On the vast steppes of Kazakhstan, where herders have guided sheep and horses across the grasslands for centuries, a quiet technological revolution is taking place. Farmers are now using artificial intelligence, drones and even Starlink satellite internet to monitor and herd livestock — sometimes attaching terminals to their horses and dogs.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Kuantyrov told a briefing in Astana that herders are increasingly adopting digital tools to manage their animals across the country’s immense territory, which ranks as the world’s ninth largest.

“Now in Kazakhstan we have large areas of land rented by farmers who are using AI technology and drones,” Kuantyrov told reporters on October 30. “They herd animals with cars, and they are also using Starlink antennas on their vehicles, on their horses and sometimes on their dogs. Everything is monitored through screens — there’s no need for a person to be physically present because it’s managed electronically.”

He added that the growing use of artificial intelligence could transform multiple sectors of Kazakhstan’s economy, from agriculture to transport and public administration.

The innovation coincides with Kazakhstan’s rollout of Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which aims to bring high-speed broadband to remote and rural areas.

Starlink began offering full commercial services to the public in Kazakhstan in the third quarter of 2025, as announced by the new Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry earlier this year. The government and SpaceX signed earlier this year allowing the legal import and operation of Starlink terminals, which were previously restricted to a pilot programme connecting rural schools.

“Starlink was not previously available to the public,” Digital Development Minister Jaslan Madiev said in June. “Now, after reaching this agreement, the company has committed to fully comply with our legislation on information security and communications.”

The partnership is part of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s Accessible Internet initiative, which seeks to close the connectivity gap in rural areas by extending broadband to remote villages, schools and healthcare facilities.

Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellite constellation, positioned about 550 kilometres (342 miles) above ground, enables internet coverage even in the country’s most isolated regions, including the huge stretches of grassland in Kazakhstan where herders still graze their flocks.

Kazakhstan first engaged with Starlink in 2023, following government frustration over the slow pace of domestic telecom expansion. The project initially connected 2,000 rural schools, and by mid-2024 nearly 1,800 had access to satellite internet.

Authorities briefly considered banning satellite internet services operated from abroad late last year, citing national security concerns, but withdrew the proposal after a public backlash.

Meanwhile, competition in the country’s nascent satellite internet market is heating up. In September 2024, Kazakhstan signed an agreement with Amazon to bring its Project Kuiper satellite network to the country, setting up a future rival to Starlink. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said the move would help improve affordability and service quality.

Chinese firm Spacesail Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of Spacesail International, has also registered at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) with $17mn in capital, positioning itself as another potential player in the mega-constellation internet sector.

The government sees the digital transformation of agriculture as part of a broader effort to develop Kazakhstan’s AI ecosystem. According to the Astana Hub innovation centre, the country plans to train 14,000 AI specialists by 2029, and artificial intelligence is already being used by major state-owned enterprises such as KazakhInvest and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway operator.

Kuantyrov said the application of AI across industries could be as transformative for Kazakhstan as the Industrial Revolution was for Britain in the 19th century.

From nomadic horsemen of the past to satellite-connected herders of the future, Kazakhstan’s farmers are blending centuries-old traditions with cutting-edge innovation. Even on the remote steppe, the digital age has arrived.