The Akimat of Astana has announced a change of operator for the city's video surveillance system. Following the conclusion of the contract with the developer 'Sergek', a new public-private partnership (PPP) agreement is planned to be signed with the Emirati company Presignt, which intends to invest 53 billion tenge in the project.
Presignt - a subsidiary of the technology holding company G42 - will manage the video surveillance system from 2025 to 2030, reports BES.media.
The project involves the installation of 10,000 new cameras and more than 500 hardware and software systems on the capital's roads. The system also promises to integrate 8,000 cameras at socially significant sites – in schools, kindergartens, railway stations and airports.
It is reported that the new system will include 50 types of video analytics. Among the stated functions are recording the use of a phone while driving, monitoring seatbelt use, detecting fights and identifying weapons. The system is planned to be used for managing city traffic and optimising urban processes.
The current 'Sergek' system has been operating in the capital since 2017. Private investors spent 8.4 billion tenge on its implementation, subsequently receiving around 1 billion tenge from the Akimat.
Over the nine months of 2024, the system recorded 642,000 violations, from which 5.2 billion tenge was received into the budget. In total, during its operation, the system has brought 38.3 billion tenge into the treasury.
It is noted that the new operator Presignt reported revenue of 1.17 billion UAE dirhams or 159 billion tenge for the three quarters of 2024, which is up 9.6% on the previous year's figure. Under the terms of the contract, 60% of the work must be carried out by Kazakhstani companies.
Access control to the system will be carried out by the National Security Committee (NSC) and the State Security Service, and payments to the company will only begin after the system is launched.
Recall that in June of last year, the FBRK editorial team provided a detailed account of the intelligent road traffic control system (IRTCCS) project, which was being jointly developed by Freedom Telecom and Sergek Group.
We also analysed the 'Sergek' intelligent public and road safety system project, which throughout its operational period was the subject of numerous disputes regarding the safety and effectiveness of the system.
In January of last year, in the Kostanay region, numerous violations were uncovered during the installation of cameras. The company 'Korkem Telecom', responsible for implementing the 'Sergek' system, was found not to meet legal and technical requirements, lacked exclusive rights to the software and the necessary certificates.
At the same time, Sergek Group refuted the claims of the Akim of the East Kazakhstan Region, Yermek Kosherbayev, regarding non-functioning cameras left without software following the completion of the PPP.
In February 2025, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology, Bauyrzhan Kassymov, stated that there were serious violations in the procedure for the verification of hardware and software systems (HSS).
According to him, in 2024 the territorial departments did not carry out mandatory checks of the video recording cameras, and many laboratories responsible for verifying the equipment committed violations in the inspection procedures. Their licences were suspended for six months.