Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku

Programme Overview

Developing resilient national backbone networks requires public institutions to transition towards open-access principles and structured wholesale telecommunications markets.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ This intensive four-day professional course in Baku equips network planners, national regulators, and digital ministry officials with practical mechanisms to unbundle dark fibre, manage shared infrastructure, and establish commercially sustainable wholesale regimes. Participants explore modern transit corridors, pipeline coordination, and cross-border connectivity frameworks necessary to lower end-user internet costs and eliminate regional digital divides across Central Asia and the Caucasus.

The curriculum addresses the engineering standards and legal frameworks governing dark fibre commercialisation, passive civil works coordination, and multi-tenant duct access. Delegates analyse international benchmarks for non-discriminatory reference interconnect offers, unbundled local loop mandates, and cost-reflective infrastructure leasing. Practical exercises examine structural separation models, public investment safeguards, and carrier-neutral operation rules. Through detailed technical case studies, participants examine Baku's strategic role as a regional transit hub linking regional fibre backbones across the Caspian transit routes.

Finally, the programme focuses on the technical drafting and operational execution of major donor-funded procurement packages. Attendees learn to formulate public-private partnership models, design bankable design-build-operate transactions, and establish transparent operational level agreements. By mastering the interface between statutory regulation, civil engineering requirements, and donor procurement frameworks, participants leave equipped to lead national backbone modernisation initiatives that comply with international procurement criteria and attract private capital into shared national infrastructure.

Landlocked developing economies across Central Asia face acute challenges regarding transit dependency, concentrated transit routes, and elevated wholesale bandwidth costs.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ National initiatives addressing regional digital connectivity, such as the Digital CASA Kyrgyz Republic project, demonstrate the necessity for public institutions to build capacity in open-access backbone design, cross-border infrastructure coordination, and competitive wholesale regulatory regimes. As regional infrastructure initiatives develop alternative transit corridors through the Caspian basin, regulatory authorities and line ministries must urgently harmonise national leasing frameworks, establish non-discriminatory reference offers, and prepare compliant public investment packages that mobilise private investment and expand regional internet resilience.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Baku, Azerbaijan, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Foundational principles of open-access fibre architecture: structural separation versus functional unbundling
• International wholesale transit markets: capacity pricing trends and cross-border routing mechanics
• Regional fibre corridors: subsea Caspian crossings, railway easements, and terrestrial highway routing
• Carrier-neutral Internet Exchange Points and international commercial interconnection arrangements
• Case review: Regional transit topology, terrestrial landing stations, and open-access point of presence design
• Engineering standards for shared civil works: micro-trenching, multi-duct installation, and manhole access
• Duct and pole sharing regulations: rights of way, non-discriminatory allocation, and capacity reservation
• Dig-once policies and coordination of joint civil engineering works with energy and transport utilities
• Infrastructure planning and prioritisation
• Project appraisal and business cases
• Financing options and public-private partnerships
• Procurement and contracting for works

It is designed for telecommunication regulatory authority officials and tariff analysts, digital development and telecommunications ministry technical directors, project Implementation Unit managers handling donor-financed digital infrastructure and others who want practical, current skills in infrastructure, urban development and partnerships.

The Growing Importance of Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku

Infrastructure and urban services shape growth, health and opportunity. Projects are large, complex and long-lived, and weaknesses in planning, financing or delivery are costly to fix later.

Governments increasingly combine public investment, partnerships with the private sector and new technologies. Teams who can plan, appraise, procure and manage these investments deliver better assets and services.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Plan and prioritise infrastructure investments
• Appraise projects and prepare business cases
• Choose financing and delivery models
• Supervise works for time, cost and quality
• Manage assets over their life

Strong infrastructure, urban development and partnerships systems help organisations:

• Select the right investments
• Deliver projects on time and on budget
• Attract financing and partners
• Keep assets working for longer

This Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Training?

This programme is designed for:

• Telecommunication regulatory authority officials and tariff analysts
• Digital development and telecommunications ministry technical directors
• Project Implementation Unit managers handling donor-financed digital infrastructure
• Backbone transmission planning engineers and fibre network architects
• National broadband network agency executives and legal counsels
• Public-private partnership transaction advisors and procurement officers
• State enterprise network infrastructure operators and duct asset managers
• Utility infrastructure managers overseeing telecommunications asset commercialisation
• Cross-border infrastructure coordinators and regional integration specialists
• Infrastructure and urban planners
• Engineers and technical managers
• Project and programme managers

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Training, participants will be able to:

• Analyse open-access regulatory instruments, structural separation models, and reference access offers for wholesale fibre markets
• Evaluate cross-border terrestrial and subsea fibre deployment standards alongside regional transit route interconnection regimes
• Design telecommunications duct leasing frameworks, passive infrastructure sharing mandates, and joint civil works coordination guidelines
• Formulate transparent cost-modelling methodologies and wholesale pricing structures based on Long-Run Average Incremental Cost approaches
• Structure public-private partnership contracts, including Design-Build-Operate and indefeasible rights of use transactions for national backbones
• Prepare World Bank compliant technical specifications, service level agreements, and procurement documentation for cross-border connectivity packages
• Establish dispute resolution mechanisms and compliance monitoring protocols for non-discriminatory wholesale open-access operations
• Explain how infrastructure is planned and prioritised
• Appraise projects and prepare a business case
• Compare financing and delivery models, including partnerships

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

The programme runs over 4 days. Each day combines expert input, practical work and a closing workshop or case study:

• First Day: Day 1: Open-Access Principles and Cross-Border Wholesale Connectivity
• Second Day: Day 2: Passive Infrastructure Sharing and Telecommunications Duct Leasing
• Third Day: Day 3: Wholesale Economics, Cost Modelling, and Indefeasible Rights of Use
• Fourth Day: Day 4: Donor-Financed Procurement, PPP Models, and Operational Oversight

Full day-by-day contents

First Day | Day 1: Open-Access Principles and Cross-Border Wholesale Connectivity

• Foundational principles of open-access fibre architecture: structural separation versus functional unbundling
• International wholesale transit markets: capacity pricing trends and cross-border routing mechanics
• Regional fibre corridors: subsea Caspian crossings, railway easements, and terrestrial highway routing
• Carrier-neutral Internet Exchange Points and international commercial interconnection arrangements
• Case review: Regional transit topology, terrestrial landing stations, and open-access point of presence design

Workshop: Day 1: Open-Access Principles and Cross-Border Wholesale Connectivity: Applying It to Your Institution

Working in small groups, participants apply the day's methods to examples from their own institutions and agree practical next steps.

Second Day | Day 2: Passive Infrastructure Sharing and Telecommunications Duct Leasing

• Engineering standards for shared civil works: micro-trenching, multi-duct installation, and manhole access
• Duct and pole sharing regulations: rights of way, non-discriminatory allocation, and capacity reservation
• Dig-once policies and coordination of joint civil engineering works with energy and transport utilities
• Developing a standardised Reference Duct Offer: terms, operational processes, and maintenance obligations
• Practical drafting exercise: Structuring a passive civil infrastructure sharing and asset-leasing agreement

Workshop: Day 2: Passive Infrastructure Sharing and Telecommunications Duct Leasing: Applying It to Your Institution

Working in small groups, participants apply the day's methods to examples from their own institutions and agree practical next steps.

Third Day | Day 3: Wholesale Economics, Cost Modelling, and Indefeasible Rights of Use

• Cost-orientation frameworks: applying Bottom-Up Long-Run Incremental Cost principles to fibre networks
• Commercial and legal structuring of Indefeasible Rights of Use agreements and long-term dark fibre leases
• Wholesale broadband access tariffs: bitstream unbundling versus dark fibre access pricing structures
• Service Level Agreements: defining latency, mean time to repair, and performance penalty mechanisms
• Simulation: Negotiating commercial terms for cross-border fibre capacity between operators and wholesale buyers

Case Study: Day 3: Wholesale Economics, Cost Modelling, and Indefeasible Rights of Use in Practice

Participants analyse a realistic case, compare the choices made with good practice and draw lessons they can use in their own setting.

Fourth Day | Day 4: Donor-Financed Procurement, PPP Models, and Operational Oversight

• Structuring public-private partnerships: Design-Build-Operate and Build-Transfer-Operate concession models
• Integrating World Bank procurement regulations into cross-border broadband infrastructure tenders
• Drafting technical qualification criteria, bid documentation, and employer requirements for backbone links
• Regulatory enforcement: monitoring non-discrimination, margin squeeze, and capacity allocation disputes
• Action planning: Formulating national backbone deployment and regulatory roadmaps for participant institutions

Capstone Exercise: Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Action Plan for Your Institution

Participants bring the week together in an action plan for their own institution, with priorities, owners and first steps, and present it for feedback from peers and facilitators.

Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Training Methodology

The training applies an adult-learning approach focused on operational execution within donor-financed environments.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Course delivery combines structured technical lectures, regulatory document critiques, and practical financial and contractual simulations. Delegates work directly with authentic international contracts, reference access offers, and standard procurement dossiers. Daily peer-working groups analyse real-world network deployment scenarios, negotiate simulated wholesale capacity transactions, and receive expert critique on technical documentation, ensuring immediate operational applicability for national backbone initiatives.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group. Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Training, participants will be able to:

• Capability to draft, assess, and implement comprehensive open-access regulations and Reference Interconnection Offers
• Competence in engineering oversight for shared telecommunications ducts, rights-of-way, and passive utility assets
• Mastery of wholesale bandwidth tariff calculation using international Long-Run Incremental Cost regulatory methodologies
• Proficiency in drafting legally sound Indefeasible Rights of Use agreements and wholesale dark fibre commercial contracts
• Skills to structure donor-compliant procurement packages, technical criteria, and concession agreements for national backbones
• Practical instruments to enforce carrier-neutral access rules and resolve disputes across multi-tenant transport networks
• Plan and prioritise infrastructure investments
• Appraise projects and prepare business cases

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Investment planning
• Project appraisal
• Partnership management
• Works supervision
• Asset management

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Business cases
• Risk allocation
• Contract management
• Maintenance planning
• Service monitoring

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply infrastructure, urban development and partnerships within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in infrastructure, urban development and partnerships increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on infrastructure, urban development and partnerships. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to infrastructure, urban development and partnerships that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Baku, Azerbaijan brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how infrastructure, urban development and partnerships is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Azerbaijan

Programmes, Workshops, Exposures, Training Courses in Baku, Azerbaijan by Risalat Consultants International

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Readiness Assessment
• Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku Training Manual
• Project Appraisal Template
• PPP Risk Allocation Matrix
• Works Supervision Checklist
• Asset Management Plan Template
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Business Case Review Checklist
• Maintenance Planning Template
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions plan and prioritise infrastructure investments?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Day 1: Open-Access Principles and Cross-Border Wholesale Connectivity), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions appraise projects and prepare business cases?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Day 2: Passive Infrastructure Sharing and Telecommunications Duct Leasing), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions choose financing and delivery models?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Day 3: Wholesale Economics, Cost Modelling, and Indefeasible Rights of Use), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions supervise works for time, cost and quality?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (Day 4: Donor-Financed Procurement, PPP Models, and Operational Oversight), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions manage assets over their life?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Day 1: Open-Access Principles and Cross-Border Wholesale Connectivity), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the Wholesale Broadband Infrastructure and Open-Access Fibre Deployment in Baku programme take place?

It runs from 6 Sep 2027 to 9 Sep 2027, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for telecommunication regulatory authority officials and tariff analysts, digital development and telecommunications ministry technical directors, project Implementation Unit managers handling donor-financed digital infrastructure, backbone transmission planning engineers and fibre network architects, and others who want practical skills in infrastructure, urban development and partnerships.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in infrastructure, urban development and partnerships?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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