eGov from August: free zero-rated access and a ban on government robocalls and mass SMS

Two notable changes to eGov take effect in Kazakhstan from August. First, accessing the state services portal and app will no longer consume mobile data — carriers are zero-rating those addresses, making e-government reachable even on an empty balance. Second, state bodies are being banned from mass SMS campaigns and robocalls — notifications move into the eGov app itself.

The logic is simple: citizens are worn out by dozens of "important" messages in which the genuinely needed ones drown, and scammers have learned to mimic official texts. A single in-app channel solves both problems — and trains people to treat push notifications as the main line to the state.

Businesses should read the regulatory direction here: intrusive channels are under pressure, and sooner or later notification rules will tighten for private companies too. Sensible preparation means moving customer communications to where consent and value are clear: an account area, an opt-in messenger, transactional notifications instead of carpet-bombing campaigns.