an agreement with the international platform Tuya Smart, expanding the company’s and Kazakhstan’s capabilities in the Internet of Things (IoT). Any device can now be integrated into the Freedom digital infrastructure.

In partnership with China Mobile International, the company is constructing the Akashi data center in Astana. This will be Kazakhstan’s first DC designed to the highest safety technology standard, Tier IV.

In 2025, Freedom signed an agreement with OpenAI and the national government to introduce ChatGPT Edu into the country’s education system. This grants access to the platform for 165,000 Kazakhstani educators.

In May 2026, Freedom Holding joined the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association), which develops industry standards and advances mobile technologies. Within this partnership, Freedom Telecom plans to create embedded financial solutions, digital investment services and other products at the intersection of telecom and FinTech.

A New AI Company within the Ecosystem

In May, the Holding registered Freedom AI Ltd — a subsidiary dedicated to developing a sovereign AI infrastructure in Kazakhstan. The company will focus on building and operating next‑generation computing resources, including data centers and cloud platforms for AI.

Beyond infrastructure projects, Freedom AI is developing corporate AI agents, data processing solutions and automation services. These can be used both within the Freedom ecosystem and by external clients — government agencies, businesses and tech companies.

Projects in Kazakhstan

Since autumn 2025, Freedom has partnered with Huawei. The companies have deployed the Freedom Wi‑Fi network at Almaty’s Central Stadium. During the Kairat–Real Madrid match, Kazakhstani fans gained access to high‑speed, stable internet for the first time. Data transfer speeds exceeded 1 Gbps on the stands — a level comparable to the infrastructure of the world’s largest sports venues.

Freedom Holding’s telecom division acquired satellite operator Astel for KZT 11.46 billion. Thanks to this deal, Freedom became the first official reseller of Starlink satellite internet in Kazakhstan.

Another strategic move was the agreement to acquire Transtelecom — operator, one of the largest players in the country’s digital infrastructure and network solutions market. This acquisition is expected to accelerate the development of Freedom’s proprietary cloud services, data centres and FinTech products.

The Freedom Ecosystem

Freedom’s strategy is built on investing in infrastructure, developing in‑house expertise and partnering with global industry leaders. The collaboration with Nokia and the launch of the Silicon Valley lab mark a new stage in integrating Kazakhstan into the global technology ecosystem.

Developing telecom and AI infrastructure is becoming the foundation for the Holding’s future ecosystem scaling. Expanding into new markets — from Central Asia to Europe and the US — requires proprietary capacity and infrastructure. That is why the Holding is consistently investing in telecom, artificial intelligence and global alliances with the industry’s biggest players.

As of May 2026, the number of users of the Freedom SuperApp has exceeded 5 million, while the entire ecosystem counts 11 million users.