Freedom Telecom International (FTI), a subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: FRHC), has signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement with Nokia. As a first step, Freedom Telecom International and Freedom Lifestyle Group will inaugurate an Innovation Lab at Nokia’s Sunnyvale, California campus in the coming months.
The initial focus is on designing next-generation AI data center blueprints, conducting feasibility studies in Kazakhstan and neighboring markets, and leveraging Nokia’s global ecosystem to scale cloud and AI-driven services. FRHC, a diversified international financial services group who intends to lead the region’s digital infrastructure buildout, views this cooperation key to realize this ambition and pave the way to further joint projects globally.
The move comes as Kazakhstan intensifies efforts to establish itself as a regional hub for artificial intelligence, digital talent, and sovereign cloud capabilities – domains that are rapidly becoming global benchmarks for economic competitiveness. Central Asia, historically underpenetrated in hyperscale infrastructure, is now drawing growing attention from global technology providers and international investors seeking new growth corridors.
Timur Turlov, Founder & CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., commented: “Kazakhstan is investing heavily in the future of cloud and AI, and global partnerships play an important role in this journey. Over the past year, we began collaborations with companies like NVIDIA and OpenAI to help accelerate high performance computing, digital skills, and modern AI infrastructure. Exploring opportunities with Nokia reinforces this direction and helps us evaluate technologies and expertise that are necessary for technological progress across our global footprint.”
Johannes Hummer, CEO of Freedom Telecom International, added: “This agreement is an important milestone for Nokia and FTI as our mission includes crafting international partnerships’ for Freedom Holding Corp. with Telcos and TechCo’s. The Innovation Lab in Sunnyvale will allow both teams to test ideas and learn together. It marks the beginning of a journey focused on innovation, collaboration, and long-term impact.”
The newly established Innovation Lab will serve as the venue to test and evaluate AI architectures, cloud technologies and advanced networking solutions. Freedom Lifestyle Group will use the Innovation Lab to test AI-powered consumer services across its e-commerce and health tech businesses including chat and voice assistants, agentic AI systems, and next-generation Superapp capabilities – and organize trials to see how Nokia’s infrastructure performs and could scale in a real-world environment.
Alexey Lee, CEO at Freedom Lifestyle Group, commented: “The Innovation Lab provides an important platform to advance our already established digital services into their next generation – leveraging AI to deliver more intelligent, personalized, and seamlessly integrated experiences across the Freedom ecosystem.”
By combining Nokia’s technology with Freedom’s ecosystem play, global market access and capital markets expertise, the companies are assessing how to unlock scalable digital infrastructure opportunities and support the next phase of digital development worldwide.
Mikko Lavanti, Senior Vice President for Middle East and Africa at Nokia, said: “We look forward to working closely with the Freedom teams as they explore different approaches for cloud, AI initiatives, Lifestyle services and beyond. I am impressed by their clarity of purpose and the commitment their team brings to this work. The geographies they consider for future infrastructure expansion are highly promising. We appreciate the strong engagement and hope to reveal opportunities where Nokia truly makes a difference in advanced connectivity and brings undisputed value.”
About the Signing Parties
Nokia is a global leader in connectivity for the AI era. With expertise across fixed, mobile, and transport networks, we’re advancing connectivity to secure a brighter world. To learn more about Nokia, visit nokia.com
Freedom Telecom International supports global partners in deploying and integrating Freedom Holding Corp’s portfolio of digital financial and lifestyle services. FTI also evaluates and executes investment opportunities in the telecom and fintech sectors, promoting financial and digital inclusion in emerging and frontier markets.
Freedom Holding Corp. is a leading international provider of investment and brokerage services across the markets of Central Asia, Americas, Europe and Middle East with more than 16 years of experience in global financial markets. The Holding’s shares are publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker FRHC with current market capitalization at USD 7.3 billion, and total assets amounting to USD 10.3 billion. The total number of clients in its digital ecosystem exceeds 11 million.
Freedom Holding Corp. employs over 11,000 professionals who are based in 231 offices in 22 countries, including Kazakhstan, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Uzbekistan, and Armenia. The company’s principal executive office is located in New York City.
To learn more about Freedom Telecom International, visit: freedomtelecominternational.com To learn more about Freedom Holding Corp., visit: freedomholdingcorp.com
Media Contacts: Freedom Telecom International: contact@freedomtelecominternational.com
