Polish companies eye opportunities as Azerbaijan builds digital trade route

The Middle Corridor is emerging as one of the most significant alternative routes linking Asia and Europe as geopolitical tensions reshape Eurasian trade and connectivity. Running across Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus and Türkiye, the route offers an alternative to traditional corridors passing through Russia while creating new opportunities for countries positioned along its path.

Azerbaijan occupies a central position in this evolving network. Its location on the western shore of the Caspian Sea connects Central Asian economies with the South Caucasus, Türkiye and European markets, while investments in ports, railways, energy infrastructure and digital connectivity are expanding the corridor beyond a conventional transport route. The European Union has increasingly recognised this role, describing Azerbaijan as central to the development of connectivity between Europe, the Caspian and Central Asia.

This wider transformation explains the growing interest among EU member states, including Poland. For European economies, the Middle Corridor is not simply another transport route: it is part of efforts to diversify trade links, strengthen supply-chain resilience and develop alternative transport, energy and digital connections with Central Asia. The EU has already identified the corridor as a strategic connectivity priority and is mobilising investment to develop it.

It is against this backdrop that the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita has examined the emerging opportunities around the Middle Corridor, particularly the potential for Polish companies to participate in the infrastructure and services developing around Azerbaijan’s increasingly important role in this Eurasian network.

The Polish interest is not entirely new. Rzeczpospolita has previously highlighted Baku as an important hub for Polish and European companies, while Polish logistics and port interests have explored links with the Port of Baku and the Trans-Caspian route.

Below is part of the article outlining the author’s key points on the issue, including his response to the question of why Polish companies have yet to establish a stronger presence in a region where the Middle Corridor is creating growing opportunities.

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An Alternative Digital Route Is Important for Europe

Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have laid fibre-optic cables along the bottom of the Caspian Sea. This brings to life the digital version of the Middle Corridor, which is becoming an increasingly important alternative route connecting China and Central Asia with the European Union. Polish companies may look for opportunities as specialised suppliers of the technologies and services necessary for the functioning of the corridor.

The approximately 380-kilometre connection between Aktau in Kazakhstan and Sumgayit in Azerbaijan is intended to become part of a much larger infrastructure system connecting Asia with Europe. The Middle Corridor currently forms a network of railways, ports and sea routes through Central Asia, the Caucasus and further to the European Union. According to an analysis by the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (OIIP), this route is approximately 2,500 km shorter than the Northern Corridor through Russia.

The new fibre-optic cable adds another digital layer to this system, strengthening the importance of the Middle Corridor not only as a transport route, but also as a broader Eurasian infrastructure connection.

Digital Silk Road

The Trans-Caspian Fibre-Optic Cable (TCFO) project was initiated in 2018 by the Azerbaijani operator AzerTelecom, which invited two Kazakh companies, KazTransCom and Transtelecom, to cooperate. The project became part of the broader “Digital Silk Road” initiative, whose goal, according to Submarine Networks, was to transform Azerbaijan from a raw materials supplier into a regional digital hub. The project was divided into two stages: connecting Azerbaijan with Kazakhstan, and then with Turkmenistan by fibre-optic cable. Shortly afterwards, in June 2019, at the EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum, the project was presented as part of a broader concept of creating a digital corridor connecting Asia with Europe through Azerbaijan. As reported by Strategeast, Baku’s ambitions were to transform the country into a regional digital hub at the crossroads of the Caucasus, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, thereby contributing to the diversification of its economy beyond the traditionally dominant oil and gas sector. At the same event, the signing of an intergovernmental agreement between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, which was crucial for the implementation of the project, was confirmed.

According to the Times of Central Asia portal, on the Kazakh side, Transtelecom and KazTransCom were replaced by Kazakhstantelecom, which in September 2022 signed a memorandum of understanding with AzerTelecom on strategic partnership within the framework of the Transtelecom Transmission Fund (TCFO). A year later, the operators established a joint venture, Caspinet B.V., with each company acquiring a 50% stake in it. Since 2024, the project work has been supported by the American company Pioneer Consulting. A breakthrough occurred in March 2025, when, after receiving approval from the governments of both countries, the operators signed an agreement to construct a fibre-optic cable on the seabed of the Caspian Sea.

In April 2026, Interfax reported that completion of the project was expected in the third quarter. In mid-August, one of the most important stages was reached – the laying of the cable on the seabed of the Caspian Sea was completed. According to Digital Silk Way, work on integrating the line, together with the parallel expansion of coastal infrastructure, is planned to be completed by the end of the year. Over almost eight years of project implementation, its technological ambitions have also increased significantly. The initially planned capacity of 4–6 Tbit/s increased to more than 400 Tbit/s, while the cost of the project exceeded $50 million.

More Than Just Fibre Optics

However, the importance of the investment is difficult to assess only by its cost. The stakes are much higher for the infrastructure and services that will be built around the new connection. A capacity exceeding 400 Tbit/s is intended to ensure the transmission of large volumes of data and create conditions for the further development of digital services in the region. According to Euronews, such high capacity is intended to support growing demand for cloud services, the processing of huge volumes of data and the development of new artificial intelligence ecosystems in the region. At the same time, the “Digital Silk Road” is intended to create a shorter data transmission route between Asia and Europe, passing through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye and Bulgaria. This is intended not only to increase the capacity of connections between the two continents, but also to reduce data transmission latency.

A Strategic Central Corridor for Europe

From a geoeconomic and strategic point of view, the expansion of the digital infrastructure of the so-called Middle Corridor also makes considerable sense from the perspective of the European Union. The war in Ukraine has clearly changed the structure of trade routes connecting Asia with Europe. Traditional land routes through Russia have become politically riskier for European businesses, while the Middle Corridor, bypassing Russia and Belarus, is becoming an important alternative. However, its attractiveness is determined not only by geopolitics. According to data presented on the Diplomatic Courier website, transporting goods from China to Europe can take around 15 days, while maritime transport usually takes between 30 and 45 days. According to European Commission data from February 2026, the volume of trade through the Trans-Caspian Corridor has increased fourfold since 2022, and with appropriate investment it could triple by 2030. At the same time, the value of EU trade with Central Asian countries already reaches approximately €54 billion. Brussels also recognises this potential. As EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos emphasised, “much of the infrastructure is outdated, so investment is urgently needed”. The answer lies, among other things, in the Interregional Connectivity Programme developed within the framework of the Global Gateway strategy, which aims to improve connections between the European Union and Central Asia through Türkiye and the South Caucasus. The Commission identifies three main areas requiring investment: transport and trade, energy and digital infrastructure. With regard to the latter, Brussels points to the need to finance projects involving alternative fibre-optic corridors, new internet traffic exchange points, improved cybersecurity and the laying of new fibre-optic lines alongside investments in transport and energy.

This is not merely a concept on paper. While the fibre-optic cable connecting Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan has already been laid along the bottom of the Caspian Sea, the Trans-Caspian Energy Corridor is being prepared in parallel. As reported by Ulysmedia, the project will, among other things, make it possible to develop new infrastructure in the future for the export of energy from renewable sources to Europe, whose potential Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are actively developing. One of the key elements is the construction of a high-voltage underwater cable across the Caspian Sea.

Where Is There a Place for Polish Companies?

The expansion of the Middle Corridor could also open up new opportunities for Polish companies. However, the greatest opportunities lie not in the Trans-Caspian fibre-optic cable itself, whose construction is nearing completion, but in the next wave of investment that the developing infrastructure may initiate. The increase in capacity will create demand for data centres, cloud and backup services, telecommunications network integration and cybersecurity solutions. In addition, there are ICT systems to support transport and energy infrastructure and process growing volumes of data.

The participation of the European Union through Global Gateway may be crucial for Polish businesses. The European Commission emphasises the importance of cooperation with trusted technology and cybersecurity service providers, as well as adapting developing infrastructure to European and international standards. Therefore, Polish companies do not need to compete for the largest infrastructure contracts. They can use their advantage as specialised European suppliers of technologies and services necessary for the functioning of the developing corridor – from cloud and data centres, through ICT integration and cybersecurity, to digital solutions for energy and transport. The most interesting business opportunity for Polish companies may turn out to be not the fibre-optic network on the bottom of the Caspian Sea, but the infrastructure and services emerging around the Middle Corridor.

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The author quite reasonably asks the question, “Where is there a place for Polish companies?” But today this question sounds more rhetorical than relevant. Until media resources sponsored by official Warsaw continue to conduct a rude disinformation and insulting campaign against the Azerbaijani state, its leadership, sovereignty and territorial integrity, Polish companies cannot count even on a folding chair in the auditorium, let alone a place on the stage. Poland has failed spectacularly in the role of “watchdog of the East” assigned to it by its bosses in Brussels. Formal apologies from Warsaw to Baku could have been accepted yesterday, but today they are clearly no longer sufficient. Something clearer and more tangible is required, namely: building equal, respectful and strategically oriented relations with Azerbaijan, which, in terms of the dynamics of economic transformation and the effectiveness of its regional influence in addressing security challenges, occupies a place no less significant than Poland, which is being tormented by ever-growing fears.