Azerbaijan Hospitality Connectivity Summit - Ookla Speedtest Certified Launch

Date: January 28, 2026

Azerbaijan Hospitality Connectivity Summit

Keynote presentation delivered on behalf of the Information and Communication Technologies Agency (ICTA) at the launch of Ookla’s Speedtest Certified™ for the Hospitality Sector in Baku. The event was jointly organized by ICTA, the Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), and the Azerbaijan Hotel Association (AHA), with over 100 senior representatives from the tourism, telecommunications, and infrastructure sectors in attendance.

📺 AzTV National Television Coverage

The event and my presentation were featured on AzTV, the national television of Azerbaijan:

📺 BakuTV Coverage

The event was also covered by BakuTV:

🔗 Azərbaycanın rəqəmsal sahədə keçdiyi yol – BakuTV

Presentation Slides

📄 Download Presentation Slides (PDF)

📹 Video Coming Soon

The video recording of this presentation will be added once it becomes available.

Event Overview

The event marked the first presentation of Ookla’s new solution aimed at assessing and certifying the internet infrastructure of businesses in the hospitality sector. As Stephen Bye, President and CEO of Ookla, stated: “High-quality, reliable, and resilient connectivity is no longer a luxury; it has become an expectation for every guest and a core element of a competitive, high-end hospitality experience.”

Event Organizers:

Information and Communication Technologies Agency (ICTA)
Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB)
Azerbaijan Hotel Association (AHA)

Attendance: Over 100 senior representatives from tourism, telecommunications, and infrastructure sectors

Key Topics Covered in My Presentation

1. The Starting Point (2020)

Infrastructure challenges: Only 9% fiber coverage (227K premises)
Legacy networks: ADSL/DSL dominant with 150+ fragmented ISPs
Performance baseline: 10.5 Mbps download, 11.1 Mbps upload
Digital divide: 30 percentage point gap between urban (~76%) and rural (~46%) areas

2. Transformation Through “Online Azerbaijan” Initiative (2021-2025)

Fiber coverage expansion: 9% → 100% (13× increase)
Speed improvement: 10.5 Mbps → 88.8 Mbps download (8× growth)
Subscriber growth: 1.35M → 2.30M fiber subscribers (+950K in 2.5 years)
Technology shift: xDSL collapsed from 55% → 3%, Fiber grew to 95%
Premium speeds: 100+ Mbps subscriptions grew from 0.2% → 65.6%

3. World Bank Recognition (B-READY 2025)

#5 Globally in Internet Sub-Indicator (Operational Effectiveness)
#1 Regional Leader among peer economies (Regulatory Framework)
Score: 83.05/100 in Communal Services (#25 out of 101 economies)
Key recognition: Internet as essential infrastructure (like electricity, water, transport)

4. Impact on Tourism & Hospitality

Current speeds: Baku & major cities: 73-85 Mbps; Tier-2 cities: 58+ Mbps
Suitable for all hospitality applications including business travel (25+ Mbps required)
Quality of Service (QoS) standards developed by ICTA (2024-25)
Competitive positioning: Regional parity achieved, international standards supported
Strategic advantage: Connectivity is now a tourism asset

5. Geographic Transformation

Nationwide coverage: Transformation across all regions
Rural-urban divide bridged: From 30pp gap to near-parity
Visualization: Heat maps showing acceleration from 2022 onwards

6. Strategic Vision for Tourism (2025-2030)

Position connectivity as core tourism infrastructure
Develop Azerbaijan as digital economy & hospitality hub
Establish regional leadership in digital tourism
Call to action for stakeholders:
- Hotels: Market world-class connectivity as differentiator
- Tourism operators: Design digital-first experiences
- Government: Promote Azerbaijan as “connected destination”
- Venues: Deploy smart tourism solutions

About the Initiative

The Speedtest Certified™ program leverages Speedtest’s globally trusted testing methodology to deliver third-party verification of internet quality in hospitality venues. The certification process includes:

On-site evaluation of radio frequency (RF) quality
Real-world performance testing
Infrastructure resilience assessments

This initiative strengthens Azerbaijan’s position in the Speedtest Global Index™ and enhances the country’s reputation as a digitally advanced tourism destination.