Team Telecom chief explains Azerbaijan connectivity deal

PanARMENIAN.Net - Alexander Yesayan, co-founder and chairman of the board of Telecom Armenia, has stated that under the agreement signed between Telecom Armenia and AzerTelecom, the Armenian company will provide commercial internet transit services between Nakhichevan and Azerbaijan.

According to Yesayan, the transaction is purely commercial in nature and does not pose any national security risks, Armenpress reported.

“We will provide traffic transit in the Nakhchivan–Azerbaijan direction. In other words, Team Telecom Armenia will sell internet traffic to Azerbaijan. It should be noted that international communication routes operate as complementary pathways. In modern telecommunications networks, traffic can be transmitted through different directions depending on technical and operational conditions.

New connections expand available opportunities and increase network flexibility. To provide transit services, networks must have physical interconnection at the level of equipment and cables.

This is not an internet service but a data transit service carried out from point to point using DWDM technology. The Azerbaijani side will gain access to a cable with a capacity of 100 gigabytes per second, not to the data itself,” he said.

Addressing national security concerns, the Team Telecom Armenia co-founder noted that global internet infrastructure is built on interconnected nodes and that the cooperation does not involve the exchange of data between countries.

“Since the sale of internet traffic will primarily be carried out from Telecom Armenia to the other side, the potential risks are actually higher for the receiving party. Security requirements remain a constant priority in the design and operation of telecommunications infrastructure. The purpose of establishing new routes is to increase network resilience and reduce dependence on individual directions by ensuring a more diversified and stable infrastructure,” he said.

Yesayan confirmed that the agreement is strictly commercial but added that it will increase international bandwidth capacity and provide additional routes, contributing to greater network stability and service reliability.

He also stressed that the agreement has no connection to TRIPP or any other interstate project and represents cooperation exclusively between two private companies.

“This is solely a telecommunications and infrastructure project aimed at enhancing network stability, expanding international connectivity and creating additional opportunities for the development of Armenia’s digital economy.

We are already the largest provider of transit internet connectivity from Armenia to international destinations. With this agreement, we become one of the three largest transit internet traffic providers in the Caucasus and the Middle East.

Within the framework of the agreement, we are simply expanding alternative opportunities to connect to global internet hubs and beginning to sell services to Azerbaijan,” he said.

Earlier, Telecom Armenia and AzerTelecom signed a bilateral agreement providing for the commercial transit and delivery of internet traffic through the territories of both countries.

Under the agreement, Telecom Armenia, as a leading regional transit operator, has expanded both the geography and number of countries receiving international internet traffic through its infrastructure, including transit services to Azerbaijan.

The stated goal of the agreement is to support the diversification of regional connectivity routes, improve the reliability of telecommunications networks and promote cooperation in the sector.