e& unit, TNS Global launch 'South Route' to boost Central Asia-UAE connectivity

12/02/2026 05:32 AST

e& Carrier & Wholesale, the international wholesale arm of the global technology group e&, and TNS Global, a leading international carrier in Central Asia, have announced a collaboration to launch a new corridor offering a high-performance connectivity route between Kazakhstan and the UAE.

The new South Route expands digital pathways between Central Asia and the Middle East, offering customers greater path diversity, resilience and low-latency connectivity.

It connects Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states to the UAE over diverse, multi-operator terrestrial segments. The route is engineered to support growing international capacity, hyperscale demand, cloud interconnects, and carrier-grade services, while reducing dependency on single transit corridors.

The South Route is part of a broader vision to transform Central Asia into a digital bridge between continents and to expand reliable terrestrial connectivity beyond traditional routes.

Nabil Baccouche, Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer at e&, said: "With South Route, we're expanding resilient terrestrial options between Central Asia and the Middle East, enabling operators, hyperscalers, and enterprises to reach critical hubs with secure, scalable, low-latency connectivity. This corridor complements our regional interconnection fabric and strengthens access to the UAE's role as a key digital hub for the wider region."

"This collaboration with e& represents a significant step in strengthening digital ties between Central Asia and the Middle East," said Obaid Rahman, Group CEO of TNS Global. "By leveraging diverse terrestrial routes, we are enabling more resilient and flexible connectivity options for operators, enterprises, and global partners."

e& brings its strong regional presence and international expertise to the collaboration, reinforcing the UAE's role as a key digital hub. Together, TNS Global and e& aim to support hyperscalers, carriers, and enterprises seeking secure, high-capacity connectivity across emerging and established markets.

With a round-trip delay from Almaty of approximately 48 milliseconds, the South Route delivers competitive latency while benefiting from TNS Global's extensive fiber-optic footprint across Kazakhstan and its 30 transborder connections. The route is designed to diversify international paths and build scalable digital corridors linking Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, supporting ambitions to build a modern-day Digital Silk Route, a statement said.

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